Small Hedges

Hedges are a valuable addition to any garden. Some hedges, however, need some space to grow and will therefore not be suitable for smaller gardens, such as the ones that are often found in urban areas. Fortunately, there are several small hedges that will do great as a border hedge in a garden of limited size. Some of them can even grow tall enough to be used as a screening hedge that will prevent anyone from looking into your garden. There is a large selection of hedge plants for small gardens available, ranging from beautiful flowering hedge plants to evergreen hedges of a more formal habit, allowing you to decorate your garden with a beautiful hedge even if it is not too spacious.

Hedges for Small Gardens

A majority of hedge plants with a growth habit suitable for small gardens consists of deciduous and evergreen plants that do not grow too tall and will therefore make a gorgeous low border hedge. There are several barberry varieties, both deciduous and evergreen, that do not require a lot of space, but grow tall enough to ward off intruders with their sharp thorns and not so tall that they will keep the sunlight out. Box and the similar-looking Japanese holly are excellent low border hedges. The most popular cherry laurel varieties are large, but there are smaller cultivars, such as the ‘Etna’, the ‘Otto Luyken’ and the ‘Zabeliana’, that will do just fine in a smaller garden. If you like flowering hedges, there are gorgeous species, like potentilla and spiraea, that will make your small garden a little more colourful.

Privacy Hedges for Small Gardens

Though tall hedges generally do not thrive in small gardens, as they need some space in order to become established, there certainly are hedge plants that remain narrow enough to provide proper screening and function as a privacy hedge. The simplest solution would be to train ivy to grow up a wooden or metal frame, as ivy screens are as narrow as a fence, but its glossy, leathery leaves are much more beautiful to look at. An additional advantage is the remarkably rapid growth rate of ivy. Some varieties of Lawson cypress, such as ‘Columnaris Glauca’ and ‘Stardust’, can be kept reasonably narrow as well. Yew can also be used to grow very narrow privacy hedges, though it may take a while before they are tall enough for that purpose, as yew is a very slow-growing conifer.

Small Hedges: Great Alternatives to Walls or Fences

Some people choose to mark the border of a small garden with a garden wall or a fence, because they think hedge plants will not grow if they are planted in a garden with limited space available. Not every plant needs that much space, however. There are plenty of evergreen and deciduous hedge plants that will grow happily in a smaller garden. You may even be surprised how varied this selection of hedge plants is.