Hedging plants for your garden > Hedge growing, care, maintenance of hedges, plants
Pest problems of hedges & hedge plants
Most of the hedge plants that are popular as hedging plants do not have too many pests. However, pests can turn a great looking hedge into a ugly mess. This especially occurs because hedges are planted with plants all of the one type (which is however the best way to plant a hedge). As a result the pests tend to attack all the plants. So, it is worth picking a hedge plant which does not have many pests. A few pests which attack hedge plants are Lilly pilly psyllid (seems to only attack Syzigium Lilly pillies, deforms new foliage in winter and spring, there are insecticides to control these), Hibiscus beetle (on hibiscus plants, eats leaves and flowers) Aphids (attack most soft foliage of many plants) Caterpillars, there are hundreds of different types around the world, but most can be controlled easily, they tend to hide on the inner stems or on the ground during the day. Control with knock down insecticides like Pyretherum. Or use a systemic insecticide from your local nursery (follow instructions). Ground borne, root eating grubs- there are many types of beetle larvae which live in the ground. They are very hard to see, until you start to dig around. These grubs go by different names around the world like "cock chafers" and "curl grubs". They eat out the root systems and the plants quickly die, unlike many other pests they will destroy the hedge plants. They can be controlled using chemicals available from your local nursery. Generally speaking systemic insecticides are very handy for controlling most pests on hedges as the plants take up the insecticides and if anything eats the plant they injest the poison. See your local nurseryman for advice on your individual pest issues.
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Fertilising & making hedges grow fast
If you are deciding on what plant to use as a hedge plant, some plants are more suitable then others. We tend to think that plants with smaller leaves are more suitable then broad leaf plants. Small leaf plants tend to make neat lines for hedges. But, the larger the hedge you grow, the more likely you will tend to need a larger leaf plant. The smallest leaf plant that we know of for hedges is lonicera nitida (also called a box-leaf honeysuckle) it has tiny leaves and can make a hedge form 20cm up to 1.5m. the largest leaf plant that we have heard of is the sub-tropical Acalypha plant which has attractive foliage and large soft leaves. If possible use an evergreen plant for your hedge. If you are in an area that is frost prone, be aware they you may lose leaves on some species during winter, this tends to happen near the base of the hedge. Reduced light conditions in winter also create leaf drop in certain parts of the plant.
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