Many property borders made from classic hedge plants quickly appear visually like impenetrable, green walls when cut accurately. If you value a somewhat natural and less austere look in your garden, you can plant colorful shrubs with different flowering times as a flowering privacy screen.
Which flowering shrubs are suitable as privacy screens?
Flowering shrubs as privacy screens offer a natural look and can consist of plants such as forsythia, ornamental currant, ornamental quince, winter viburnum, witch hazel, cornelian cherry, honeysuckle, butterfly lilac and various types of jasmine. Slightly staggered planting allows different flowering times and colors to be better highlighted.
Plan flowering hedges from shrubs according to different aspects
There are a variety of different plant species that have proven themselves as solitary and hedge plants in the garden thanks to their winter hardiness and shrub-like growth. However, when planning a flowering shrub hedge, the following factors should be taken into account so that there are no surprises and laborious transplanting operations once the work is done:
- the height of the selected shrub species
- the exact flowering time of the selected plant species
- the ecological added value of certain species
- the fragrance secreted by the flowers
If shrubs that grow at different speeds and heights are to be cut back to a certain height over the years, the height factor should be given less attention when selecting plants than if the flowering privacy hedge should take on a more natural shape. However, important factors are flowering time, ecological added value and the scent of certain plant species.
Selecting suitable shrubs
Basically, plant species with more pastel-colored, light flowers are preferred for a flowering privacy screen. Intense, dark red tones, such as those found in the flowers of some types of weigela, also create interesting accents, but can also be perceived as a disruptive factor in a hedge. Many garden owners also prefer the following species when planting tall shrubs as privacy screens, as they bring color into an otherwise largely bare garden as colorful shrubs in spring:
- Forsythia (known as Easter bush in Austria)
- ornamental currant
- Ornamental quince
Shrubs such as the winter viburnum, witch hazel and cornelian cherry bloom even earlier, before the new leaves emerge. The latter already offers a rich supply of pollen for the bees and their newly created brood on exceptionally warm late winter days. Honeysuckle, butterfly lilac and various types of jasmine exude an intoxicating scent during their flowering period, which can, however, be perceived as pungent by some people.
It is better not to arrange hedges made of flowering bushes in a straight line
Some flowering privacy plants such as forsythia can, over the years and with several topiary cuts, be shaped in a similar way to a privet or beech hedge. However, a privacy hedge made of flowering bushes usually looks more aesthetic if the naturally round growth habit of the bushes is taken into account when planting. While natural privacy hedges made from classic hedge plants such as cypress and cherry laurel species are usually planted in a dead straight line, flowering hedges made from different shrubs benefit from slightly staggered planting, where different flowering times and color spectrums are even more effective. However, you should take into account the additional space required on the sides, as flowering bushes take up a little more space than column-like hedge plants.
Prune back colorful shrubs in the garden
Once the flowering shrubs in the garden have reached the desired height, they do not require much care other than occasional fertilizer and watering. However, you should not underestimate the growth potential of a privacy hedge made up of tall bushes: older specimens of the forsythia can form new shoots once or twice a year with growth of up to 1 m in length. So you can use hedge trimmers (€24.00 on Amazon) in spring and autumn and be bold when pruning.
Tip
If you integrate fruit trees such as the serviceberry or elderberry into your flowering privacy hedge, you will not only benefit from the abundance of flowers but also from a rich harvest of vitamin-rich berries.