How to Build a Hedge Maze

Hedge mazes provide more than just an interesting aspect to what might be an otherwise dreary lawn. They provide a quiet place to study or work when necessary, a welcome distraction from the world, and a place where you can feel that it is difficult for anyone to find you. Hedge mazes take several years to grow to full height, but short hedge mazes can also provide a welcome distraction.

Graph paper

Pencil

Wood stakes

String

Rototiller

Hedge plants

Weed mat

Gravel

Map the design of the hedge maze using the graph paper and pencil. Make the map to scale, with each block of the graph paper equal to a foot square or two feet square. Add any additional features that you wish to add, such as benches or fountains to add interest to the nooks and crannies of the maze where visitors might find themselves lost.

Outline the boundaries of the hedge maze using string and stakes according to the map. Drive the stakes into the ground at the corners where the hedge will be trimmed after it has grown. In this way, the maze should be fully outlined.

Till the soil where the hedge plants are to be placed using a rototiller. Use a small tiller to make it easier to work within the confines of the string boundaries.

Install the hedge plants into the tilled ground, and then remove the string and stakes. Use the planting guide included with the hedge plants to ensure that they grow together into what will appear to be one single, large expanse of hedge, rather than just a conglomeration of plants.

Stake down the weed mat over the path between the hedges if you wish to use a gravel path rather than grass. After the weed mat is in place, pour pea gravel over the top to create a simple path similar to what one often sees in traditional English hedge mazes.

Avoid using hedges that are not conducive to growth in your region of the country. Trim the hedges several times per season to maintain their growing habit and dense foliage.