A hedgerow can offer beauty, productivity, biodiversity, and much more! Discover how to plant a hedgerow to meet your needs on your permaculture homestead.
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A hedgerow is a narrow strip of mixed plantings, which I distinguish from a hedge—a planting of a single species. In 10 Reasons to Plant a Suburban Hedgerow, I outlined some of the top benefits that a hedgerow can provide, including privacy, water conservation, a buffer to noise, wind, or pollution, and more.
The type of hedgerow you plant will depend on what purpose you want it to serve, the sun exposure of the area, soil conditions, wildlife activity, etc.
Hedgerows are mostly comprised of perennial species. Quick-growing annual plants can fill the gaps while a young hedgerow becomes established. For hedgerows to have the effects you desire, it will be important to maintain it for at least two years by watering and weeding while it becomes established.
Design your Hedgerow
The layout of the hedgerow will depend on its desired function and location. Hedgerows are often used along property lines but they can also be used to divide sections of a property such as animal paddocks or dividing play areas from garden areas. Hedgerows can also be utilized to manage water flow, if built as swales or contour gardens.
See: 6 Maps for the Permaculture Farm Design
Hedgerows are always longer than they are wide. Dave Jacke, author of Edible Forest Gardens, suggests 40 feet is the critical width for creating a biologically rich and fertile ecosystem that attracts and holds beneficial insects, wildlife, and a diversity of plants; though I doubt most property owners will have the space for this.
If you can swing it, a hedgerow that is at least 10 feet wide (20 feet long) is a minimum size so it can incorporate several rows of plants to be effective. I think hedgerows are beneficial no matter their size, so even a single row of plantings along a property line can do wonders.
By comparison, farmland hedgerows can be as wide as 100 feet, stretching a minimum of 60 feet from a water source in riparian zones.
Hedgerows have a lot of similarities with food forests and fruit tree guilds.
This hedgerow bordering the house includes nanking cherry and a mixture of herbs & flowers.
Photo Credit: daryl_mitchell Flickr
Prepare the Planting Area
On large-scale properties, it might be necessary to till the hedgerow area before planting. Add 2 inches of compost and let rest for two weeks before planting.
For a small hedgerow, sheet mulching is a healthier approach.
To sheet mulch the area, cut back any unwanted growth and remove unwanted woody plants. Use a digging fork to aerate the soil throughout. Cover the area in cardboard, overlapping the ends so that the soil is entirely covered. Amend hardpan soil with a layer of aged manure topped with shredded leaves or straw, then top with at least 4 inches of compost soil. Wait two weeks before planting.
If you deal with poison ivy in your hedgerow area, read about how to kill poison ivy first.
Your hedgerow can include a variety of canopy and understory trees, fruit trees, berry and nut bushes, flowering and native trees and shrubs, evergreen trees and bushes, and herbs, flowers, and ground covers, your choice of which will depend on how much space you have and what you hope your hedgerow will accomplish.
Choose Your Foundational Plantings
The tallest plantings will establish the foundation of the hedgerow. In a residential setting with a 20-foot long hedgerow, you’ll likely skip tall canopy trees and start with dwarf trees or shrubs as your base planting.
Organize your hedge plantings so the tallest species are closest to the property line or fence. Work inward to layer your plants from tallest to shortest.
Give each plant 75% of its suggested plant spacing. This will ensure that the hedge is full and compact at maturity.
Photo Credit: hardworkinghippy Flickr
For example, dwarf apple trees are expected to get 8-10 feet wide. (See: 5 Steps to Planting Fruit Trees.) If I were planting a row of apple trees in my hedge, I would plant them about 8 feet away from the property line or fence to ensure I had enough space for harvest on the fenceline, spacing the trees about 7.5 feet from one another width-wise. Alternating them with evergreen bushes would help with privacy, if that is a concern.
Mahonia, also called grape holly, is an evergreen shrub that reaches around 4-8 feet wide. It can be used in privacy and wildlife hedgerows. The purple berries are edible for humans, too, and make a delicious jelly. I would plant Mahonia about 4 feet away from the property line, and 6 feet from each other to accommodate the maximum width.
