A young recently-planted hedgerow. Photo by Heather Knoll
Recently I started planting a small orchard. There is really only one location near my home to do so, the perfect spot on a gentle slope with plenty of sun, drainage, and great soil. The only problem with this location is that we often get a very strong wind that blows right across the field I’d like to plant. To protect this new orchard, I’m testing out the idea of planting an old-fashioned hedgerow.
Hedgerows are plantings of trees and shrubs, typically planted along field and property boundary lines. Hedgerows are a historic feature of farmland in the UK and have become an increasingly common feature of regenerative farms in the Western US. In Europe and the UK, hedgerows are often carefully grown and trained, being woven together to create a dense living fence. But a hedgerow can also refer to any dense mixed planting of trees, shrubs, and flowers along the edge of a field or lawn. Hedgerows are usually a bit wild looking, not to be confused with formally pruned and typically monoculture plantings called “hedges.” Early settlers in the United States did plant hedgerows, but the tradition largely died out in our country as farms became more mechanized. Hedgerows have many benefits and they are making a welcome comeback.
Perhaps one of the most important features of a hedgerow is their ecological value. Hedgerows create centers of biodiversity in landscapes that are full of homes with lawns or mono-cropped agricultural fields. They provide cover and habitat for small mammals and safe nesting spaces for birds. They also create safe passageways for amphibians, birds, and small animals for whom crossing a mown lawn can be a dangerous choice.
Most hedgerows are densely planted, with mixed plant choices that include small fruiting trees like crabapple and hawthorn, nuts such as hazelnuts, and various native and fruiting shrubs. The diversity of plants provides an immense amount of food for birds and other wildlife. Hedgerows are also excellent at supporting pollinators, providing nectar over a long season from the diversity of plants as well as creating pollinator habitat.
Depending on what you plant, a hedgerow can provide food for humans as well. When building my own hedgerow, I chose a crabapple that is good for snacking as well as a variety of berry bushes that I could share with the birds and wildlife including elderberries, raspberries, blueberries, gooseberries, currants, roses that produce large hips, and native Aronia.
Hedgerows have other practical benefits making them a great addition to your yard. The dense planting typically used for hedgerows can create a wind break and protect both your yard and other more tender plants from wind damage. Hedgerows can also create a privacy buffer from a neighbor’s home or the road. When planted along the edge of an agricultural field or area where water moves through, a hedgerow will reduce erosion.
If you have a small property, you can still create a similar effect that will benefit birds and pollinators, by planting various fruiting and native plants into your garden space. These plantings are ideally between 2-3 feet wide and planted in a zig-zag pattern to increate habitat. Avoid pruning the bushes into a formal structure as you will lose some of the benefits if you do so. By planting a small hedgerow in your yard, you create a haven for birds, insects, and other wildlife with a simple backyard project.
