An evergreen shrub hedge has many advantages: it is both a windbreak and an occulting hedge, and it also offers shelter to small animals in the garden. Which shrubs to choose, when and how to plant them? Explanations ...
Plants for an evergreen hedge
Many plants can be used to create an evergreen hedge:
- Photinia ;
- Japanese Aucuba ;
- cherry laurel ;
- bamboo ;
- berberis ;
- Privet ;
- oleander (in the South) ;
- charcoal ;
- eleagnus ;
- pyracantha ;
- viburnum ;
- escallonia ;
- cedar.
When to plant an evergreen hedge?
The best time to install your plants is in early fall when the ground is still warm enough and the rains are more abundant.
Preparing the soil
Manually weed the site of the future hedge and aerate the soil with a grelinette. Correct the soil structure by adding compost, especially in heavy and clayey soils, to aerate them. If the soil is poor, add good potting soil and compost with ground horn.
Planting
It should be done in staggered rows to create a natural look and allow a good development of the branching and roots. Don't forget that the law requires you to plant shrubs not exceeding 2 m in height at a minimum distance of 50 cm from the boundary of the neighborhood. Also remember to leave enough room behind your hedge to have access for pruning operations.
- Dig a planting hole at least twice the size of the root ball.
- Pour a handful or two of ground horn into the bottom of the hole and set your shrub up so that its collar is flush with the ground.
- Fill in the hole with the prepared soil, making sure to pack it in well so as not to leave any residual air bubbles.
- Water abundantly.
Maintenance
For the first two years after planting, watering should be very regular to promote recovery and ensure that your hedge grows well. Think of mulching, which will keep the soil fresh while preventing the development of undesirable weeds that would compete with your shrubs. A thick mulch (minimum 20 cm) will be perfect for this purpose. If it is of organic origin (grass clippings, RCW, dead leaves, straw...) it will gradually decompose bringing fertilizing elements to the soil and preserving the fauna and micro-organisms present in the surface layers of the earth.
