There is an old adage that good fences make good neighbors. But a good fence does not have to be a chain link steel cage around your yard. It could be a nice cozy wooden picket fence that is a good backdrop for a lovely lawn or a wide border of perennials.

But the very best fence is a living fence, a hedge of shrubs and small trees that will look a whole lot better than an ordinary man-made fence. A living hedge also can be a nesting place for birds and a source of food for butterflies and hummingbirds.

But best of all, a living fence or hedge will provide months and months of flowering beauty, an attractive border between you and your neighbors and will provide lots of greenery which can keep your yard and home shaded and cool during the warm summer months.

But too often when people decide to plant a hedge, they get stuck with the idea that is has to be a monoculture of one type of evergreen shrub such as yew or arborvitae. This isn't a bad idea per se, but it can look a little boring when there are so many other options.

A monoculture hedge does have a few problems. What if an insect or disease strikes your hedge. Chances are all of your shrubs will be lost. Conifers also tend to get way too large, up to 20 to thirty feet tall, which is probably way to much hedge for the average back yard landscape.

When conifers get tall the first thing too many people think about is grabbing the clippers or loppers and cutting those shrubs down to size. that's a shame because now you not only will have deformed shrubs that are better grown at the Palace of Versailles, you have also created a rather large chunk of unpleasant work for yourself that will need to be done almost each month.

The best alternative is to plant a living, natural hedge with a variety of large and small shrubs and trees both deciduous and evergreen. This lovely natural hedge will look a lot more like a hedgerow you might find along the edge of a meadow in the country. It will be low maintenance, bloom on and off from spring to late summer and provide colorful foliage in the fall.

Here's a list of shrubs and small trees, many of which are a regular part of woodland hedgerows, that make a great hedge:

Shadblow (Amelanchier) Shadblow is a small upright tree, 15 ft. tall, that produces white flowers in early spring, berries for the birds and yellow leaves in the fall.

Witch Hazel. (Hamamelis) Witch Hazel is a multi-branched, small tree that grows only six feet tall. The American witch hazel produces small yellow flowers in fall, the Chinese produces yellow flowers in late winter.

Redbud. (Cercis canadensis) Redbud is the largest small tree in this group, growing 15 to 20 feet tall. It produces purple flowers in spring and yellow leaves in fall.

Viburnum. (Viburnum spp.) There are at lease a dozen different viburnums that make great hedge trees up to 10 feet tall. the produce white flowers in spring and berries for the birds in late summer.

Rhododendron. Rhododendron is the nicest evergreen shrub for your hedge. Some rhodies grow as much as 20 feet tall but most are in the four to six ft. range with purple, white, red, or yellow flowers in spring and early summer.

Mt. Laurel. (Kalmia) Mr. Laurel also provides evergreen leaves along with clusters of white, red or pink flowers in early summer. Grows only about four to eight tall.

Lilac. (Syringa) Lilacs tend to get up to 15 feet tall but their flowers are worth their extra size. Korean lilacs such as 'Miss Kim' are prettier at only six feet tall.

Beauty Bush. (Kolkwitzia) Beauty Bush grows up to ten feet tall and produces some of the prettiest pink flowers in early summer.

Mock Orange. (Philadelphus) Mock Orange produces fragrant white simple flowers that do resemble oranges in their look and smell. A very fast and reliable grower.

Weigela. (Weigela) Another vase-like shrub that grows only up to eight feet tall and produces tubular shaped red or pink flowers in early summer that are a magnet for hummingbirds.

Planting Combinations

The design of your hedge could be as simple as lining the shrubs up in a row and plopping them down in the ground. I am sure it would look just fine and it would express your personality. I am sure no one designs the planting scheme for hedges out in nature.

But the list of shrubs and trees listed gives you an opportunity to place them at intervals to give your hedge blooms at different times, in different colors and on different shaped shrubs.

For instance, use the shadblow, redbud and witch hazel as the anchors of your hedge. They are small trees and they will grow larger than the rest of the shrubs. They will dominate the configuration of your hedge and you need to figure out where you want them placed first.

A good design would place the shadblow on the far end, the redbud in the center and the witch hazel on the near end. They should be placed far enough apart so that at their mature size, the leaves don't quite touch.

Now your hedge has white flowers, red buds and yellow flowers at different spaces and at different times of the year. Next, place the rhododendron and mountain laurel in a cluster near the redbud which will grow larger and form a little canopy.

