Shape Landscaping Love Hedges

Shape Landscaping take care of their clients’ landscape installation, from expert design to careful implementation and ongoing maintenance and, to this end, they are happy to share their knowledge this month on the use of hedging in our garden environments.

A hedge is a permanent living structure that can be both pretty and practical and hedges can offer many solutions; used as definition to an entrance or driveway or to block out neighbours and road noise. When planting a hedge, the spacing between the trees depends on the mature height of the hedge. If it’s a low hedge, plant approx. 25cm apart, medium hedges, 50cm apart and for taller hedges plant approximately 100cm apart. For those wanting the hedge to fill in faster, they can make these measurements slightly smaller. Putting a slow release fertiliser in while planting will provide much needed nutrients while the plant is getting established, and when first planting the hedge, it’s beneficial to irrigate or water it once a day.   

Shape Landscaping have listed five hedge plants that grow well in New Zealand, staring with Buxus. Buxus is one of the most popular hedging plants and is a low-compact, profusely branched shrub which has shining mid-green, rounded leaves. These can be trimmed to the height desired and grow up to 1m. Buxus can also be trimmed into topiary.

Corokia are a great choice for a small to medium sized hedge. These plants have a tight growth habit and respond well to pruning and can typically form a hedge between 30cm and 3m high depending on the variety. Camellias are also a very popular evergreen for hedging, screening, background planting and as one-off stunning specimens. They can provide flowers from as early as March through to November and many have a delicate fragrance. Camellias can grow up to approximately two meters at full maturity. 

Eugenia is evergreen and can be used as a topiary subject, screen or hedge tree. Over the last 20 years, Eugenia has been the most popular hedging species planted in northern New Zealand. It has a compact upright growth habit that responds well to trimming and can reach several meters high with regular pruning and the new foliage is a deep maroon red changing to dark glossy green as it ages. 

Last, but not least, Griselinias are an evergreen shrub native to New Zealand and have fleshy, glossy, wavy edged foliage and look good all year round. They are a robust and reliable shrub, which makes them a popular native plant. Griselinia do well in just about any conditions including wind, cold, sun or part shade making this plant an invaluable landscaping plant.

For all those landscaping needs, go to http://www.shapelandscaping.co.nz .