You might don’t like other people or animals coming to your property, or you just want some privacy while relaxing in your backyard. No matter the reason, having beautiful plants instead of a traditional fence has many benefits.
It is true, though, that having a natural fence isn’t a fest solution. You have to be patient before the plants become big enough to start giving you all great hedge advantages, but I am sure you will find it worth the wait. The natural fence will serve you better and last longer than, for example, a wooden one.
Think about the most important thing to you about the fence to make a good decision on which plant to choose.
Read on to learn about some really good options you can choose from and start planting.
1. Bamboo
Bamboo is one of the fastest-growing types of grass and is extremely low maintenance. Some varieties can grow incredibly high, up to 50 feet, to serve as an efficient and good-looking fence. Some bamboo types are very invasive, so be careful which one to choose. You can also plant it in containers to keep it under control.
The list continues to the next page…
2. Privet
Privet can serve as an effective and very affordable fence. It’s important to consider your needs and space before you decide which type you will choose. Some plants can grow to ten feet or beyond if not regularly pruned. Privet is a relatively fast-grower. When given proper care, it will be between two and three feet higher every year.
3. Boxwood
Evergreen Boxwood can be an excellent choice for a hedge. When you let the plant grow freely, it can sometimes reach twenty feet in height. Boxwood is often sculpted into some interesting shapes, but it’s also beautiful when it is not strictly maintained. It looks nice even when it is smaller.
4. Arborvitae
Via www.monrovia.com
Arborvitae is not the fastest growing plant, but this attractive evergreen tree can make really effective dense fence. It is one of the most popular plants used for borders because it is easy to maintain, tolerates almost all soil conditions, and can withstand cold.
5. Photinia
Photinia is often used as a fence. This beautiful evergreen plant with shiny leaves offers nice, sufficient coverage. You should regularly prune Photinia if you want it to stay healthy and keep thriving. It can also grow very tall. Normally it has thorny branches, so be careful if you have kids.
6. Cypress Trees
Cypress trees grow tall and narrow, which is one reason why they make a very elegant and attractive fence. This low maintenance evergreen has quite a rapid growth rate of around 3.5 feet per year. One of the most popular types is Leyland Cypress, but it has a rather short lifespan.
7. Skip Laurel
Skip Laurel plants are extremely durable. They can thrive even in very difficult garden environments, which is why they are so commonly grown as natural fences. Skip Laurel can grow to 10 feet. When planted into well-drained soil in a location where there is a lot of sun, they will produce beautiful white blooms in spring.
8. Holly
Via www.123rf.com
Holly is very adaptable to a wide range of growing conditions. It will grow in the tropics and also in temperate zones. Holly plant is a great choice when you want to deter wandering wildlife. Although the plant looks gorgeous, it is not that pleasant to touch because of its pointed leaves. You will admire red berries in the fall and winter and white flowers in the spring.
9. Euonymus
Euonymus can be a nice evergreen hedging shrub. It is easy to grow, and it comes in many varieties. You will find it in different sizes and colours, from green to gold. Eunonymus can tolerate even poor soils and all kinds of weather, so that it can be a really good choice for almost anybody.
10. Juniper
Juniper is a hardy evergreen with needle-like leaves. It varies in size and shape, but some types can grow up to forty feet. It can also live for up to two hundred years. Green flowers will develop into a purple, berry-like cone that is commonly used for flavouring gin.
I have to add a fence that I came up with. We already had a side cedar fence 5′ high but due to the fact that we were on a hill, we could still see into our neigjbors 2nd story windows! So, I took about 30 cuttings from a corkscrew willow. They take root very fast and easy. After roots began, I put them in planting holes in front of every fence post (8′ apart or so) and waited for them to take off. Didn’t take long before they reached above the top of the fence. I ran a string from one end to the fence about 1′ above the fence top. (Used wood paint stirrers nailed to top of posts to run the strings to.).
I located each and every little branch above the 5′ post top and wound them around the string in either direction and same as they grew longer. The aim was to.connect to the each branch to the next branch from the next tree sapling. I also cut all the other branches below the 5′ top. I didn’t want any branches competing below the post tops and where other plants and bushes were. So this “fence” didn’t begin until the top of the posts. As the branches grew longer I eventually wound them to connect to each other. One branch began winding around each other one and gave a connection horizontally which also grew in girth the older the trees were.
Then as more branches grew, I reran the strings horizontally and created higher and higher “fenceing” that blocked out our neighbors view.
We live in the Pacific northwest so summertime sun can be hot and the willows leaves block out the southern sun and heat but in the fall and winter the absence of the leaves allows the sun shinning thru the bare branches. You can continue running branches at 3 – 4′ horizontal lengths as high as you want. The top of the trees will grow taller and about 20 – 30′ higher than the top horizontal branches.
This is a great fence that just came to me one day and I hope others can use it too! And it didn’t cost me anything except time in my garden which is my favorite thing to do! All of this grew in one season!
A response to Bernie’s post- it sounds really interesting what you’ve done. Would love to see an image of the result. Glad it turned out so well!
Privet and Bamboo are both non native invasive species that grow and spread quickly. These species will take over and kill native species. They are very hard to kill. Do not plant!!!
This article is very irresponsible. As another commenter said, bamboo and privet are very invasive, which means it will spread and replace native plants. In addition, bamboo is Bettany impossible to remove and can costs homeowners thousands of dollars if they want to remove it (and your neighbors will not thank you for planting bamboo).
yup.. exactly my thoughts. I have that issue with my neighbor Bambu coming out under the fence into my yard …everywhere
If you want a bamboo fence you need a trench (600 deep end 600 wide). Place heavy duty plastic foil on the sides. This will prevent spreading of the roots. Good luck.