Holly Hedges at the Garden Home Retreat

You know, I talk a lot about the importance of framework and structure in a garden. And during the winter, well, it's the most obvious. If you've got good bones, a good framework looks very obvious when most of the garden is dormant.

Evergreen shrubs are the workhorses of a garden’s framework.  Every region has an evergreen that works best in their climate, for me hollies perform exceptionally well in my mid-south garden.

Some of the favorites that I grow include ‘Emily Brunner’ holly. And then a wonderful native holly is called Yaupon holly, with its mouse-ear leaf and beautiful red berries. I also grow deciduous hollies, hollies that don't have any leaves on them in winter, but are covered with gorgeous red berries. And then there's the Savannah holly, which I’ve got planted along the south side of my property.  This holly is a beautiful choice for screening.

At the Garden Home Retreat we’ve planted Needlepoint holly hedges on either side of the cottage going east and west and then north and south too so that an entire area is enclosed. 

In addition to creating an enclosure, the hedges screen the view to the back of the house.  This creates a sense of mystery for visitors.  It’s not until they walk through the gated opening in the hedge that they see the beautiful gardens and river valley beyond.

Now, we selected the large holly shrubs in a balled and burlapped form, meaning they were dug out of a field, the roots were cut, and they were wrapped with burlap, and then shipped.  The advantage of selecting balled and burlapped shrubs and trees is that you can find very large plants.  Much larger than what’s available in containers. 

The disadvantage is that it will take a full 3 growing seasons for the rootball to recover.  The old adage is, “The first year, they're going to sleep. The second year, they're going to creep. And in the third year, they will leap.”  

The balled and burlapped hollies lost some of their foliage, and there are some spaces between the branches. So to bulk up the hedge, I also got some that came in 5-gallon containers, and we're actually planting them in between the larger hollies, and they'll fill in the space and help create the solid green wall that I am aiming for.

Unlike the balled and burlapped hollies the 5 gallon hollies have all of their roots intact, so they will leap the first year.

Probably the hardest part of planting a hedge is digging the holes.  Once that is done I take the existing soil and combine it with a good potting mix full of humus.  I also use a root stimulator following the directions on the package. The goal is to get those roots going as quickly as possible.

As spring approaches, I’ll shear the shrubs, cut them back and shape them up. So as soon as those buds begin to swell in the spring, they'll begin to fill in beautifully.  And then what we'll have is a beautiful screen that will reveal the river beyond once you come around it. Just what I want.