How to Grow a Flowering Hedge in Five Years

Here is the simple way I grew a bushy hedge full of flowers. I did it in five years time.

Actually, I did very little. I took cuttings from the tall shrubs in my backyard. When they rooted in water, I put them into pots. They kept growing. Once they were large enough, I planted them in the front lawn. I gave each shrub plenty of space.

I had considered putting a few bottlebrush trees between them, but it never happened.

The Premna Serratifolia is Quite Awesome

I had no idea what this shrub was until I researched it for this blog post. The Premna Serratifolia is fast growing and blooms profusely in March and April where I live, but only for a short time. The leaves supposedly have health benefits and are edible.

At the time I am writing this page (April 2), The blooms are already going by. The clusters of tiny white flowers smell wonderful, and attract all kinds of beneficials.

If I were a better photographer, I could show you the bee variety and even a few Monarch butterflies that were all around those flowers. This shrub is loved by the pollinators.

When we bought our house in 2016, the land across from us was wild. Once it went up for sale, I realized that we could have neighbors soon. That’s when I took cuttings from the shrubs in the back. I had no idea if I could root them.

It turned out that this plant is very easy to propagate. Every cutting grew roots in water and then grew nicely in a pot. After a few weeks I ended up with five new plants.

The big mistake many people make when planting crops and new trees and shrubs is that they put them too close together. I gave these little cuttings a lot of room. The roots would not have to compete for water and nutrients.

Below is a photo of the old plants behind our house. As you can see they are very tall. A lot of vines have taken over too. Typical of Florida.

The flowers are now falling like snow from the tall shrubs.

The “baby plants” are now taller than I am. I’m guessing they have reached 8-10 feet – in five years time. I think that is pretty fast growth.

The plants outback were probably planted when the house was built.

So now we have new neighbors where a Florida forest used to be. Three new houses went up, and every bit of vegetation was removed. Perfectly beautiful oak trees, pines and other things were torn up and removed. This is just one reason I dislike living here. Why not leave the trees that are not in the way of where the new house will go? Builders don’t care – just make it easy and remove everything.

My new, and free, hedgerow is growing up nicely and blocking the view. I also love that I’ve provided food and nectar for the insects. A living border also provides places for birds and other wildlife to hide.

I’m not sure if this shrub is available in local nurseries, but I think it makes a very nice addition to the yard. The Premna serratifolia is not a Florida native.

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