Urban gardens come with their own unique challenges—function and versatility in a design plan are prioritized, along with a desire for plants and design components to be multi-functional as well as beautiful. Installing urban garden ideas are a practical way to increase the versatility of urban space while rising to the challenge of creating an attractive design in smaller, more confined green spaces.
Small gardens, patios, and balconies, even the creation of courtyards and green roofs are all enhanced with hedges. When urban property owners are confronted with smaller ‘natural’ spaces in densely packed areas, hedges can be used to create diverse, multi-functional spaces in a variety of design plans.
For example, a few urban gardens using low boxwood hedge to create a courtyard within an existing space, and to use different heights of hedges to make distinct spaces in smaller gardens and plots.
Many hedges thrive in planters and containers, making them excellent choices for patios and balconies. Using hedge shrubs and trees in containers allows for easy care and maintenance, ideal for smaller spaces.
Potted hedges can soften the structurally rigid edges of corners found inbuilt courtyards and patios, and placing hedges in containers allows the urban property owner greater planting versatility. Implementing some urban garden ideas can increase the number of shrubs and trees in their landscape to increase biodiversity – such a vital practice in our cities.
Hedges can also be layered into planters and containers, allowing for a customizable density for urban gardens. Densely layered container-grown hedges can have a similar practical effect as traditionally grown hedges being used as noise buffers, privacy screens and wind/shade barriers.
Growing hedges in containers and planters are a practical way to make use of otherwise uniquely challenging spaces: everything from narrow parking strips to pet areas can benefit from hedge installation as either privacy screens or simply increasing the aesthetic impact of ‘green’ space. Hedges are suitable in both home and commercial gardens.
Urban spaces with existing structures (fences, walls, poles) can be enhanced with hedges planted against them, acting as an attractive visual screen for structures that can’t be otherwise removed or covered. Many hedge varieties can be eventually grown to cover entire walls, with careful pruning to reveal windows and doorways, and urban designers can choose from a wide variety of blossoming/floral or otherwise visually impactful foliage for coverage appropriate to the structure being covered.
Urban gardening hedges are also easily installed on ‘living’ or ‘green’ roofs, which would benefit from the use of a hedge as a privacy screen.
Urban Garden Ideas for Using Hedges in Urban Landscapes:
- Incorporate small-scale privacy screens in planters or containers.
- Hedges can cover permanent structures the property owner is unable to remove.
- The use of hedges in containers allows the designer to use more of a variety of different hedge plants — creating a diverse aesthetic display and improving biodiversity
- Create a green space instantly on otherwise unsightly features, such as parking strips.
- Hedges can be used to create screens and rooms in smaller spaces, making an otherwise limited space multi-functional.
- Even small balconies can carry an InstantHedge, allowing the property owner to create immediate privacy in a small space by using urban gardening ideas.
