Do you also find accurately trimmed, green hedges rather boring? Then a romantic, colorful rose hedge might be right for you. Such a hedge not only offers a wonderful view when it is in bloom, but - if you have selected the right varieties - also provides excellent privacy protection.
Which roses are best for a hedge?
Broadly bushy varieties such as wild roses, wild rose hybrids, shrub roses and historic roses are particularly suitable for a rose hedge. These not only offer attractive flowers, but also good privacy protection. Pay attention to planting distance and location requirements.
Which roses are suitable for hedge planting?
Not all roses are suitable for hedge planting. Above all, you should choose varieties that grow with broad bushes, meaning they are as tall as they are wide. The higher the roses you choose, the better the privacy will be. On the other hand, slender, upright roses are rather unsuitable as hedges. When it comes to choosing colors, you can create a single-colored hedge or combine different flower colors and shapes. Ultimately, an attractive contrast is achieved not only through an interesting choice of colors, but also through the combination of different flower shapes.
Wild roses and wild rose hybrids
The very vigorous and robust wild roses and their descendants are particularly suitable for hedges. These rose varieties not only have the advantage that they grow easily in less suitable locations, they also provide plenty of food for insects and nesting opportunities for songbirds in their dense bushes. In autumn, wild rose hedges delight in many varieties with autumn colors and a rich covering of pretty rose hips, which can often also be used in the kitchen.
Many wild roses form runners
Some wild roses, such as the Bibernell and Rugosa roses, form runners. What is more of a disadvantage in a rose bed now has the advantage that hedges become nice and dense. Even slopes and embankments can be secured well with these rose varieties. Runners are not a problem on the edge of meadows and lawns; they can simply be mown away.
Shrub roses
This term refers to bush-like roses that grow between one and three meters high. They differ from the noble and floribunda roses in their greater vigor. Depending on the variety, shrub roses are ideal for group or hedge planting, even for higher hedges on the property border. An important distinction for design and care is whether a shrub rose blooms once or repeatedly.
Historic Roses
Historic or old roses include all varieties that existed before the first noble roses were introduced in 1867. They grow like bushes and usually only bloom once a year. Old roses include Gallica, Damask, Alba and Centifolia roses. Damask roses are slightly taller than Gallicas and are famous for their fragrance. Alba roses grow large, have striking gray-green foliage, are frost hardy and tolerate partial shade - ideal for planting as a hedge.
Create a rose hedge
When creating a rose hedge, it is important to pay particular attention to the correct distance between the individual plants. These should be planted so tightly that the hedge forms an impenetrable thicket, but not so tightly that they rob each other of light and food. In addition, planting too densely promotes fungal infections or pest infestation. As a rule of thumb, the ideal planting distance in rose hedges is half the eventual height of the fully grown plant - for example, varieties that grow up to two meters high should be planted about one meter apart.
Tip
When planting hedges, you should plant shade-tolerant varieties, as hedges naturally create many shady spots.
