Impenetrable Eco Hedge Collection

This is a collection of 10 varieties of shrubs with evergreen or deciduous foliage, armed with thorns, perfect for creating an impenetrable hedge that will protect your garden from intruders, wind, and prying eyes, while offering staggered flowering, varied foliage, and interesting fruiting. All these species are easy to grow in ordinary soil in all our regions and require little maintenance. Delivered in a kit of 10 potted plants (1 plant of each variety), ready to plant! This shrub kit allows you to create approximately 10 metres (33 feet) of mixed and defensive hedge at a lower cost.

The collection consists of:

- 1 Berberis darwinii - Darwin Barberry: approximately 2.75 metres (9 feet) in all directions, of fairly rapid growth, with evergreen foliage in winter. Flowering from March to May, depending on the climate, and again in autumn, with numerous clusters of small flowers in a bright yellow streaked with orange and very nectar-rich. Its small fleshy fruits turn purple when ripe. Its small tough leaves are shiny green, toothed, and spiny along the edges.

- 1 Berberis julianae - Saint Julian Barberry: of rather slow growth, approximately 3 metres (10 feet) in height and 1.50 metres (5 feet) in spread at maturity. Evergreen foliage. Its branches are adorned with long trifurcate thorns. The young shoots and leaves are slightly pinkish, while the mature leaves are a shiny dark green and turn red-orange at the first cold spells. Flowering from March to May, depending on the climate, with small clusters of fragrant flowers in yellow streaked with red, and a second flowering in late autumn or early winter. Its small fleshy fruits turn black when ripe.

- 1 Berberis thunbergii Atropurpurea - Purple Barberry: with semi-evergreen foliage, approximately 1.50 metres (5 feet) in all directions. Its thorny branches bear small red-purple leaves that become bright red in autumn. It creates a beautiful contrast with its April-May flowering. The small yellow flowers streaked with red are nectar-rich and gathered in clusters. Its small fruits are a very bright red in September-October and last part of the winter.

- 1 Quercus ilex - Holm Oak: a slow-growing tree, reaching approximately 15 metres (49 feet) in height with a spread of 10 metres (33 feet), but pruning, which it tolerates well, can keep it in more modest dimensions. Evergreen foliage even in winter. Its habit is somewhat twisted, its bark is fissured, and its crown is crumpled, adorned with tough foliage that is dark green on top and silvery gray underneath. Its spring flowering is abundant and nectar-rich, with cream-white flowers giving way to a profusion of variable-looking acorns.

- 1 Chaenomeles superba -  Japanese Quince Nicoline: approximately 1.50 metres (5 feet) in height and 1.75 metres (6 feet) in spread. Deciduous foliage, absent in winter. Flowering in March-April, depending on the regions, in a very bright red, just before or at the same time as the foliage appears, on its branches adorned with long and slender sharp thorns. The large globular and fragrant fruits, yellow in colour, are decorative and edible, although their scent does not equal that of true quinces.

- 1 Hippophae rhamnoides Leikora - Female Sea Buckthorn: fast-growing, reaching approximately 4 metres (13 feet) in height and 3 metres (10 feet) in spread. Deciduous foliage, absent in winter. Thorny branches bear narrow and elongated leaves, dark green on top and silvery gray underneath. Discreet but nectar-rich flowering in April, before the foliage. In the presence of a male plant, it produces small bright orange fruits rich in vitamins and antioxidants that last throughout the winter.

- 1 JC Van Tol Holly: approximately 3.50 metres (11 feet) in height and 2.50 metres (8 feet) in spread. Evergreen foliage in winter, tough, toothed, shiny, and very dark green. Insignificant but nectar-rich spring flowering followed by a rich red fruiting.

- 1 Ilex aquifolium - Common Holly: approximately 2.50 metres (8 feet) in height and 1.20 metres (4 feet) in spread, with a rather slow growth. This conical-shaped bush has evergreen foliage that persists in winter, very dense, shiny dark green, tough, with undulating and toothed edges and sharp thorns. Flowering in May-June, with small white flowers tinged with pink, nectar-rich and fragrant. Only female hollies bear characteristic bright red fruits in the presence of male hollies.

- 1 Mahonia aquifolium - Oregon Grape Holly: approximately 1 metre (3 feet) in all directions. Its evergreen foliage persists in winter, composed of spiny leaves, shiny green, turning purple in winter. Flowering from February, with clusters of small yellow and fragrant flowers, giving way to blackish-blue berries.

- 1 Pyracantha Saphyr Orange - Firethorn: approximately 3 metres (10 feet) in height and 2.50 metres (8 feet) in spread. Small, shiny evergreen foliage in dark green. The branches, tinged with red, are armed with long formidable thorns. Flowering from May to July, depending on the climate, along the branches, with numerous clusters of pure white small flowers, nectar-rich and pleasantly scented. Fruiting with bright orange berries.

A hedge that is both impenetrable, protective, beautiful all year round, and welcoming to the small wildlife in the garden! Plant these shrubs preferably in autumn or early spring, in full sun or partial shade, mixing and spacing them 80 cm (32in) to 1 meter (3 feet) apart. They are content with any well-prepared garden soil enriched with leaf compost. 

Advice: Do not prune early in the season to fully enjoy the flowering! If possible, also avoid pruning in late summer to enjoy the fruits and feed the birds in the garden during winter.