The difference between deciduous & evergreen hedging
Evergreen plants are defined by having green leaves for all four seasons. The Latin 'sempervirens' literally translates to 'always green' and is found in many Latin plant names, i.e. Buxus sempervirens (Common Box). Evergreen hedges do of course lose their leaves, they just do it in a more subtle way compared to deciduous plants. 'Leaf persistence' in evergreen hedges is the act of new leaves growing whilst old leaves shed and can last from a few months to several decades.
The reason why deciduous plants shed their leaves completely and evergreen hedging plants do not, is that deciduous plants have created a survival mechanism during extreme weather conditions i.e. cold or dry winters. So you will often find that trees in warm or temperate climates are normally evergreen.
There is no set colour or appearance for evergreen hedging plants. Their leaves can be light or dark green, bright green/yellow or even greeny-blue. They may have red berries or blue berries and can flower in a range of colours and shapes. See the difference in some of the leaf types in this blog.
There are also species that are categorised as semi-evergreen. This may seem confusing but it refers to plants that are normally evergreen but have a habit of losing some to all leaves in very extreme weather. Semi-evergreen hedging plants make a great alternative to evergreen hedging as the leaves change colour and add different textures to the planting scheme.
The benefits of planting evergreen hedging for wildlife
Evergreen hedging provides year-round shelter to wildlife. Birds can nest within evergreen shrubs safely, whilst hedgehogs use evergreen hedging as a travelling corridor to get from garden to garden. The choice of berries and flowers also provide sustenance to birds, small mammals and pollinating insects like bumblebees.
Evergreen hedging is a worthwhile investment. It will provide your garden with year-round cover whilst also producing an array of attractive features. Once you plant evergreen hedging plants you don't need to worry about fence panels blowing away or becoming damaged. Your evergreen hedging will take root and provide an attractive, living barrier.
Why buy evergreen hedging plants from best4hedging?
As the leading supplier of quality hedging plants, we have a huge range of evergreen hedging. To help you choose the right evergreen hedge for you, we have some handy filters on the left-hand side of this page. You can narrow down your choices by selecting the appropriate boxes, e.g. 'flowering hedge' or 'fast-growing'. This will filter through the correct products and ensure you can find the best evergreen hedge for your garden. If you're not sure which hedge is best suited to your gardening needs, why not use our Best Hedging Plants For Me tool, specially designed to make choosing the right hedge as easy as possible!