Choose Your Support Plantings
Shrubs, herbs, flowers, and ground covers all make up the support species of your hedgerow.
Your second tallest plants will be planted next: slightly in front of, and staggered in between, your foundation plants.
For example, to plant hazelnut shrubs that are expected to reach 10 feet wide, I would plant them about 7.5 feet away from the base of the apple trees.
Support plantings that face south or west will receive more sunlight over time (in the northern hemisphere) than plants facing north or east. You’ll have to choose appropriate plants for the sun exposure.
You may weave a walking path into the design so you can easily visit and maintain the area without stepping on plants or compacting soft garden soil.
Continue adding species according to diminishing height and width away from the property line. Red currants expected to reach 3-5 feet wide would be staggered about 5.5 feet in front of the hazelnuts, for example.
Staghorn sumac berries provide a striking contrast in the landscape. Find them at the edge of forest in partial shade or on riparian slopes. Deer resistant. Red sumac berries are edible. In a hedgerow, the leaves turn a beautiful flaming red in the fall.
Photo Credit: Ron Schott Flickr
Shade-tolerant herbaceous perennials can be planted underneath the trees and shrubs, or try growing mushrooms in an edible hedge. Sun-loving wildflower seeds and clover can be sprinkled throughout to fill in the spaces until everything is established.
Start small: You don’t have to plant the entire hedgerow at once. Plant it in sections or in layers—all tall trees first, or one length of fence at a time—so you’re not overwhelmed.
When to Plant
Hedgerows contain mostly perennial species, which are best planted in the spring or fall. Plant perennials on a cloudy day, especially in hot weather, to reduce shock.
After planting, water and mulch well to reduce weeds.
Would you like to learn more about using the power of plants to improve the biodiversity of your garden, reduce maintenance, and increase yield?
You’ll find loads of information just like this in my book, The Suburban Micro-Farm.
What to Plant
The plants you choose will depend on the function and location of your hedgerow. For most functions, a mixture of trees, shrubs, nitrogen fixing plants, and herbs will create the most successful hedgerow.
To create a self-sustaining ecosystem, choose plants that perform more than one function. For example, a holly bush can be a windbreak, privacy screen, and bird habitat. Yarrow will attract pollinators and beneficial insects, will help break up clay soil and will accumulate nutrients for fertilizer.
Below is a list of various plant species that will do well in a hedgerow, but this isn’t an exhaustive list, and your hedgerow need not be limited to these suggestions. There are many more plants beyond these suggestions, and you may need to do more research to find plants that are appropriate to your climate.
A serviceberry is in spring bloom and it won’t be long until berry season. Because serviceberry loses its leaves in winter, evergreens are planted behind it for privacy.
Photo Credit: Distant Hill Gardens Flickr
Plant a Fedge
A food hedge, or hedge made of edible species, is sometimes referred to as a fedge. Below I’ve noted species that have edible components with an asterisk.
Tall Trees (windbreak)
- Alder
- Black Locust
- Hackberry*
- Oak*
- Poplar
- Walnut*
Evergreens (for Privacy, Noise Reduction, Windbreaks, and Wildlife)
- Boxwoods
- Holly Bushes
- Junipers
- Mahonia*
- Yews
Edible Species (For Wildlife and Food Forests)*
Edible Understory Trees:
Consider dwarf or semi-dwarf for small hedgerows.
- American persimmon
- Apple
- Cherry
- Cornelian cherry
- Crabapple
- American Hawthorn
- Hazelnut
- Mulberry
- Pawpaw
- Peach
- Pear
- Plum
Edible Understory Bushes:
- Aronia
- Blueberry
- Currant
- Elderberry
- Gooseberry
- Goumi
- Nanking cherry
- Rose
- Serviceberry
- Staghorn sumac
See also: How to Grow a Jelly Garden
This strip of apple trees could easily be turned into a hedgerow with underplantings of berry bushes and herbs, and a backdrop of evergreen shrubs.
