15 Top Best Plants For Low Hedges

The best plants for low hedges provide you with a list of plants that will give you that remarkable hedge and are easy to maintain.

It is a fact that a hedge is one of the most essential features of any garden. It is an easy way to add privacy and beauty to your garden, especially if you are living in a city where there are many places to enter and exit your property.  Hedges come in all shapes and sizes, so it is important to pick the right plants for your hedge.

In this article, we will be looking at the top 15 best plants for low hedges.  These will be suitable for small or medium-sized gardens, as well as large gardens.  We will look at the benefits of using these plants and how they can help you get the best results.

Best Plants For Low Hedges

1. Blackthorn

Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) is one of the best plants for low hedges due to its ability to provide long-lasting privacy.  It is also very easy to grow, especially in an urban garden.  It has impenetrable thickets which provide good protection and coverage.

2. Little leaf boxwood

Boxwoods are hardy, slow-growing evergreen shrubs. They grow up to 12 –15 feet in height when left naturally, but many people trim them much shorter. Boxwood has small leaves, creating a densely packed surface, and is usually grown for its ornamental value.  Boxwood hedges are popular for their beauty and can be easily shaped to your style.

3. Lavender

Lavender is an easy plant to grow and provides an amazing fragrance and is great for attracting butterflies. It is one of the best plants for low hedges and produces beautiful purple flowers.  Lavender is also useful in the kitchen, making a wonderful addition to any culinary garden.

4. Dwarf Fothergilla

Dwarf Fothergilla (Fothergilla major) is a dwarf ornamental shrub native to North America. It has fragrant, white, bottlebrush flowers that are fuzzy. In fall, its foliage becomes beautiful shades of yellow, red, and orange. It grows up to three feet tall making it great for small hedges.

5. White Sage

White sage (Salvia apiana) is a type of bush and one of the best plants for low hedges. It has attractive foliage and grows to about three to eight feet tall. This plant is easy to grow and is good for hedging and as a border plant.

6. Burckwood Daphne

Burckwood Daphne is a semi-evergreen shrub. It is wide-spreading and grows to be 3-4 feet tall. It has extremely fragrant flower clusters that appear in the summer. It grows best in full sun with moist, sandy soil, and well-drained soil.

7. Hedge Bindweed

Hedge bindweed is often seen climbing up hedges and fences. It has a trailing habit and large, showy flowers in the summer. The flowers are attractive to bees and other pollinators.

What are some low growing shrubs?

8. Bush Daisy

Daisy bush has lovely yellow flowers and striking green foliage that makes it a beautiful addition to any yard. It is very popular in garden culture as it grows well in most soils and full sun. It can grow up to three feet tall and is moderately drought tolerant.

9. English Holly

English Holly is recognizable for its deep green thorny leaves and bright red berries. It is a slow-growing, ornamental evergreen tree that is densely branched and can also be trained to grow as a shrub. It can grow in full sun to partial shade and can grow in almost any type of soil.

10. Yew

Yew is a popular plant for landscaping as it is low maintenance and provides a classic look to your landscape. It is a conifer plant that produces cones and needles, growing anywhere from four to 60 feet tall. Yew grows best in a variety of conditions and there are many different varieties to choose from.

11. Bush Poppy 

The poppy bush is an evergreen shrub that is great for attracting butterflies. They have lovely fragrant flowers and make a beautiful addition to your landscape. Bush poppy generally grows to be three to 10 feet tall and grows well in full sun and well-drained rocky or clay soils.

12. Bush honeysuckle

The honeysuckle family (Caprifoliaceae) is comprised of hundreds of species of perennial and annual vines.  Bush honeysuckle is one of the most commonly planted ornamental vines in North America. It is used as an ornamental plant in gardens, as a subject for landscape architecture, and as a host plant for insect pollinators.

13. Choisya

Choisya is a rounded, dense evergreen shrub that is one of the best plants for low hedges. It can grow to be four to eight feet tall and has fragrant, showy white blooms. It is easy to grow and does best in well-drained soil and full sun.

14. Glossy abelia

Glossy abelia is a large shrub that has decorative foliage and showy white or pink flowers. They are gracefully arching and add a nice touch to any landscape. They grow as evergreen or semi-evergreen.

15. Goldenrod

There are over 100 species of goldenrod in the Solidago genus. They are known for their tall and slim stems with fluffy flower spikes in varying shades of yellow. Goldenrods are very low maintenance as they grow well in sunny locations and even in poor soil.

Read more about the Top 14 Best Ground Cover Plants For Pennsylvania.

In Summary: Best Plants For Low Hedges

The best plants for low hedges are not just as listed above rather, there are many more plants you can choose from when making your hedge.  All the best as you grow your hedge.

Read more about Best Indoor Plants For Positive Energy In 2022.

Frequently Asked Questions

What plant makes a good low hedge?

We have had many people ask about plants that make good hedges. All the above plants and many others make good hedges.  Choose the type of plant to grow depending on the type of hedge you require - either short or long. 

What is a good small hedge?

We have also been asked about the best plants for making a small hedge. We recommend plants that are not too large. We find that most shrubs tend to be too large, especially if you want them to look good. They also tend to grow very quickly and are difficult to control. Also choose plants that do not grow too large for a small hedge.

What are some low growing shrubs?

We like to use plants that are not too tall. Some plants with this type of habit include: English Holly, Yew, White Sage and Bush Poppy.

What is the best plant to make a hedge?

The best plants for making a hedge are usually ones that grow quickly and are easy to control. You will need to find a location where you can plant the plants in the ground and then let them grow over the years.