You might be wondering why on earth someone would want to use an artificial hedge in the garden when the real deal is actually a little cheaper to buy (just). Here are a host of reasons why we think artificial hedging makes perfect sense in the modern garden.
1. It’s easy to fit
If you’ve ever tried to plant a new hedge, you’ll know it’s hard work. If you’re replacing an old hedge you’ll have to cut it all down and then dig out the root balls. Even if you’re starting from scratch, you’ve got to dig out holes big enough for the root balls of your new plants (typically they’ll be on the edge of a concrete path or boundary, so this isn’t easy) and measure to ensure they all line up perfectly.
Artificial hedging by contrast is an absolute doddle to put up. There are different ways to attach the hedging to your chosen surface depending on what you buy – so for example you might have hedging attached to an expandable willow frame which can simply be tacked onto the fence, or you might have hedging with special attachment fixtures. Some hedging comes in a roll which is unrolled and then affixed to the surface – other hedging comes as separate small panels which are clipped together. Whichever you choose, it’s super easy to put up without all the effort of planting a proper hedge.
2. It doesn’t have to grow
A really frustrating part of planting a new hedge is that you don’t have a hedge for a considerable amount of time. Even fast growing hedging can take a long time to establish. Contrast this with artificial hedging which is a simple way to instantly create a very neat hedge or screen, with no effort whatsoever.
3. It’s environmentally friendly
This one may come as a surprise but real hedging – just like real flowers – isn’t always environmentally friendly. First, there’s all the C02 emissions that result from the plants being grown under glass. Depending on where in the world they are been grown, the green houses need to be heated or have their temperatures regulated. Then there’s the emissions resulting from the plants being transported to your local garden centre or through the post to your home. Finally, when you clip your hedge, if you put the waste in the bin rather than composting it yourself, there’s a good chance it will end up in landfill. The Recycle Now website explains:
“When waste is sent to landfill, air cannot get to the organic waste. Therefore as the waste breaks down it creates a harmful greenhouse gas, methane, which damages the Earth’s atmosphere. However, when this same waste is composted above ground at home, oxygen helps the waste to decompose aerobically which means hardly any methane is produced, which is good news for the planet. And what’s more, after nine to twelve months, you get a free fertiliser for your garden and plant pots to keep them looking beautiful.”
4. It’s no-maintenance
Real hedges take a surprising amount of time and effort to maintain, and that’s just maintenance – if you want them to look good, there’s plenty of shaping and clipping involved too. It’s a never ending thankless job, not unlike mowing your lawn – and who enjoys that? Why create unnecessary work for yourself when you can get a better look without all the maintenance? Artificial hedges look good from the moment they’re put in place with almost no maintenance required at all.
5. It’s flexible
You are somewhat limited with what you can do with a real hedge – it doesn’t easily grow in small spots and sometimes (for example, along the edge of a patio) there just isn’t enough soil to sustain a healthy hedge. Artificial hedging by contrast can be used anywhere – even where there’s no way on earth a real hedge would grow. You can cover unsightly fences, horrible concrete garages or shabby trellis, line the edge of a patio with lush greenery, hide a plastic store containing garden equipment and so much more. There are very few limitations when you’re using artificial hedging in the garden.
7. It looks very neat
Even when you clip and trim real hedging to your heart’s content, it really doesn’t look as good as artificial hedging (unless you have some serious skills). That’s because real hedging doesn’t grow uniformly and it’s nigh on impossible to get a perfect end result. Artificial hedging looks incredibly neat from the moment you put it up, to the point where neighbours will think you have some pro boxwood skills.
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