Flowering Plants (For Beauty, Fragrance, Beneficial Insects & Pollinators)
Flowering Understory Trees & Bushes:
- False Indigo
- Flowering dogwood*
- Lilac*
- Maryland Senna
- Red Osier dogwood
- Witch Hazel*
Flowering Herbs for Sunny Edges :
- Anise Hyssop*
- Calendula*
- Clover*
- Dandelion*
- Fennel*
- Russian Comfrey
- Yarrow
Nitrogen Fixers
Nitrogen is an essential nutrient for self-maintaining ecosystems. Nitrogen fixing plants convert nitrogen in the air into a useable form in the soil for the plants that surround it. It is recommended that 50% of your plantings be nitrogen fixers. So if you choose 3 fruit trees, 3 berry bushes, and 3 herbs, then consider interspersing an equal number of nitrogen fixers throughout the area. This is a nice list of additional nitrogen fixers.
Nitrogen-Fixing Trees:
- Alder
- Black Locust
Nitrogen-Fixing Shrubs:
- False Indigo
- Goumi*
- Maryland Senna
See: 4 Berry Bushes that Fertilize, Too!
Nitrogen-Fixing Herbs:
- Crimson Clover*
- Dutch White Clover*
- Lead Plant
- Round Headed Bush Clover
- White Prairie Clover
- Yellow Bush Lupine
Goumi is an excellent choice for a fedge, or food hedge. Beautiful with delicious berries, it will fix nitrogen in the soil, too. Because it will lose its leaves in the winter, it was planted in front of an evergreen species to keep privacy.
Photo Credit: ideath Flickr
Nutrient Accumulators (make nutrient-rich mulch)
- Apple*
- Black Locust
- Clover*
- Dandelion*
- Flowering Dogwood*
- Lupine
- Russian Comfrey
- Walnut*
- Yarrow
Plants for Wet & Erosion Prone Areas (Riparian zones)
- Cattail*
- Elderberry*
- Flowering Dogwood*
- Gooseberry*
- Hazelnut*
- Highbush cranberry*
- Lilac*
- Maximilian Sunflower
- Miscanthus grasses (native, non-spreading)
- Pussy Willow
- Staghorn Sumac*
See: 12 Perennial Crops for Wet Soil
Shade Tolerant Plants
- Currant*
- Elderberry*
- Flowering Dogwood*
- Gooseberry*
- Hazelnut*
- Serviceberry*
- Spicebush*
- Staghorn Sumac*
- Witch Hazel*
Here a flowering elderberry bush creates a nice hedgerow along a riparian zone. Elderberries also do well in partially shady areas.
Photo Credit: free photos Flickr
Deer Resistant Plants (Read: NOT Deer Proof. Protect while young.)
Deer-Resistant Trees:
- American holly
- Birch
- Buckeye
- Mimosa
- Pawpaw*
- Pine*
Deer-Resistant Shrubs:
- Barberry
- Boxwood
- Cypress
- Holly bushes
- Juniper
- Leatherleaf Mahonia*
- Red Elderberry
- Staghorn Sumac*
- Viburnum
Deer-Resistant Herbaceous Plantings*:
- Anise hyssop
- Calendula (annual)
- California poppy (annual)
- Catmint
- Daffodil
- Fern
- Lavender
- Lemon balm
- Marjoram
- Oregano
- Ramps
- Rosemary
- Sage
- Sweet alyssum (annual)
- Sweet woodruff
- Tarragon
- Thyme
Hedgerow Maintenance
Hedgerows will require some maintenance in the first 1-4 years. Water your plants in dry periods, plant in a rain-harvesting swale, or install an irrigation system. Continue to mulch annually to maintain control over the weeds. Once the system is established at full size, the hedgerow should be a self-maintaining ecosystem that requires very little maintenance.
Additional Resources:
- Planning an Edible Fedge, or Food Hedge
- Replanting Hedgerows using Permaculture Design
- Suburban Hedgerows: Grow a Living Fence
- Hedges and Hedgelaying: A Guide to Planting, Management and Conservation
- The Suburban Micro-Farm: Modern Solutions for Busy People
Need more ideas for growing a permaculture garden?
