Hedging Your Bets

  By The Plant Lady

            Hedges used to be such a no-brainer in South Florida: ficus, ficus, and more ficus. But that was before the Whitefly nearly decimated these landscaping landmarks of the tropics, and left many of us, well, hedgeless. 
           Now that this fact--no more ficus--has become an accepted part of life over the last few years, it is interesting to see what plants are emerging as the most popular replacement hedges.
           I see three taking over: Areca Palms, Clusia and Podocarpus.
           Lets start with what I consider the worst choice for a long row of hedges: Areca palms, also known as yellow butterfly palm.
          I have seen a lot of these planted in my suburb recently. In a couple cases, home owners have planted these soon-to-be-towering, sloppy-looking palms across the front yard, or alongside the house to block off the view from the street. 
         I have to wonder how much these people know about Areca palms. They can be dramatic as a single specimen. And when first planted, they look fine: about three or four feet tall, green and nicely shaped. But they won't keep any of those characteristics for long.
           As a hedge, I just feel they are overwhelming and unattractive. Across the back property line, if you have a lot of property, okay--but surrounding the entire front yard? What were they thinking? Privacy, I am sure. 
           
             

          
           Areca palms grow very fast, and they can reach 35 feet high or higher here, with a spread of 10 feet across for each multi-trunked tree. The leaves are typically yellowish green, and with direct sun, or poor soil (hello, this is South Florida), many of the fronds will turn yellow. Older fronds turn grey, and weather that is especially cold or especially hot or dry will make the tips turn brown. Unless fertilized regularly--about three times a year--their fronds get speckled and chlorotic due to nutritional deficiencies. Also, the fronds extend to the ground. Not a lot to recommend them, except for that privacy thing.
            It is possible to neaten them up, a little, by thinning out some of the suckers at the bottom--they grow up in clusters--or trimming off the discolored fronds or brown tips, or getting rid of lower leaves to show the banded trunks. But such maintenance is a major job, a lot more work than just grabbing a saw and squaring off a row of ficus. As a result, few people seem to bother, and their yards soon look like an unkempt jungle.
           Next in the hedge sweepstakes is the Clusia. Often called a native, though that is sometimes debated, it too can be fast growing.  Clusia Rosea or Clusia Guttifera can grow into trees,  and need regular pruning to keep them manageable as a hedge. But it is not hard work and can be done with a clippers. There is a dwarf variety called Clusia Rosea Nana that is probably a better choice, if you can find it.

                Clusias, with their big, succulent, bright green leaves, make a very full, attractive hedge. However, they have invasive roots, and are not a good choice around a swimming pool or septic field. 
            Finally, we have the lovely Podocarpus. They grow tall--as high as 30 feet to 40 feet--and form columns. They can be considered slow growers, by Florida standards, but will grow faster in full sun.  They make a beautiful hedge, and do need to be trimmed, but it is an occasional chore. The roots are not generally considered a problem.
            They do tend to be expensive and a three gallon pot can go for as much as $35 to $40 dollars, though you can find them on sale at garden centers.

             They don't take a lot of care, but they don't like their feet to be wet. I have seen them planted in low lying areas where heavy rains produced standing water, and they did not fare well.  
             After I paid to have 200 ficus removed along the side of my property, I had a bad taste for planting long rows of the same plants, all vulnerable to the same voracious predator, such as the Whitefly. I put in a row of about a dozen Podocarpus, then some crotons and a small Bottle Palm, then a row of about a dozen Clusia. I am happy with the results. The rest of the area is still under construction, but consists mostly of small flowering trees and bushes. 
          
           Questions are comments are welcome at christinewj6380@gmail.com.