Here is a great method for planting your next hedge that requires minimal work and almost no money. It can produce some very fun and interesting results that will naturally vary. The best time of year to start this project is either late summer or early fall.
The first thing you will want to do is to mark the line for where you want your hedge to go. Next, you should get a large roto-tiller and plow along the line where you want the new hedge to grow. If you do not have a large roto-tiller, you can either rent one from an equipment rental store or borrow one. Another option is to use a smaller tiller and make two or more passes. Your goal here is to make the soil as receptive as you can to new seeds.
Next, dig holes at the ends and/or corners of the line where your hedge will go and place some fairly heavy posts or poles; you can even use small trees that have been thinned out of a wooded area. Next, place these posts 12 feet apart along the rows that you plowed. Then, take some strong string or wire and place two or three rows of perches between the posts. After you have finished this, wipe your brow and sit back and relax and let the birds do all the work!
There are many benefits to this method of hedge planting. The most obvious is it requires far less work. Second, it is much cheaper! With no plants to buy, the cost will be drastically lower than other options. Third, the plants that will become your hedge will require much less care, as they will be native to the area. Finally, with transplant shock eliminated, the plants of this hedge will grow just as fast as plants that were purchase pre-grown.
Once your new shrubs start to come up, it is a good idea to thin out the row. One option is to remove intersperse a few flowering shrubs in the hedge. This will produce some great results, and for far less money!
