Home > Advice > Hedge Plant Guides > Hedge Plants for Farm hedges
Farm hedges are the backbone of the British countryside. Classic farm hedging is built up from a relatively wide mix of small native trees (or large shrubs) such as blackthorn, dogwood, field maple, guelder rose, hawthorn, hazel, wayfaring tree and wild rose.
Farm hedges are multipurpose tools - boundary markers, stock proof barriers, decorative features and windbreaks. Over the centuries a basic mix has evolved which works almost anywhere. Roughly half hawthorn with the rest split evenly between about 5 other hedging varieties.
Use one of our suggested farm hedging mixes which consist of plants chosen to grow well and look good together, or be adventurous and make up your own mix. If you don't need a farm hedge in your work, why not jazz it up a bit by including some soft fruit. Raspberries, blackberries, gooseberries and currants all do well in a hedgerow and even if you do not see much fruit yourself, you will bring in wildlife from miles around.
Farm hedges look at their best when cut back every other year as this gives them a chance to flower and fruit. They therefore tend to make larger, shaggier hedges, but ones that teem with life.
Return to the Information Pages Section here.