Place the lilac, beauty bush and the mock orange clustered under the shadblow, which will also grow larger and create a canopy for these two shrubs.

Finally, place the viburnum and weigela in front of an on either side of the witch hazel. None of these hedge pieces grow too large and they will form a nice chorus of color at different times of the year.

Growing the Hedge

The first secret to successfully growing a living hedge is to give the hedge some room to grow. This is not a hedge you will prune to fit to your area. I think you will be happier with a hedge where the plants can grow to their full height. Your living fence will need to be at least ten feet wide and as long as it needs to be.

Space your shrubs far enough apart so that when they reach their full size, they begin to grow into each other. A lot of people make the mistake of planting their shrubs to close together and then having to remove one or replant them when they are way too large.

For instance, If you are planting Beauty Bush and Mock Orange next to each other, set the plants ten feet apart. I know, it seems your small shrubs look a little lonely set that far apart, but in two to three years they will be nearly full grown and you will be glad you made the extra room.

A living hedge needs a fairly sunny location, even for rhododendron and Mt Laurel, which are known to like shade. All the rest of these plants need sun to grow and thrive, and even shade loving shrubs like a little sun so that they can bloom at their best. .

Don't plant your hedge in a swampy area or in an area that is exceptionally dry. These trees and shrubs like a well drained soil that receives even moisture. Don't forget to trickle water them by setting a hose at slow trickle at the base of the tree or shrub and letting it soak overnight or for at least four hours. Trees and shrubs need plenty of water for at least their first two years of growth.

Prepare the soil for your hedge the same as you would for a vegetable garden or perennial bed. Mark out the area, remove as much grass as you can along with weeds, sticks and stones. Spread a two to four inch thick layer of compost over the area and till it all in to a depth of eight inches.

Plant the small tree or shrub in a hole that is just slightly wider than the root ball or slightly wider than the area needed to spread out the roots if it is a bare root plant. Set the plant in the hole at the same depth as it was in the container or just so the crown of the plant is at soil level.

Spread a two to four inch thick layer of shredded organic mulch over the entire area to keep the weeds down, to hold in moisture and to keep the soil cool. Organic mulch also makes your hedge look good and natural.

I all honesty, it will take three to four years for small trees and shrubs of average height usually found at nurseries to grow to a full living hedge. If you can afford to spend a little more, you can buy plants that are larger and speed the process along.

When to Plant

Either spring or fall is a good time to plant. Summer is possible but the heat and dryness can cause the plants to suffer quite a lot while they are struggling to get their roots established.

Spring is a great time to plant for several reasons. First, the selection of getting all the best quality plants in the best cultivars you are interested in. The shrubs are usually still dormant or only beginning to bud out in spring, which means the plants won't be shocked as much when you plant them. Once you have them in the ground you have the entire summer and fall to water and take care of them, giving them a great opportunity to settle in for winter. If you live in areas with long cold winters like much of New England, the Great Lakes and the other northern states, spring is probably the best time for you to plant your hedge.

Fall is also an excellent time to plant a hedge also for a number of reasons. The heat of the summer is over and the shrubs will have generally cooler weather when they first get started settling in. There won't be as much heat stress on them at a fall planting time. Fall is also a good time to plant because many nurseries will hold sales, reducing the price on shrubs and trees to cut down on their inventory over the winter.

But fall can be very tricky. Fall can be very dry, especially October and November. Be sure to faithfully water your hedge during dry spells so that they are fully hydrated before the cold drying air of winter sets in. If you live in the warmer southern and mid western states, fall is probably the best time for you to plant your hedge.

Planting a living hedge does take a little patience and planning. But once all of these magnificent small trees and shrubs reach their full size and begin their annual blooming cycles, you, the birds and butterflies will be very happy you took the time to let nature take its course.

Pruning a Living Hedge

Pruning your hedge from the outside in forming neat trimmed shrubs is a big mistake and would ruin the natural look you are going for. Instead, hide your husband's electric hedge clippers and get a well-built pair of by-pass pruning shears. Prune selectively by cutting out any dead or damaged stems or branches that are crossing through the middle of the plant.

You want your shrubs to take on a graceful vase-like shape. If they start getting too crowded, prune out inside branches that are dead or no longer producing flowers by cutting them off at the base of the plant.

The exception to this rule is if you have laurel or rhododendron. These you can prune lightly around the outer edges every year or two to keep the shape you like. The best time to prune all these flowering shrubs is immediately after they bloom.

Perennials to Plant Along Your Hedge