For Property Boundaries Hedge Your Bet with Plants and Flowers
Adding low-to-medium level hedges around your property edges can provide both a touch of beauty and an increase in the value of your home. These hedges can reduce neighbouring noises while providing you with a definite property line. Using hardy, drought-resistant, low-maintenance, native Australian plants and bushes is a wonderful way to sustain the regional ecosystem while breathing new life into your landscape. Small, fragrant, traditional plants are also excellent choices for lower-level hedges.
In addition to creating a charming outline for your property, hedges will offer you a time-saving bonus. Once your hedges have settled into a sturdy lawn edging, you can say goodbye to the frequent chore of trimming back where the grass has overgrown onto pathways and driveways. Neat, orderly borders are all you can look forward to admiring.
Selecting the right species of hedges to border your property lines will probably be the hardest part of your lawn improvement. Low-level hedges are appealing when used to edge your lawn, to line your walkways and driveway, and to provide a boundary between neighbouring lawns. Low-to-medium hedges are also attractive when placed along fences, as well as around garden plots, patios, and pools. There are endless varieties of appealing native plants perfectly suitable for the sandy soil so prominent throughout our greater Perth area.
Seven of the more traditional evergreen and colourful flowering hedge plants that are disease resistant, tolerant of trimmings, require low-water maintenance and stand up well to the bright sun of our Western Australian summers include:
1. Azaleas
These sturdy evergreen plants have an initial blooming of colourful flowers that range from pure white to vibrant purple. Azaleas are heat and bug resistant and thrive in well-drained soil and full sunlight. Trimming is required to achieve a low-to-medium hedge height.
2. Eve Price Laurustinus
These bushy evergreen plants can grow to a height of 2.4m, but when trimmed, make lovely step-over low-level hedges. Their blooming cycle ranges from late May through early October with pink-tinged flowers. Eve Price plants are drought resistant and thrive in well-drained soils and full sunlight.
3. Indian Hawthorn
These super sturdy plants can reach medium hedge levels but can be trimmed to low-level hedges and have attractive pink and white blossoms that highly compliment the edges of green lawns. Indian Hawthorns sustain well in well-drained and sandy soils, they are heat-resistant and thrive in moderate to full sunlight.
4. Hebe X Andersonii
These hardy plants can vary in size up to 2.4m, but with careful trimming will make excellent low-to-medium level hedges. Some moderate watering is required but grow best in well-drained soil. The plants have soft, lavender-blue blossoms during the summer months that fade to a charming white during the autumn months. The plants thrive in partial to full sunlight.
5. Blue Gem Westringia
These hardy, compact evergreen plants can grow to heights of 2m but can be trimmed to low-to-medium hedge levels. Less trimming is needed once you have achieved your ideal hedge levels. During the spring season, they produce showy bluish-purple blossoms and lighter coloured flowers year-round. They thrive in coastal climates and full sunlight. Some water maintenance is required while growing well in sandy to well-drained soils.
6. Lavender
These aromatic plants are often referred to as French or Spanish Lavender. The plants mature at the perfect low hedge levels between .4 to .9m. Minimum trimming is required. The plants produce unique black-purple flowers surrounded by clusters of soft purple bracts. These plants require low-water maintenance, they prefer well-drained soil and thrive in full sunlight.
7. Elaeagnus
These elegant dark shaded evergreens produce small aromatic flowers and leaves that are green on the tops and silvery coloured undersides. The plants can grow to heights of 3.6m but can be trimmed to attractive step-over low-level hedges. The plants are drought resistant, thrive in well-drained soils and partial to full sunlight. Elaeagnus is well suited for coastal climates.
Yes, some of the plants and flowers mentioned above can grow to taller heights than necessary for low-to-medium hedging, but their growth can be restricted with seasonal trimmings at the start of their growth cycles. Eventually, they will thicken and sustain their growth at the lower heights to create the charming visual borders you desire.
Need Help?
Once you have selected your ideal hedges and you are ready to plant them on your property, Bibra Lakes Soils can supply you with the correct planting soils and feeding products to help your hedges establish strong roots and give you years of elegant property boundaries that will be the envy of your neighbourhood.
For help or questions with your planting products, we invite you to call us on (08) 9434 2290 to speak with one of our highly knowledgeable, friendly, Bibra Lake Soils staff members. We are open 7 days a week.
