Front Yard Landscaping Ideas

Landscaping in Bucks County PA

Taken for granted, hedges can be an ideal boundary screen, providing a living barrier for privacy and structure in the garden.
Hedges serve several functions in the home landscape. Hedges can provide privacy, screen-off undesirable neighbors, help reduce winds, and act as a natural snow fence. Hedges commonly mark boundaries, direct pedestrian traffic, and as barriers. They also provide habitat for birds and wildlife. Hedges come in many forms: they can be deciduous or evergreen, sheared or natural, short or tall.
Hedges form one of the major components of your landscape. Hedges define the limits of your landscape and thus should be the starting point in your landscape design. Before selecting plants, you should carefully consider their landscape requirements and the characteristics of the plants. For example, deciduous plants drop their leaves in the fall and are effective screens mainly during the growing season. Evergreens provide good screening all year. Gardeners considering a sheared, formal hedge should realize that they may need to be pruned (sheared) several times a year to remain attractive. In comparison, an informal, natural hedge is relatively low maintenance. Select shrubs that grow to the desired height. Planting a tall-maturing shrub where a short, informal hedge is desired creates work. Many landscaping problems are prevented by selecting the correct planting material.
Our plants are well suited for many hedge plantings. We sell many types of plants and shrubs which can work well as a natural privacy boarder. Bare-root material is the most economical type of nursery stock when planting a hedge. However, bare-root plants are rather small. For the beginner, bare root is the hardest type of plant to grow out. Container-grown and balled and burlapped plants are larger, but are more expensive. You will have better luck with potted and B&B stock..The added cost will be worth it. Most B&B and potted stock can be planted whenever the ground is not frozen as long as you have the knowledge to help the plants along.

Plant spacing is determined by the plant species and hedge type. Most plantings will range from a spacing of a foot or two to a couple of feet. Many people will plant the shrubs and fail to prune them back hard. Pruning generally will make the shrubs more dense and compact.

A great choice for a high hedge or barrier plant is the Blackhaw Viburnum which reminds you of a Hawthorn. Other common names are Sloe, sloe-leaved viburnum, stagbush, shonny. It can also be grown as a small tree because plants attain a height of 12 to 14 feet. The dark green, glossy, leathery leaves turn a dark reddish to purple in the fall. Creamy white flowers are borne in flat-topped flower clusters during May. The fruit turns blue-black at maturity. The fruit, which is sweet and edible, is nearly half an inch long, bluish black, covered with a bloom, and ripens in early autumn. It contains a small and somewhat flattened stone. The mature fruit make good preserves. The leaves are small enough that they don't pose a raking and cleaning problem. Birds frequent this shrub for feed and shelter. Plants are native and tolerate shade but flower and fruit best in full sun.

Habitat and range:

The blackhaw occurs in dry woods and thickets and on rocky hillsides from Connecticut to Florida and west to Michigan and Texas, but is mostly found in the South. On our plant durability list, we rate this a 9 for ease of transplanting and site adaptability. There are also few serious pests that homeowners need to concern themselves with. We have seedling, transplants, and B&B plant to 4'.
About The Author

Bill Hirst has been growing plants on his 200 acre farm in Bucks County for 30 years. His farm is known as Highland Hill Farm. His web sites are http://www.seedlingsrus.com and http://www.digatree.com Sign up for Bill's newsletter at http://www.seedlingsrus.com/123456signup.html