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here in the country houses this type of enclosure was often used
opuntia ficus indica

Many opuntias are used for wide fences. Any spiny species that grows well should do. I have in use the spiny version of ficus-indica, Austrocylindropuntia subulata and O. leucotricha. The best fences I've seen were of Cylindropuntia tunicata/rosea which is hardy (can be very invasive and not something you want to go near).

Agave also make good fences, specially if have access to those that make bulbils. They take some time. I've got one mixed with opuntias and they complement very well.

Many acacias are great for hedges. Honey locust also makes great hedges.

Hi Ilex. Sounds like you have some good experience with cactus and succulent ethnobotany. It is always fun to learn more about that subject. It sounds like you must live in the Southwest somewhere.

An older thread, but... Yuccas drop their lower leaves, so a person can just walk right in. Agaves will work well; out here we generally used the yellow striped one and it's becoming very popular since it doesn't need much water.

As an aside, if you're gonna plant something cruel like those, make very sure you don't plant them close enough to a street or neighbor's yard that you end up getting sued. As a landscape contractor I'm always worried about that 'cuz I'm often in the middle of one of those disputes.

TimV, except for Yucca elata which does NOT lose it's leaves.

However I agree, that cacti, and agaves are better choices. I have a fence along side an open part of my property along a road that as C. spinsior along it with a few O. engelmannii.

hippyman wrote:I've been considering this for awhile now, and figured I might as well throw it out on here. Has anyone on here ever used an opuntia as a hedge border before? I'm looking for something to seperate my property line, and keep my neighbors from parking on my yard. If anything, I figured a cactus would do it . Are there any cacti that people use specifically for the purpose of low hedges?

Cacti Vs Car! I will put my money on the car everytime, result - flattened, squashed cacti.

Did he really say Pampas Grass ! ?

In a place like TX it would probably spend most of it's time on fire rather than serving as any kind of boundary

I am using N. cochenillifera as a privacy screen because it grows good and is pretty. It has no spines, but with a little water it can grow in a dense form.