Hedge Plants for Michigan: What Holds, and What Only Looks Hardy
Nine of the 12 hedge species documented on this site hold across all of Michigan. Three hold only in part of it, and none fail everywhere.
Gardening in Michigan
Everything we have worked out for Michigan: what to plant and when, which varieties finish in time, the pests that actually turn up here, and the jobs that pay off month by month. We also cover the rest of the property, from lawns and soil to home care and energy, because a garden rarely stops at the vegetable bed.
The numbers first, because everything else follows from them. Measured at the weather station in Detroit, the last spring freeze runs April 30 in the Detroit area; early to mid May across most of the Lower Peninsula and the first fall freeze runs October 6 to October 21, USDA zones 4a-6b, 3,248 growing degree days in the year.
Garlic does well: 26.1 weeks below 40 °F, comfortably past the six it needs to form a proper head.
Elsewhere on the property in Michigan: the pests that turn up here.
Figures from NOAA's 1991-2020 climate normals. A state is not one climate: elevation, a large lake or the coast can move these dates by two weeks either way, so check your own county with the extension service before you spend money.
How High Can a Hedge Be in Michigan? What the Law Actually Says
Search “hedge height law Michigan” and you’ll find pages quoting a single number as if it applied statewide. It doesn’t exist.
What Do Homes in Michigan Cool With?
Michigan homes lean on central air conditioning more than a lot of people assume, though a real share also run window units, mini-splits, or portables to…
What Eats Pepper in Michigan, and When
Michigan’s growing season decides pest pressure on peppers more than any single insect does.
What Eats Carrot in Michigan, and When
The short answer: the sourced facts assembled for this page don’t include a confirmed, named list of insects that attack carrots in Michigan.
What Eats Onion in Michigan, and When
Most home gardens in Michigan lose onion seed, seedlings, and foliage to a short list of generalist feeders, not to a single insect that specializes in…
What Eats Parsnip in Michigan, and When
Four insects have documented feeding activity on garden vegetables in Michigan that could reach a parsnip row: cutworms, flea beetles, seedcorn maggot…
What Eats Potato in Michigan, and When
Only four pests on Michigan’s documented list actually target potato: cutworms, flea beetles, seedcorn maggot, and slugs.
When to Overseed a Lawn in Michigan
Overseed Michigan lawns between late August and mid-September, timed backward from your area’s first fall frost.
First and Last Frost Dates in Michigan
Michigan doesn’t share one frost date because it isn’t one climate. The last spring frost lands around April 30 in the Detroit area, while most of the…