READ NEXT:
- All About Aronia: Grow Your Own Superfood Berries
- Benefits of the Edible Forest Garden
- Here’s a Quick Way to Terrace a Hill
What will you plant in your hedge?
Kami says
Thank you so much Amy for such a nice and thorough part 2 to the hedgerow theme. I am inspired, and I have a better vision of what I will do on my property! I like the idea of using holly for evergreens as a backdrop, though I’ll have to find a variety that works for zone 4. I have a significant slope on my property line, which will will make privacy more difficult to achieve, but am also thinking of having a swale on contour, which I have never done. And the advice to start small or in stages or layers is reassuring. The idea of putting in a hedgerow seems very daunting otherwise, especially for someone who hasn’t planted a tree since gradeschool!
Amy says
It sounds like you’re going about this project in the right way. No need to be in a hurry 🙂 We have always completed projects in our yard in stages, and it’s always worked out for the best because observations after each stage revealed things we hadn’t thought of initially, changing how we wanted to proceed.
As far as your slope, it sounds like you will have to choose some of the taller shrubs to help with privacy.
How very exciting for you! Good luck on your project and let us know how it goes!
Greg says
Wow , nicely said. My hedge started 25 years ago as a cut and layed over. I just cut into the trunks enough to lay them over at about 45 degrees .and intertangled the small branches. It’s now moose proof. Nothing was planted I just used what was growing there. Now it needs to be topped as it it shading the garden. It’s narrow about 2 meters thick , but interlocked. It’s on a natural berm about 3to4 meters tall , enough so moose and deer have to go around the garden no through.
Narrow enough so fox and owls gan get to mice under it.
Amy says
This sounds like an excellent, low maintenance hedge!
Linda says
Thanks for a great article. I’ve been working on establishing a small hedgerow by a portion of our sidewalk to replace the old fence. So far the most success I’ve had is with Nootka rose, snow berries, and high bush cranberries, all native to my area in the Pacific Northwest.
Amy says
That sounds like a winning combination!
peggy says
I’m sharing this article on my page. I wish I could just use your list of plants. I live in the high dessert and it’s hard finding plants that will thrive in the dry climate which burns everything up in the summer and freezes the survivors in the winter.
Amy says
The desert isn’t my area of expertise, but your best bet is to check with your local county extension office for your climate-appropriate edible perennials.
Kelly Curry says
Hi Amy!
GREAT posts on hedgerows! I have a question…we’re in a new construction home (in Charlottesville, Va) and we have a fence 5′ in from our property line (HOA rule). We had Green Giant Arborvitae planted along the outside of the fence (for privacy) BEFORE I started reading about hedgerows. In hind sight, I would’ve done a hedgerow but since we already have the arborvitae my question is what do you think about adding blueberry shrubs, brambles, climbing roses, wildflowers and maybe a small serviceberry tree on the INSIDE of the fence to create a kind of hedgerow? Would that work? Also, what roses would you recommend?
Thanks!
Kelly
Amy says
Kelly,
Planting arborvitaes for privacy is totally fine! Your HOA neighbors will probably appreciate a very neat-looking buffer. I think your idea of adding edibles for you and wildlife on the inside of the fence sounds fantastic. Just be sure to plan out little pathways throughout this hedgerow area so you can get to everything for harvesting and maintenance. I’m not super-knowledgeable about climbing rose varieties, so look for ones that specifically call out a large hip size.
Great idea 🙂
Vivien G says
A very interesting article – I placed a link on my desktop so that I can keep referring to it.
One question: you mentioned that your apple trees are far away enough from the property line to harvest, but later mentioned planting hazelnut shrubs only 7 1/2 ft away from the apples. How are you going to prune or pick the apples?
