Fast Growing Privacy Hedges

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by Adobestock/sv_production

Fast-growing privacy hedges are designed to create a dense barrier to give privacy, reduce sound pollution, and protect against winter winds. They also prevent erosion, protect wildlife, and help with snow buildup. An important goal for these new hedgerows is to plant them with trees, shrubs and other native plants to attract local wildlife and insects.

Grow Privacy Hedges

Over the years, I’ve been intrigued by how homeowners with large lots mark the boundaries with their neighbors. Fences are a common device, of course; then we have the ubiquitous row of closely planted arborvitae. But not only are these evergreen boundaries expensive — they’re boring. Plus, a typical suburban hedge using just one plant has little or no value to birds and beneficial insects. My question has always been this: Why not build a hedgerow, a suburban hedgerow, to establish the boundary between two large properties?

A suburban hedgerow resembles the “edge” of a forest with a mix of trees, shrubs and lots of other plants. The edge is always the area of the woods with the largest number of bird, bug and mammal species. The suburban hedgerow I envision is a 10- to- 20-foot-wide strip containing small-and-medium size shade trees, flowering trees and maybe an evergreen or two. Planted among the trees are flowering shrubs producing berries for the birds (or people) to eat, or shrubs that display color in the winter. What grows in between the trees and shrubs can be almost anything you want, including perennials, annuals, bulbs, herbs, ground covers, wildflowers and ornamental grasses.

All these plants are set in the ground at a distance from each other, so in three to five years as they mature, their foliage slightly overlaps in all directions, creating a dense barrier that gives privacy, reduces sound pollution and protects against winter winds. In fact, research on hedgerows designed as windbreaks indicates they can save you up to 40 percent on heating bills. Plus, this collection of plants presents a beautiful mixture of colors, textures and shapes that change with every season. A hedgerow will be alive with birds and butterflies. It’s also a wonderful “jungle” in which young children can play, explore and expand their imaginations.

  • Updated on Jun 9, 2023
  • Originally Published on Dec 1, 2007
Tagged with: Hedge Plants, Living Fences, natural landscaping
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