When purchasing a home, it is often necessary to delineate one’s property. Installing a fence can be costly, tedious and unattractive. Another possibility is to opt for a cedar hedge. It’s an option that is attractive and durable, and which requires very little maintenance considering the visual effect it produces. Although a cedar hedge may seem like a long and difficult project to undertake, it is easier than you might think. It’s actually a good way to delineate your property.

Planting a cedar hedge: a DIY project

First, you don’t need to hire anyone to plant your cedar hedge, you can do it yourself. This can be completed in five easy steps:

1. Make sure you know the surface area you want to cover so that you only purchase what you need.
2. Dig a trench that is 4 to 6 inches deep and 8 to 10 inches wide for wild cedars. If you go with grown cedars, you will need a trench that is 6 to 8 inches deep and 8 to 10 inches wide. The base of the cedars must come out by at least 2 inches from the ground, 4 inches for clay soil.
3. Fill the trench with the dirt removed earlier and compact it well at the base of the cedars.
4. Spread a mixture of fertilizer at the base of the cedars.
5. For greater stability, add a post every 20 feet and use rope to hold the cedars in place. Once the latter are fully rooted, you can remove the rope and posts.

Keeping your cedar hedge healthy requires little effort

Another advantage of using a cedar hedge is that it requires very little maintenance. Those who don’t wish to maintain it can let it grow as they see fit and trim it after four or five years. It is recommended to trim your hedge at least once a year, though. Trim your hedge by starting at the top of the cedars and then going down toward the bottom. Shears are the best tool for this kind of work, which will give a youthful look to your hedge, not to mention that it’s going to look more straight and solid. The shape of the cedars is important as well, as they must be thinner from top to bottom. They should thus be shaped like a pyramid rather than a rectangle, as popular belief would have it.

Added resale value

A cedar hedge gives cachet to a property and, as is the case with any kind of landscaping, it can increase its resale value. It also provides for some form of intimacy that makes it warmer than with a wooden fence. That way, you can go swimming or enjoy your backyard without having to worry about being disturbed or observed by neighbors.

Planting a cedar hedge is the best option when looking to delineate your property. Thanks to the low maintenance they require and how easy they are to plant, they provide for an aesthetic, low-cost and intimate solution. In the city or the countryside, a property with lots of green is always more attractive and soothing. Why not take advantage of this?