West Palm Beach and the broader region of South Florida are famous for our tropical climate—warm temperatures and high humidity abound at all times! This type of weather, of course, allows for a beautiful environment of plant life, which makes it ideal for doing some yard work of your own!
Choosing the right hedge plants is the first important step toward creating the privacy fencing for your yard. Just as there are many species of animals on Earth, the same is true for plants, and choosing among them can feel overwhelming. Thus, knowing what kind of soil and some other important points about the yard can help you with the decision of what plants to buy:
- What type of soil do you have?
- What are the moisture levels?
- How much sun or shade does the future yard line cover?
- Does it endure a lot of wind?
- Does that mean I have to buy big pots of stuff?
No, but it’s necessary to be familiar with your gardening goals to get started on the best foot. Remember: you have to consider how much maintenance work you want to do as well, so it’s best to keep everything under your control limit!
Clusia hedge plants are great for maintaining many of Earth’s natural outdoor elements: sea salt, and wind elements that blow through perhaps too much beach sand, in addition to heavy rains. Insects and animals are also less likely to bother any gardening work you want to do with them. They are also beautiful to look at and make them rock-solid for the required work you will need to maintain with them! The leaves are also fun to touch—they’re glossy in appearance and have a rubbery texture in the hands that feels great for plant interaction. They are easy to grow in many backyards that have a similar tropical aesthetic, forested environment.
Buying Clusia Hedge Plants
Is one place better than another to buy Clusia hedge for sale in West Palm Beach? Why not take a visit to your local nursery or a garden center in your area and see if they have what you’re looking for? What’s great about these places is you can ask them any questions you have about the plant before you buy it, which may help you to identify whether it’s a suitable hedging plant for your garden. Another plus side to sourcing your hedges locally is that local stock is more inclined (and already used) to the local climate and soil make-up, as opposed to specific, tailored soil that you may have to use should you want to have the best chance of your plant surviving if you buy it anywhere other than your local nursery.
Understanding Clusia Hedge Plants
Also known as Autograph trees, Clusia hedge plants are a top performer in South Florida landscapes, bringing a unique look to yards with a variety of stand-apart features. This plant is a massive evergreen shrub (meaning it will stay green all year long) that grows leaves so thick you will have a hard time trying to make a dent in one. Clusia is a big, big shrub, able to grow to a massive 10′ tall.
For one, and likely most noticeable off the bat, is this shrub’s propensity to soak up as much sun as you throw at it and hardly bat an eye. This is a full sun plant through and through, and you’ll see these shrubs growing on roadsides to hedges at Miami’s most luxurious homes. A well-installed, good size Clusia hedge will never look back, providing homeowners with a durable and constant line of privacy that stays thick, green, and full.
Other environmental benefits will also make this plant a South Florida fan favorite, too. For one, are you looking to cut down on your water usage – and be a little greener? Then Clusia is right for you, as its extremely high drought resistance makes this plant an excellent choice for the water conservation-minded and those that just want a plant that will be able to handle being a little dry. That’s a big positive when it comes to South Florida yards in wintertime, when properties will receive considerably less rainfall, making low-water plants and options more tempting. Plants for South Florida like Clusia, which resist being dry, will perform much better with less care!
Also, want your Clusias to go green? One of the fine characteristics of these shrubs – and a good part of why they are so lovely – is for their big, beefy leaves that come in green. It stays a solid performer in shrub lines because of its bright green all year around. Also, it’s easy to keep hedged, so your lines will stay sharp with a good landscaping team at the helm for your property. Practical, good looking, and easy to care for makes this a fine choice.
Why Choose Hedges for South Florida?
“Hedges have long been a mainstay in landscaping, where they are used to heighten a sense of privacy and to create sophisticated “outdoor rooms.” In fact, in warmer, subtropical climates like we have in South Florida, hedges are almost mandatory. For the much-needed texture, they can add to your property’s look, and for their practicality (hedges, after all, can act as a “living wall,” dampening sounds and potentially harmful winds), hedges are essentially non-negotiable.
In South Florida, the list of hedges you can choose from isn’t exactly a long one. There is the ever-so-popular Viburnum, with an impressive cluster of flowers that can sprout from the tops of the plant, it is a sure standout. There is also, Podocarpus; a formal, and semi-soft hedge that can look almost fern-like. Still, the one hedge to lead this pack is a Nitrogen-Fixing, locally native plant known as Florida Clusia (Clusia rosea).
Florida Clusia is unique in that it can take a high level of abuse and still look fantastic. This includes any prolonged bouts of drought your hedge may have to endure; damage that can occur from “salt spray,” a recognizable issue seen in plants closer to the coast, or in this case, after Hurricanes; and any likelihood of “unwanted pests” or disease.
Clusia Hedge Spacing and Planting Tips
Clusia hedges require specific spacing to grow properly. This ensures that all the new plantings will get their fair share of sunlight and helps with air circulation. The plants should, more or less, be placed about 3 to 4 feet apart. Placing them too closely together will cause them to have to fight to get any sunlight, which means that only a select few will end up flourishing.
If you don’t already have soil prepared for your new plants, you will need to begin preparing the area now. Clusia plants do very well in well-draining soil with a good amount of organic matter mixed in. This means that whenever possible, you should add in compost or old manure. Basically, these plants tend to do best in soil with a pH content between 6.0 and 7.0. Once you have ascertained what the pH value of the soil is, you can then add either acid or lime (an alkaline substance) as needed.
Nearly all freshly planted shrubs require regular watering for the first few weeks. They have a lot of growing to do to catch up with more mature plants, so you will want to water the plants deeply about once a week. Allow the soil that has been touched by the water to dry out, but not completely.
Maintaining Your Clusia Hedge
In South Florida, Clusia hedges aren’t as “low maintenance” as people think. With the unique overall climate, specific rules to abide by will keep your Clusia hedges growing perfectly and looking incredible.
- Pruning — You should cut your Clusia the same way you would with at least half of stylish trees produced in the world. Trim off any dead or colored bright orange dead-looking leaves, as well as branches that look like they could be infested with pests or diseases.
- Fertilization — Clusia needs to be fertilized to stay alive. With many reports suggesting that they don’t need fertilizing, I’ve always (if I were you) would believe this. Even the healthiest tree will need feeding to stay in ”tip-top condition.”
- Pest control — Yep! Clusia too, gets riddled with pests and diseases. It manages to hold the “resilience badge” up in the last two slots, but there are pests out there that will come knocking at the door (front and back) to see if you have any food in the house.
- Always water, and mule “around” and the “base” of the Clusia hedge.
Apart from the “pesky” little thorns that come with Clusia hedges, they’re great for keeping people from snooping around the windows because it makes things just that little bit more difficult.
South Florida landscapes really benefit from Clusia hedge plants. If you enjoy the lush green foliage that thrives in the Florida sun, consider planting these hedges at your residential and commercial properties. Some of the best moments come from just sitting back and enjoying the aesthetic these plants provide. Just looking out at your yard or garden fills you with peace knowing that you have created and maintain the landscape aesthetic. If you simply want to enjoy what your plants have grown into, it is great to see Clusia plants hedge out in a straight line. That also pays off if the plants are near paths or walkways.
Now might be the best time for your next landscaping project. You will pull up all your favorite nurseries and the best national seed banks you can think of. If you have an empty yard or made some space for new plants to come in, you should try out this excellent hedge plant.
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