Hedges are the perfect way to incorporate texture and interesting detail in your yard. Properly landscaped yards add a great deal of value to your house. Hedges are one way to frame your house with plants and dress up the yard. Most hedges you see in yards are formal. They are cut with clippers into flat-sided shapes to form low or tall walls. These hedges serve as living fences or privacy screens in small spaces. They look nice and neat when kept regularly trimmed. They usually delineate the property lines and form living fences. Informal hedges are easier to care for with loppers or hand pruners. These hedges have a looser, more natural shape than formal hedges.

The informal hedge needs to be pruned less often. The informal hedge is fuller and looser so fewer plants will be needed to fill in the hedge area. Whatever design you choose for your hedges several factors need to be considered. How much sun will my hedge receive? Full sun is best, as most plants need the solar exposure. How tall will my hedge be? Remember the higher the hedge the harder it is to keep neat with a formal design. Another thought to remember is do you want to stand on a ladder to trim you hedge or just reach to your head level.

If using electric clippers you need to stretch a cord to provide a guide to cut by. Hedges offer privacy and habitat for local wildlife. Hand pruning takes longer to clip but allows you to shape your hedge in more intricate designs. Formal hedges offer little in the way of creativity but allow for smooth and quick trimming with an electric pruner. Evergreens usually need pruned once in the fall. They are easily shaped with electric pruners and can be used for low or tall hedges depending on variety.

Conifers rarely can stand harsh pruning. Never cut them back nor than a third of their height. Blooming hedges like lavender, forsythia, azaleas, rosemary, rugosa roses need trimmed only after they have finished blooming. Do not prune too harshly, as the next year's bloom will grow on the new wood of each stem. Traditional low hedges are called knot gardens. There are many cultivars that work well for this kind of hedge. Rosemary, miniature roses, boxwoods, basil, berberis, sage, large variety of annual or perennial herbs and small shrubs work well for low hedges.