Hedge Plants

A formal hedge is sheared regularly into a clean, geometric line, using dense growers like boxwood or barberry that respond well to cutting. An informal hedge is left closer to its natural, rounded shape with only light pruning, which suits flowering shrubs such as camellia, ceanothus or flowering quince that would lose their bloom to a hard shear. The choice comes down to how much maintenance you want and whether you value flowers over a crisp line.

It depends on the mature width of the variety, not the container size at checkout; a shrub with a three foot mature spread needs roughly one plant every two and a half to three feet to close into a solid row without a wide gap. Denser, slower growers such as boxwood can be spaced slightly tighter than a wider shrub like camellia or ceanothus. Checking the mature width listed on the product page before ordering avoids buying too few or too many.

Flowering quince and some barberry varieties fill in faster than boxwood, which is one of the slower growing choices here, though a faster hedge generally needs more frequent shaping to stay in shape. Ceanothus also grows quickly once established. A fast growing hedge closes a gap in fewer years, but a slower grower like boxwood typically needs less upkeep once it reaches its finished size.

Yes, boxwood and barberry are the two genera on this page best suited to regular shearing, since both hold a dense, tight growth habit and push out new growth readily after a cut. Boxwood is the more traditional formal hedge choice, while barberry adds color from its foliage along with a thorny barrier that a plain green hedge does not provide. Both need a scheduled shearing to stay crisp rather than a single cut per year.

Not all of them; sun needs on this page range from full sun to part shade, so a hedge planted along a shaded fence line can still stay dense if you choose a shade tolerant variety such as camellia or abelia rather than a full sun grower like ceanothus. Planting a full sun hedge plant in heavy shade usually results in thin, gappy growth over time, so matching the light rating to the actual spot matters as much as spacing.

Barberry and several ceanothus varieties on this page are rated cold hardy down to lower zones, which makes them workable choices for a high desert or colder inland valley hedge that sees hard winter frost. Boxwood also handles cold reasonably well once established. Checking the hardiness zone listed on each product page against your local winter lows is the most reliable way to avoid losing a newly planted row to an early freeze.