Hedge Hippy

Cornish hedges are an exuberant delight. I visited in April a few years back, and every lane was awash with alexanders (Smyrnium olusatrum). This year, in May, they put on a stunning display that would put a Chelsea show garden to shame.

Lauren Moore, Nottingham Trent University

August is a good time to trim your hedges and create a neat appearance for autumn and winter.

Prickly shrubs of the Berberis family are ornamental and useful for deterring unwanted visitors. The leaves themselves can be very spiky like Berberis Darwinii with glossy dark green leaves and orange flowers.

January started the year quite well with a few early snowdrops and the remnants of primulas. February will be even better snow permitting. Leap forward to June which is a spectacular month for flowering hedgerows and particularly in the under-storey.

Sloes and damsons are in good supply this September in your local hedgerows. I have relied on my own blackberries this year but from the train window yesterday there were masses of plump black fruit for picking.

Hedge your bets and start a hedge fund and do not hedge around!

Introducing the Best Colorful Hedge Plants, a vibrant selection of foliage that will add a burst of colors to your landscape. These eye-catching hedges combine beauty and functionality, making them a perfect choice for any garden or outdoor space.

Regrettably, the number of hedgehogs in Britain has been in decline for over two decades. 2020 saw hedgehogs classified as vulnerable to extinction as large-scale agriculture replaces hedgerows and trees, destroying their natural habitat.

MY GARDENING LIFE STARTED with a hedge—cutting one back hard, specifically. It was the threadbare, tall old privet surrounding my childhood home, and I was determined to “rejuvenate” it, after reading about the process in a book. No artful hedge has ever been created by my hands, though—a fact that feels all the more lamentable after watching Sean Conway’s video tour (above) of designer and nurseryman Piet Oudolf’s garden in the Netherlands. What magic.

SPOTTED SPURGE, orEuphorbia maculata, is an annual that waits until the weather warms to really get going here in early summer, when its left-behind, prior-year seeds germinate. In my garden it loves the patio’s cozy cracks and crevices.Dig it, roots and all as soon as it shows up, but if you are inclined to getting dermatitis from the latex sap of euphorbias, be especially mindful and wear gloves. Always be careful with latex-filled plants not to touch your mouth or eyes, whether you have ever had a rash or not!  I use a hori-hori, or Japanese weeding knife, to get it out from between the pavers, but an old kitchen knife will do.The seeds need light to germinate, so a heavy layer of mulch would work to help stop this one—though not on my crack-and-crevice issue, of course. (Can you picture me spoonin

Hedges are the best way to create boundaries for your yard, make a small privacy screen, and shelter little plants from harsh winds. Check out the Best Low Maintenance Hedge Plants you can choose to create the perfect fence for your garden.