A beginner's guide to hedges

Walk around any established housing estate, and the chances are you’ll find hedges flanking the edges of individual plots, or lining the periphery of communal lawns. Along with trees, hedges are among the most common forms of landscaping in the UK – and with good reason.

A hedge provides many valuable services. It increases privacy for any ground floor rooms situated behind it, as well as helping to muffle ambient noise. It provides a dense barrier which is difficult (often impossible) for people or larger animals to pass through. A maturing hedge offers a home for wildlife, while adding character to any streetscape with a profusion of different colours, leaf styles and densities distinguishing one hedge from its neighbours.

Seasonality

Many of the best hedges are evergreen – year-round companions like Portuguese Laurel, which look equally pretty in January or June. However, some people appreciate the seasonality of Copper Beech, whose green leaves turn golden but don’t fall off in winter. Hugely characterful shrubs like Spiraea Japonica have colour palettes ranging from red and purple to pink as the seasons progress, adding drama to any setting.

Climate

Some hedges benefit from south-facing aspects while others (such as Yew) will grow anywhere. Your soil type may also dictate which plants will flourish, with the sticky clay soil found across Scotland’s Central Belt better suited to some species than others. Fragile plants like Japanese Acers are prone to windburn and may die if they’re not sheltered, whereas Cypress Leylandii shrugs off the elements and grows faster than almost anything bar bamboo.

Environmental benefits

As environmental awareness grows, the ecological benefits of hedges seem compelling. Hedges provide a haven for nature, supporting interconnected ecosystems of birds, insects and small mammals like the fittingly named hedgehogs. Hedges capture and store carbon dioxide (particularly beneficial if you live near a main road) as well as protecting soil from erosion and absorbing rainfall to reduce the risk of flooding in built-up areas. 

Tips for growing a hedge

If you don’t already have a hedge in your garden, give it the best chance of flourishing by digging deep channels and filling them with a blend of nutrient-rich new soil and large gravel pieces which offer good drainage. Plant and trim bushes in the autumn, feeding them with liquid plant food on a monthly basis to encourage root growth. If an individual plant dies, dig it out and replant a successor, rather than hoping it will regenerate – this rarely happens. 

Drawbacks

Hedges are a great way to boost privacy and character in a garden, but they do have some drawbacks. They’re often colonised by spiders and slugs, and although hedges help to keep dogs off your lawn, they encourage scent marking which might actually attract them. As a hedge grows, it’ll require regular trimming and maintenance (which gets harder as it gets higher), while reducing the total amount of accessible garden space for other activities.

Finding inspiration

Walking along established streets often provides inspiration about optimal hedging, so install a smartphone app capable of distinguishing hedge species from a photograph. Consider whether attributes such as colour, density or growth rates are priorities, and visit websites like the RHS and Soil Association to obtain free advice. Hedges are sold as individual plants that all tend to grow at different rates, so it may take years to standardise its height and thickness.

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