A special kind of barrier designed from living plants is known as a garden hedge. Most hedges are planted as a privacy screen or a windbreak, although they'll also be used to control erosion, add structure and style to a formal garden, or for several different decorative and functional purposes. Most plants used for hedges grow rapidly and are trimmed into specific shapes, like a box or globe shape. They must be resilient to pruning and very bushy.

Laurel hedging is one among the most ordinary plants used for garden hedging. They're often seen as high as Ten feet tall, making a thick and impervious barrier around a formal English garden or backyard. These plants are one of the most important conventional hedge plants available and grow quickly. The plants feature lots of shiny green leaves. Laurel hedging is the most effective option for security and privacy hedges. Laurel plants need lots of frequent prunings, but will take a assortment of shapes terribly well.

The enormously tall, fast growing leylandii tree is also well known for a less dense but stunning privacy garden hedge. Leyland Cyprus is the common name of Leylandii. It is a dark evergreen tree and will reach heights of Sixty feet and widths of up to 15 feet in as little as 20 years. Leylandii plants will be trained to grow together in a comparatively tightly woven hedge, however leave more of a gap between the bottom of the hedge and the ground than laurel hedges do. They also can be overwhelming for homeowners who are not able to regularly prune them.

Yew is another evergreen which will be trained to grow in hedges, but is toxic to kids and pets. Boxwood plants feature small green leaves that are evergreen, but don't grow as quickly as laurel or leylandii. Hedging plants should be in a position to be trained to grow in shapes, or at least along in a general screen, to offer the advantages of a hedge. Almost any thick plant or tree will be used to create a decorative or border hedge, but for a true privacy or security hedge thick foliage and fast growth is required. A well trimmed hedge looks much better than a simple row of plants.

For windbreaks, taller and sturdier trees and plants ought to be used. Mountain laurel, holly and flowering bushes such as azaleas are all favorites for windbreaks. Each and every one of those has their own benefits and downsides, but all do a comparatively good job of lowering the amount of wind coming through a particular area or down a hill. Erosion management can also be accomplished with an orderly line of these plants, though care must be taken to limit their growth. Large or top heavy plants will lose their root hold in loose soil or an eroded hill.