Breaking the Wind With the Right Type of Hedges

By Sheila King-Jeffcoat

Strong winds are known to cause costly damage, and sometimes irreparable damage, to beautiful gardens. In order to protect their property, many people are using hedges as wind breakers. While hedges can act as wind breakers to a certain extent, some hedges are better suited for the job than others. Some popular choices for wind breaker hedges include:

• Cotoneaster lacteus
• Blackhaw viburnum
• Taxus baccata

First let us take a look at the cotoneaster lacteus, which comes from the Rosacea family. This type of hedge serves wonderfully as a wind breaker. It produces red berries in the cold winter weather, while yielding beautiful white flowers in the warm summertime, and grows to be very wide. As a matter of fact, most commonly, the cotoneaster lacteus will grow wider than it will grow tall. The foliage on these hedges remains green all year round, and they thrive in full sun conditions. Not only do these hedges serve as a near perfect wind breakers, they will also bring natural beauty to your yard all year long.

Another type of hedge that is effective in breaking the wind, yet still beautifying your yard, is the blackshaw viburnum. This type of hedge will bloom flowers in the spring that turn into edible berries by fall. They are extremely durable, and can grow up to 15 feet high, and 12 feet wide. Like the cotoneaster lacteus, this type of wind breaking hedge will remain attractive all year long.

Finally, the taxus baccata, which is more commonly known as English Yew, can be very effective serving as wind breaking hedges. Due to their thickness and durability, they are known to make great year round wind breakers. They do yield red poisonous red berries that are dangerous if consumed by humans or livestock. Birds and deer, however, have been known to safely consume the fruit from the taxus baccata, or English Yew.

There are several other hedge types that make for wonderful wind breakers, but above are a few of the best. If you are considering using hedges as a wind breaker for your garden or yard, it is important to research and shop around, to ensure you are planting the best type of hedges to meet your individual needs.

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