With new homes increasingly including bare patches of lawn and boasting of easy upkeep, many of us are more likely to strip our lawns to bare basics than ever before. After all, who doesn’t want a dream garden that takes care of itself? The trouble is that, as many homeowners are quickly finding, this easy upkeep does come with some notable downsides.
After all, with nowhere to hide, it’s all too easy to fail to create a space that truly reflects your style. Obviously, the ways that you’ll overcome this issue come down to your unique tastes and preference but, for many homeowners, the addition of well-placed hedges is playing a part here.
Whether used as a slightly more attractive border for an otherwise uninspiring space, or as a way to split exteriors into different sections, hedges could take your garden to the next level, and we’re going to look at a few of the ways how.
# 1 – A more interesting outdoor layout
The ability to split different sections of your garden (e.g. lawn, pond, flower beds,) makes for a fantastically organised and diverse outdoor space. Even better, this hedge-based order means that you can still enjoy the relatively straightforward finish that your bare lawn was falsely promising you in the first place. This is quite literally the best of both worlds, and it’s only possible when you plant well-placed, well-pruned hedges across your outdoor expanse. Admittedly, this design choice is going to work best in larger outdoor areas that leave plenty of scope to play with, but even a small lawn won’t sniff at an intricately placed hedge or two.
# 2 – A chance to perfect appearances
Complete exposure is a downside of a lawn-only outdoor space, especially for homeowners with additions such as sheds and oil tanks. Luckily, hedges offer the ability to cover up those sometimes less attractive, yet undeniably crucial, garden additions. Admittedly, out of sight can sometimes become a problem, especially with home oil tanks that can leak, or sheds that are at risk of break-ins, rot, etc. To ensure that hedge-based hiding spots still work for you, it’s worth remembering that there are some fantastic shed security systems out there, and the fact that a reduced risk of leaks is one of the main benefits of using bunded fuel tanks. As such, upgrades before planting should be all the reassurance you need. Then, you’ll be able to look out on a dream garden wilderness that’s seemingly unaffected by these slightly less natural additions.
# 3 – The privacy you’ve been after
Hedges both inside and around your boundaries also provide much-needed privacy that simply isn’t possible with a basic lawn. After all, high boundary hedges both cover you from view and offer fantastic soundproofing, while inner-garden hedges can create nook-like hideaways that are ideal for private contemplation away from any potentially prying eyes.
Hedges might not be at the top of the hotlist for your dream garden design right now, but they most definitely hold some attractive benefits for the modern homeowner. So, are you ready to let hedges grow on you?