Good Plants for Hedges

English Lavender

• English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) is good plant for use as a hedge, according to the Purdue University Cooperative Extension. English lavender is an herbaceous perennials that displays blossoms in pink, blue, lavender, purple or white with gray foliage. English lavender is well-suited for use in smaller gardening spaces with its low-growing height of 1 to 3 feet, according to the University of Florida IFAS Extension. This plant grows up to 3 feet wide, but mass plantings allow for greater coverage. You may opt to prune lavender to your liking or utilize it as its natural habit. Grow in full sun and dry soil. This summer-flowering plant offers a beautifully colored hedge with the added value of a pleasing fragrance in the home garden.

Nannyberry

• Nannyberry (Viburnum lentago) is a taller plant for use as a hedge that offers dense foliage and fruit that begins green and changes to yellow, pink and then a blue-black hue during autumn, according to the Purdue University Cooperative Extension. This hedge plant displays clusters of small, cream hued flowers that bloom in May with green foliage that may become purple-red during fall, according to the University of Connecticut. Nannyberries reach up to 30 feet tall in maturity, offering greater privacy in the home garden. This hedge plant thrives in sun or shade as well as either moist or dry soil.

Amur Maple

• Amur maple (Acer ginnala or Acer tataricum subsp ginnala) is a round-shaped shrub that offers dense foliage with little need for pruning, according to the Purdue University Cooperative Extension. Amur maples display aromatic clustered flowers in white/yellow during spring with green foliage that becomes yellow, orange or red during fall, according to the University of Illinois Extension. Grow this hedge plant in full sun to partial shade. Amur maples prefer moist, well-drained soil and reach a height of 15 to 20 feet. For a more vividly colored addition to your garden, plant the cultivar Embers for bright red foliage and fruit.