Plants Used to Form a Hedge

Broadleaf Evergreens

• Boxwood (Buxus sempervirens) is an evergreen native of three continents, from Europe and Asia into Africa. Boxwood grows to 20 feet high as a species, but cultivars such as "Suffrutiosa" are small and compact, perfect for hedges. Boxwood is normally unappealing to deer, notes the University of Connecticut Plant Database. Camellia rosiflora is a broadleaf evergreen shrub suitable for trimming into a hedge. This camellia variety grows to 8 feet and produces fragrant pink flowers in late winter or early spring, depending upon your location. It is winter hardy between U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 7 through 9. Inkberry (Ilex glabra) is cold hardy to USDA zone 4 and it works as a hedge, featuring interesting foliage and black berries.

Deciduous Shrubs

• Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii) keeps your interest year round, with the help of spring flowers, green summer leaves, good fall color and persistent red fruit through winter. This deciduous shrub has sharp spines to make anyone think twice about barging through your acreage. "Aurea," "Sparkle" and "Inermis" are common cultivars. Flowering quince (Chaenomeles speciosa) is a Chinese shrub used for hedges, with thorns, scarlet flowers and resulting edible fruits. Cultivars include "Pink Storm" and "Scarlet Storm." Different varieties of dogwood shrubs, such as tatarian dogwood (Cornus alba) and red twig dogwood (Cornus sericea) are appropriate for hedges.

Needled Evergreens

• "Mac's Golden" is a Chinese juniper (Juniperus chinensis) shrub with needlelike foliage. The shrub is yellowish on its outer portions, but the foliage close to the interior has a blue tint. Used within zones 4 through 9, this shrub tolerates urban pollution, growing between 3 and 15 feet. Anglojap yew (Taxus x media) is a yew hybrid shrub coming in cultivars such as "Hicksii" and "Brownii" often used for hedges. It is evergreen, able to grow in shade or sun and is cold hardy to USDA zone 4. American arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis) shrubs and dwarf forms of the Colorado spruce (Picea pungens) work as hedges as well.

Trees

• The hedge maple (Acer campestre) "Postelense" is a small tree to 10 feet high featuring golden spring foliage changing to shades of green as the growing season goes on. Used to create hedges in USDA zones 5 through 8, this tree handles shade, which offers protection from its leaves burning in hot summer sun. English hawthorn (Crataegus laevigata) withstands pruning, so create hedges with it in zones 4 through 7. The flowers attract butterflies and the resulting fruits are on the menus of wild birds. The Osage orange, with its threatening spines and unusual-looking fruit, is a formidable hedge for zones 4 through 9.