More about berries, hedges

RECENT gardening stories prompted many readers to ask for more details about Los Angeles’ regulations on hedge heights (“Hedges Without Edges,” Feb. 23) and places to buy blueberry plants (“A Most Fruitful Bloom,” March 2). Here is more information on both subjects:

Blueberries

Readers from Malibu to Redlands, the San Fernando Valley to Central Orange County wrote asking, “Where can I buy blueberry plants?” The answer: lots of places. In the Pasadena area alone, sources include Persson’s, Burkard and San Gabriel nurseries. All have the plant in stock. Ron Vanderhoff, garden manager at Roger’s Gardens in Corona del Mar, says sales there have been surprisingly brisk.

“I’m happy to report that a single blueberry variety was the No. 1 selling plant in our entire nursery last year,” Vanderhoff says. “More than ‘Iceberg’ roses, more than boxwoods, agapanthus or geraniums. Wow.”

Big chain stores may not carry something so offbeat -- a good reason to turn to the little guys. If your local nursery doesn’t have blueberries, ask the staff if they can order the plants for you. A strength of small, independent nurseries is the willingness to find and order plants of special interest. Prices may be higher, but the service is usually worth the expense.

-- Tony Kienitz

Hedges

In “Hedges Without Edges,” the Los Angeles City Clerk’s office said the maximum permissible height for hedges is 6 feet. This is correct.

However, when hedges are dense enough to act as fences, homeowners must apply the height limit for fences, unless covered by exceptions laid out in the municipal code. For most properties zoned R-1, the frontyard fence height should not exceed 3 feet, 6 inches.

City planners say that a row of trees isn’t considered a hedge (or a fence) as long as the trees are planted more than 3 feet apart and their branches are 6 feet above the ground.

-- Emily Green

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