ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF HEDGES
ADVANTAGES
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DISADVANTAGES
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It is an attractive living bountry that changes with season
Can be a part of a mixed border, it does not have to be uniform.
Height easily suit requirements.
It can be used to filter air and screen corners.
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Requires regular maintenance
Takes time to get established
“Greedy” hedge plants prevent other plants from growing close by.
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Factors to consider in the choice of hedges:
Size of the plant (small or large plants).
Formal or informal.
Deciduous or evergreen.
Planting style/arrangement.
Cost of the plant.
Growth rate.
Examples of Hedge plants include: Thevita, Acalypha, Hisbiscus, Yellow bush, Allamanda, Ixora, Ice plant etc.
MAINTENANCE PRACTICES OF HEDGES
Weeding: Keep a strip of ground 0.3 to 0.6m around the hedges all cleared of grasses and weeds so that there will be no competition from weeds.
Watering: Very essential in dry season
Pruning: Keep the narrower than the middle than the bottom. If not it becomes bare or leafless at the bottom, the lower branches will become very weak and eventually die off
Pruning should be in the inverted ‘V’ shape. This form allows the hedges to remain alive, full and dense at the ground level because of its exposure to sun. Other practices are mulching and fertilizer application.
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