Densely planted shrubs, trees, and/or flowers, usually in a line along roadsides, driveways, fence lines, or marking property boundaries

Unlike a plain “hedge” it contains multiple plant species, often including a mix of trees, shrubs, and flowers. Remember the greater diversity of plants the larger the range of wildlife that it can support.

These plants can be densely pack in a single row or many, meaning that it can be as wide and as long as you want it to be.

Hedgerows provide numerous benefits around a property including:

• Serving as low-maintenance “fencing” once established

• Supporting local wildlife such as birds

• Can provide a harvest if such plants are chosen

• Adds beauty to an otherwise bare space.

1) Figure out how large you want your hedge row to be.

• We recommend that you aim to have them at least 5 feet wide or even 10 feet wide.

• Once you know plan to have 2-4 plants per square meter.

2) What kind of environment is hedrow going to be in? Take note of the amount of sun and water that it gets — and remember this can change seasonally! For best results, monitor the space for a year.

3) Make a planting plan:

• All plants have different preferences for water and sunlight so make sure you plan accordingly.

• How tall are your plants going to get? Do you want to create hedgerows of trees, shrubs, perennial flowers — or a mixture?

• When do your selected plants bloom? Making sure that there is a continuous food supply for pollinators is important to support pollinator biodiversity.

• What kind of food do your shrubs produce? It is best to use a mix of berry and nut-producing shrubs. Thorny shrubs can give added protection to wildlife.