About Privacy Bushes

Bushes that are planted in a row and that become tall and dense can provide you with much-needed privacy. You do not have to stick with the traditional evergreen species. You can select bushes that flower and don't need much maintenance whatsoever, or you can combine a variety of bushes to create an informal yet spectacular privacy hedge for your yard.

Considerations

You have decided that you would rather derive your property's privacy from bushes rather than a fence. Beyond that, however, you haven't given it much thought. Decide if you want a loose border or a thick, structured hedge such as one would see in a formal English garden where gardeners are constantly hard at work, pruning, shearing and shaping to maintain the immaculate lines of the bushes. Consider how much sunlight your yard gets. Flowering shrubs require more sunlight than nonflowering shrubs. If your yard gets six hours of sunlight a day, then you're good to go when it comes to sun-loving bushes. Determine what height you want your privacy bush to be when it reaches full maturity, and base your shrub selection on that along with your other specifications. Decide if you want shrubs that flower, and take into consideration what color the shrubs and their flowers will be. Consider what the bushes' bark and foliage texture looks like and the shape and form of the shrub that you are considering using. There is certainly nothing wrong with having a variety of bushes in your privacy hedge, but you don't want colors to clash. If you want a structured, very symmetrical look then you may choose to use only one type of bush; however, if you prefer a looser design you can combine a combination of bushes, but they should be relatively similar in height and complement one another in regard to color. You may opt to choose bushes that flower during different seasons so that your privacy hedge is a continuous array of colors, or you may want the flowers to bloom all at once. Take all of these concerns into consideration before you dash out to plant your bushes.

Loose Privacy Hedges

Loose privacy hedges consist of bushes that are heterogeneous (different) rather than homogeneous (all alike), and as a consequence they result in a look that isn't nearly as formal and structured as one would find in a traditionally austere, homogeneous hedge.
Consider putting together several different kinds of evergreen shrubs interspersed with deciduous bushes, which are bushes that don't stay green year round; their color and growth is temporary and occurs during a particular season, generally the spring and summer months and perhaps the autumn.
The loose hedge is easier to care for than the formal hedge, which requires constant maintenance to keep it stately and proper. However, you don't want to let your loose hedge get completely out of control and shaggy, so some trimming is going to be required.

Options: Hardy Privet Hedge

The Hardy Privet Hedge would most likely be listed, if there were such a list, in the heterogeneous (not to be mixed in with other bushes to form a hedge) and austere hedge category. The Privet Hedge is very regal and formal. It is not a good choice if you are opting for a looser style. This hedge can be sheared into any shape, so if you are a topiary artist this is the hedge for you. It will grow to be 10 feet tall, but you can keep it trimmed back to the height that you desire. The Privet Hedge is hardy, meaning that it can survive in less than desirable conditions. It is a native of Siberia and it doesn't get much colder than that. This hedge likes sun and grows very rapidly. It is dense and fills in quickly. Plant the bushes about 1 foot apart.

Color to Spare

In the autumn, a Dwarf Burning Bush turns a brilliant, flaming red and will be the talk of your neighborhood. You can plant one or an entire row, creating a privacy hedge. The Dwarf Burning Bush can be trimmed into a very symmetrical and stately hedge or you can go with a more informal look and don't trim it at all. The bush got its name because it appears to be on fire. The Dwarf Burning Bush is green during the summer. Bright red berries appear in the fall at which time the bush begins to turn red. This bush grows to be 4 or 5 feet tall and will grow in the sun or shade. When planting a row of these bushes, situate the bushes 2 feet apart.

Ever-Blooming Roses Make Great Living Fences

The Rosy-Red Robin Hood Living Fence grows quickly, provides permanent fencing and decoration for your yard and requires very little maintenance. The hedge is so dense that it is ideal for providing you with privacy. These roses bloom up to six months a year, and in some of the warmer climates they bloom all year long. The rose bush grows to be 4 to 6 feet tall, but can be trimmed down to 2 feet if you so choose. Three plants will make a 6-foot hedge and six plants will make a 12-foot hedge. The Rosy-Red Robin Hood Living Fence is drought tolerant and will grow in full- or part-day sun. Each year, the roses come back better than the year before.

Go for the Gusto

If you really want to make a statement, while achieving privacy at the same time, consider planting a row of Great Gunnera. These plants measure up to 5 feet across and the stalks grow up to 6 feet tall. Sometimes the Gunnera can get as big as 9 feet tall and 12 feet wide. This plant is comparable to a super-duper Elephant Ear plant. The Gunnera is fast-growing, and like most tropical plants, likes sun and needs to be kept moist. The Gunnera provides an excellent screen.

Purple Power

The Purple Leaf Plum Hedge is extremely hardy and unusual because of its color. It grows to be 6 to 8 feet tall and likes full to partial sun. When planting, situate the bushes 2 to 3 feet apart. Sometimes called the Purple Leaf Sand Cherry, this hedge produces bright red, 3-inch leaves in the spring and white flowers in the summer, after which it produces purple-black cherries and the leaves turn a reddish-purple in the fall.

Resources

• David Beaulieu, About.com
• Richard Owen Nursery, Excitinggardens.com