Shade-Tolerant Hedge Shrubs

Choosing a Hedge

• Before planting a hedge, realistically determine how much time you can devote to its care. Faster-growing hedges will require much more care than slower-growing types that tend to be densely packed. Choose plants based on the purpose of your hedge. While they're more costly, evergreens will be useful all year, whereas deciduous hedges are only useful seasonally. A mixed hedge of differently shaped shrubs can also make an interesting border.

Planting Hedges

• Space lower-growing shrubs 12 to 18 inches apart; larger shrubs can be up to 30 inches apart. A double-row planting can be used where space is not at a premium. Stagger plants 18 inches apart, with no plant in front of another. This gives the benefit of a double-wide hedge that can be trained into a meandering wall.

Training Hedges

• Once your shrubs are planted, they must be trained. It generally takes several years to establish a hedge, but proper establishment will produce a long-lived barrier. During the first years, the most aggressively growing shrubs should have six inches trimmed from each foot of new growth. Shape hedges so the bottom is wider than the top to eliminate problems with self-shading, which would create open spots at the bottom of the hedge. Informal hedges should simply be thinned at the ground level.

Shade-Tolerant Deciduous Shrubs

• Gray dogwood (Cornus racemosa) is a hardy shrub that tolerates sun or shade. It reaches a height of 10 to 15 feet, with a similar spread. Witch hazel thrives in shade, even producing yellow flowers under shaded conditions. Vernal witch hazel (Hamamelis vernalis) is a 6- to 10-foot-tall, rounded shrub with an 8- to 12-foot spread. Arrowwood vibernum (Vibernum dentatum) is another flowering shrub that loves the shade. It is rounded, spreading 6 to 15 feet, and reaching similar heights.

Shade-Tolerant Evergreen Shrubs

• The yews are exceptional shade evergreens. Japanese yew (Taxus cuspidata) is a pyramidal shrub that grows to a height of 40 feet or more if left untrimmed. It is able to withstand heavy pruning and pollution, making it an excellent hedge for city plantings. Anglojap yew (Taxus x media) is a smaller yew with a columnar form, reaching only about 15 feet, with a slightly larger spread of up to 20 feet.