Evergreens are preferred as hedging plants because of their yr - round privacy screening , but before you pick out , decide how improbable a hedge you ’d wish to have , whether you require to fleece it double a yr or not and whether you ’d prefer a fine - textured hedge or one with prominent parting . examine to select plants that grow several feet taller than the hedge meridian you desire to head off changeless pruning . large plant fill in faster but need more piece of work later on .
Low Hedges: Under 4 Feet
One of the good bush for a low hedging is the fine - textured loge Aquilegia canadensis ( Lonicera nitida ) . Unsheared , it will rise to 6 feet magniloquent but is easy maintain low-down . Fragrant white flowers blossom in late springiness or former summer . Baggesen ’s atomic number 79 , a diverseness with Au foliage if given Dominicus , is an choice .
Another possibility is the Japanese Buddy Holly ( Ilex crenata ) . It is of course dim , 3 to 4 foundation high and has small orotund leaves that take care much like boxwood leaf .
In easterly Washington , habituate the wintergreen Turkish boxwood ( Buxus microphylla koreana ) . It also has small leaf and grows about 2 1/2 foot high , but can take heavy shearing .
The emerald gaiety wintercreeper ( Euonymus fortunei ) is also hardy enough to take easterly Washington winters . It is a course sprawling small shrub to 3 feet marvelous .
Medium Hedges: 4 to 10 Feet
Gardeners in western Washington have quite a few options for medium - size hedging . One of the most pop is the English bay wreath ( Prunus laurocerasus ) , but it has tumid leaves that are unmanageable to shear well and will raise 3 to 4 feet a class . Keep it for a hedge 15 feet magniloquent or more , or use it as an attractive evergreen plant tree .
A effective bet is its congener , the Portugal laurel ( P. lusitanica ) . of course a 15 - foot tree diagram , it grows easy enough to be keep at intermediate height with occasional pruning . The leaves are about 3 inches long , dark green and attractive .
For nuance , adjudicate Aucuba japonica , with 4- to 5 - inch leaves often variegated with yellow . It is prosperous to care for , middling drought tolerant and bear cherry berries if you have both male and female plants and they are left unpruned .
For easterly Washington , choose arborvitae , one of the varieties of Thuja . They are fine - textured conifers that come in both dwarf and tall varieties that take shearing well .
Tall Hedges: 8 to 12 Feet
In western Washington , the strawberry mark tree ( Arbutus unedo ) is an excellent choice for a magniloquent hedgerow or projection screen , being both drought broad and beautiful , with medium - sized black gullible leaves , livid heatherlike flowers in fall and red yield . The russet colored barque is also a plus if you ’re leaving it unshorn .
Leyland cypress ( x Cupressocyparis leylandii ) is an attractive , fast - grow conifer often used for high-pitched hedges , but because it ’s normal height is close to 60 foot you ’ll have to keep after it . It does take shearing well .
In eastern Washington , look for the taller varieties of Thuja and for very marvellous hedges or screens , consider the Douglas fir ( Pseudotsuga menziesii ) . Though a popular timber tree diagram , it does take shearing well .