I planted my “hedgerow” 4 years ago when we moved to a city lot from a farm because the neighbour’s are close! It’s only 80 ft long by about 30 ft deep, with a winding path. The previous owners had planted some spruce trees and we had two 20 ft trees planted so that we had a quick start. (We’re in our 70s – not a lot of time to wait for trees to grow!) I go walking in a nearby woodland to look at what grows there. Then found a local native plant nursery that sells the (native) trees and shrubs. The neighbours are already almost completely hidden in the summer, and it looks so nice! The one type of plant I am avoiding are thorny ones. I had lots of holly and roses on the farm, but now I’m done – they are beautiful but the length of time they bloom is not worth the high maintenance and wounds. (I live close to Niagara Fall, Canada, Carolinian zone)
Amy says
Yes, good point. The key is to only leave just enough room to get through. If you leave too much room, it’s no longer a hedgerow. In my example, I was using dwarf apple trees, so there’s more room to move.
Caryn says
The Maximillian sunflower has edible rhizomes and the seeds can be used for oil, in addition to being a lovely flowering plant for a hedgerow.
Jennifer Montgomery says
Thank you for the insight on this topic. I’ll be using some of your suggestions to create a (mainly) floral hedgerow. We live at 7000 feet and get about 30 feet of snow per year, so I’ll be looking to plant mainly root hardy perennials along with a few low and fast growing shrubs……
Amy says
Sounds like a plan!
Joni says
Hi Amy,
I want to plant a hedgerow to keep the local farm dogs off of our property, as well as keep young children and future livestock in. I’m having a hard time envisioning how I plant it thick enough for that purpose, while also leaving enough room to harvest. Should I plant a very dense line of mixed, inedible evergreens and thorny things on the property line and then just plant my edibles with access paths within that border?
Amy says
In your situation, I’m not sure a hedgerow can replace the need for a physical fence. That’s because a hedgerow takes a long time to mature and fill out. Planting a hedgerow is definitely a long game. A fence with a hedgerow on the inside may be a more functional and economical solution. Hedgerow plants can get expensive, and the fence may not require you to plant as many layers all at once.
Joni says
Thank you for your response. I’ve been giving the matter a lot of consideration. I am thinking of putting a fence up, then starting with a few hedge plants and propogating from them to slowly fill in all around the property line. I already have young willows in abundance that pop up on their own everywhere anyways and easily reroot. I really appreciate all the wonderful information you share. It has been very helpful to me in my homestead journey!
Amy says
That sounds like a great plan. Best wishes on your hedgerow and homesteading journey! 😀
Pamela White says
Excellent article and very helpful.
I do have one negative comment. It has been found that the miscanthus senesis is quite self seeding. There are other well behaved grasses to consider: prairie grasses, some pennisetums and an ornamental grass called ‘karl foerster’.
Debbie says
Hi! Loving your articles, thank you! Might you have any insights for plants along a narrow area on the outside of our fence? We’re on a corner residential lot next to a somewhat busy road. There’s about 18 inches….with a rock wall of about 4ft, down to about 8ft of city property (of overgrown shrubs, blackberries, and such. Looking for noise reduction yet adding to the quaint yard on the other side. Grateful for any insights!
Kayce says
Such an excellent article and rich in resources. And such an important subject. Interfaces such as hedgerows and forest edges support more wildlife per square foot than either forest or meadow, and they serve so many functions.
I am enjoying your 10 day class a lot as well. I need to study the materials more, and to help me along, I went and bought one of your books.
In your writings, please consider writing about how to maintain hedles. I grapple with many invasive vines in our area, like poison ivy, wisteria, honeysuckle, kudzu and trumpet vine. They appear and soon they kill the tree or shrub they climb on. Also, the birds plant privet hedge and wax myrtle, which need to be constantly removed . The wax myrtle is a veritable torch.
Thanks much.
Amy says
As mentioned above, it’s important to give your hedgerow some attention in the first 1-4 years. Weed them at least once per season, keep them hydrated, and mulch deeply. After that time period, one or two weeding sessions a year should do it. The key is to catch the aggressive weeds while they’re young. Unfortunately, there’s no secret trick for managing them after they’ve established themselves.