{"id":611956195654,"date":"2025-11-13T09:39:49","date_gmt":"2025-11-13T09:39:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ashridgetrees.co.uk\/blogs\/uncategorized\/how-to-choose-the-right-hedge\/"},"modified":"2026-04-21T08:42:21","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T08:42:21","slug":"how-to-choose-the-right-hedge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ashridgetrees.co.uk\/blogs\/hedging\/how-to-choose-the-right-hedge\/","title":{"rendered":"How to choose the right hedge"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\"Choose<\/p>\n

You’re spoiled for choice when it comes to hedging plants \u2013 but by focusing on what you really need, you can make it all a bit easier…<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The winter planting season is well under way, and one of the oldest forms of planting is hedging.<\/p>\n

We give a few pointers below on what to consider when choosing a hedge for your garden, allotment, orchard, farmland \u2013 pretty much anywhere in fact.<\/p>\n

What do we mean by ‘hedge’?<\/h2>\n

For many of us, a hedge might simply mean something grown around the edge of the garden for privacy, or to divide the garden into smaller areas. If you’re a farmer, it’s likely to be a dividing line between different crops, or to contain livestock. Some of the UK’s longest-lived farmland hedgerows can be many hundreds of years old. Then there’s the formal hedge (including that wonderful art of topiary), invariably seen in the grounds of stately homes and trimmed to near perfection. In the end, we all generally appreciate that a hedge will be a row of plants, usually kept trim and under control. We say usually, because some hedges (edible and flowering ones especially, plus large protective ‘shelterbelts’) are intended to be rambling and productive, with just a bare minimum of pruning and growth control.<\/p>\n

Location, Location, Location!<\/h2>\n

As with any plant, think carefully about its immediate environment. This will have the largest bearing on which hedging plant you should choose, and how you’ll need to look after it.<\/p>\n