Classic boxwood hedge
The evergreen boxwood has been a popular perimeter plant for hundreds of years. It is available in different growth forms and heights so that you can adapt the small hedge perfectly to your individual requirements.
also read
- A bed border made of evergreen plants - tips and tricks
- A hedge as a border - tips and tricks
- Is there an alternative to the box edging?
Attractive herb hedges
But it doesn't always have to be boxwood. The pruning-compatible boarwood, a relative of mugwort and wormwood, is absolutely frost-hardy and easy to care for. With its small, pinnate leaves, it forms dense hedges up to 50 centimeters in height. Like many Mediterranean herbs, the plant prefers warm, sunny locations and permeable soils.
Fragrant bed borders made of lavender
Fragrant lavender is the classic companion of roses. What is less well known is that this plant can be used to create beautiful borders:
- Always put lavender in spring, as it is a little more sensitive to frost. Withstands well rooted. Provided a little winter protection, also lower temperatures.
- Choose a compact growing variety like “Blue Cushion”.
- Loosen the soil deeply and work in sand or grit.
- You can do without additional fertilization, lavender is very frugal.
- The optimal planting distance is thirty centimeters.
The border of the lavender bed is cut in summer, after flowering. But only shorten the long flower stems here. A slight topiary is then made in early spring, before the plant sprouts.
Pretty border with dwarf St. John's wort
The shining stars of the dwarf St. John's wort make the natural border of the bed a visual highlight. You need five plants per running meter. St. John's wort feels extremely good in dry garden areas.
Robust alternatives to boxwood
The box tree moth is very hard on the evergreen box tree in many regions. A large number of small trees with similar leaf and growth forms, which are also compatible with pruning, are attractive substitutes. These are for example:
| plant | properties |
|---|---|
| Hedge myrtle | Evergreen, small-leaved shrub, very easy on pruning. |
| Dwarf candy | Ideal for edging beds. Also tolerates shaped cuts very well. |
| Box-leaved barberry | Growing compact, compatible with pruning and staying rather small at 50 centimeters. |
| yew | Slow growing, easily malleable. |
| Spindle bush | Evergreen and cut resistant with very attractive foliage. |
| Beg-Ilex | Grows low and dense with not thorny foliage. Evergreen. |
Tips
Soft-leaved perennials are also wonderfully suited to border beds. Although these often move in in the winter months, they quickly drift out again in spring and then form a dense boundary. Lady's mantle, elven flower, mint or sedum are the most popular here. But classic culinary herbs such as chives also form dense borders that can be visually very interesting.
