Hedges can add height and curb appeal to your landscape. They can also help block noise and wind.
Many deciduous plants can be grown and used as hedges, including those that have beautiful flowers or grow fruit.
Let’s explore some plants that can make good hedges for your Wisconsin garden!
1. Amur Privet
This hardy and semi-evergreen flowering shrub has dense, lush leaves that, when allowed to grow out as a hedge, can make an excellent privacy screen.
Because it grows quickly and is low maintenance, the amur privet bush has to be trimmed several times each season.
2. Privet Cheyenne
Once established, the privet cheyenne shrub is versatile and low maintenance. This multi-stemmed shrub can grow in both dry and wet climates and can tolerate extreme pruning when it’s needed.
3. Hedge Cotoneaster
Hedge cotoneaster is an upright shrub that can grow 8 – 10 feet tall. Its lustrous, dark green leaves look good in the spring and summer; it provides a splash of crimson to your landscape, with its leaves turning red in the fall.
This plant produces a magnificent mix of berries and seasonal flowers and responds well to pruning and shearing.
4. Willow Arctic Blue
Willow arctic blue shrubs have fine-textured blue-green and silver leaves. Once established, they can grow up to 10 feet tall and can thrive in many different soil conditions.
Dwarf versions of this plant are great as low hedges and are effective deciduous screens when planted around water features.
Willow arctic blue shrubs complement climbing and shrub roses when grown as hedges.
5. Palibin Lilac Tree
The palibin lilac tree is a short, slow-growing, deciduous tree that can be cultivated into a hedge. It can grow to be 5 – 8 feet tall and 10 feet wide. This tree produces beautiful and fragrant purple flowers.
This hardy plant is also drought and mildew-resistant.
6. Green Velvet Boxwood
This hardy shrub doubles as a beautiful hedge or topiary bush thanks to its dark velvety green leaves.
Green velvet boxwoods keep their foliage year-round. When pruning is needed, plan to do so well after the last freeze of the season.
7. Dwarf Bush Honeysuckle
Dwarf bush honeysuckle is a small, deciduous plant that naturally grows in a rounded shape. Its dark green foliage turns burgundy in the spring. It also produces bright yellow trumpet-shaped flowers that bloom in early summer.
The dwarf bush honeysuckle plant makes a nice flowering hedge. For best results, prune it in late winter and water it regularly.
8. Alpine Currant
Alpine currant is a hardy, low-growing shrub that is commonly grown as a hedge. It grows to 3 – 4 feet tall, which is an ideal height for most hedges.
Alpine currant takes on a slightly round shape as it grows. Its lush, green leaves turn yellow in the fall, and the delicate texture of its leaves sets it apart from other deciduous plants.
This shrub should be pruned as needed and requires routine care and maintenance.
