Some shrubs work well for hedges, others are better left to grow into their natural shape. For a successful hedge pick an appropriate shrub.
Sometime we come across good horticultural choices and sometimes we come across 'what were they thinking? - were they asleep in the lecture?' choices. This week I had the dubious pleasure of seeing the latter one. In the pruning shrubs article I failed to mention that you should take the character of the shrub into consideration before you prune. Shrubs that are pruned into unnatural shapes or forced to conform to an unnatural habit, will cause constant work. Some things are fine to be pruned to a hedge others are best left as arching shrubs. The Glossy Abelia is one of the arching, casual shrubs that should never be pruned into a hedge, but locally.... Yes some bright spark has put it in as a formal hedge where it is not producing blooms, and is neat and tidy. Without the bloom the shrub is no better, no worse than anything else, but with the bloom it is splendid. Use boxwoods, holly, even beech for hedges, but do not use a shrub that is by nature destined to be large and floppy!
