THERE have been a lot of questions on social media sites in the last few months from people wanting to know what they can grow as a hedge to screen their properties.
Firstly, it is important to note the light conditions in which your hedge is going to grow.
You may need to use two different species of plant if the light conditions are quite different.
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However, if the entire area has almost equal periods of sun and shade during the day, then you can stick to a single species.
There are two ways to style a hedge – tightly clipped or keep it loose and unclipped.
Clipped hedges:
The beauty of a clipped hedge is that is looks neat year-round. It can be used to define an area or act as a backdrop to a feature. Believe it or not, you only need to clip the hedge two or three times a year.
The downside of a clipped hedge is that it will seldom flower so there is little benefit to wildlife other than possibly the tiniest of birds taking shelter in the foliage or foraging at its base.
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Indigenous plants that clip well are Plumbago auriculata, Freylinia tropica, Portulacaria afra, and Tecoma capensis for sun, and Mackaya bella for shade.
The trick with a clipped hedge is to start clipping the plants while they are still young to encourage new growth and slowly coax them to the height you want with regular clipping. After that it’s just a matter of periodic maintenance.
Loose, unclipped hedges:
A variety of shrubs will create a lovely soft hedge. A few trees will do the trick too, depending on the height of the hedge you would like.
The benefits of a loose, unclipped hedge is that the plants will produce flowers, nectar, fruit and seed which will attract birds, butterflies and a range of insects.
The downside of a loose hedge is that the plants tend to lose their basal growth, but these spaces can be filled with perennials.
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Successful indigenous plants for a loose, unclipped hedge are:
Tecoma capensis (sun-four colours from which to choose), Mackaya bella (semi- to full shade), Ochna serrulata (semi-shade – a tall hedge, Plumbago auriculata, Plectranthus ecklonii, Plectranthus fruticosis, Plectranthus zuluensis and Plectranthus saccatus (semi-shade – medium to low), Carissa macrocarpa (Amatangulu), Dovyalis caffra (Kei apple), Scutia myrtina (Cat thorn) and Cassinopsis filicifolia (Lemon thorn) – all thorny shrubs for security hedges. Watch out for your pets’ eyes.
Halleria lucida and Heteropyxis natalensis – these are both medium trees but their height can be controlled annually. Plant them closer together than you would if you wanted stand-alone trees.
Contact the Hillcrest Conservancy chairman, George Victor, on 073 901 3902, e-mail georgevic@telkomsa.net or the website www.hillcrestconservancy.co.za or contact Lindsay Gray at info@schoolofgardendesign.com.
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