One of the best things about summer is the huge amount of blossoms that greet you with a burst of colour when you step into the garden. And, if you’re lucky enough for your garden to be a suntrap, you’ll need to make sure the hedges and shrubs you choose can handle the sunlight exposure. By selecting hedging species that are suited to full sun, you will be rewarded with vibrant foliage colour and an abundance of blossoms. Hedge plants for sunny sites are often drought tolerant and are happy in hot, dry environments but it’s important to remember that they don’t need continuous sunlight, 6-8 hours a day is a good, healthy amount.
1. Lavender Hedging
The Mediterranean heritage of this hedging plant means it’s well equipped to handle dry, warm positions. The grey-green foliage is typical of plants native to warm climates and allows Lavender hedging to reflect sunlight and conserve water.
2. Escallonia Hedging
Native to Chile, it’s no surprise that Escallonia hedge plants can handle full sun. These showy shrubs are evergreen and display fantastic, bright flowers that are adored by bees, butterflies and other insects. The evergreen foliage provides year-round interest even after the flowers have faded and, as Escallonia plants are able to tolerate a wide range of planting sites, they can make a fantastic feature grown in pots to decorate patios.
3. Rosa Rugosa Hedging
Both Pink Ramanus Rose hedging and Rosa Rugosa Alba will provide your garden with large, striking flowers, even when planted in a dry site. Tolerant of a variety of planting positions, you can be sure that when left in full sun, Rosa Rugosa hedging will blossom brightly, attracting a variety of wildlife to your garden.
4. Hebe Hedging
Hebe hedging is native to New Zealand and has thick, grey-green foliage that is able to retain moisture, making it ideal for sunny sites. The foliage of Hebe Mrs Winder is slightly thinner than Red Edge and Sutherland, however it can still handle a position in full sun. Hebe hedge plants offer clusters of small pretty flowers that contrast wonderfully against the dense foliage.
5. Dogwood Hedging
Planting a dogwood hedge is an alternative way to add vibrant colour to your garden. Available in a range of colours, Cornus hedging will glow in the sunlight and the woody stems are perfect for providing unusual interest when the lush foliage falls in autumn. As well as being able to tolerate full sun, Cornus hedging can handle poor soils so is ideal for difficult planting sites.
6. Bamboo Hedging
All of these hedging plants possess the features that are needed to thrive in sunny positions without the need to worry about the foliage becoming scorched or wilted. All you do need to worry about is making the most of any 6-8 hour periods of sunlight, as they don’t come around very often.
