How to guide: Hedgerow

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Image credit: Jack Perks

A hedge with native species such as hawthorn, blackthorn and hazel can be used as a garden boundary, providing shelter, food and nesting for many species.

Not only does it provide shelter, food and nesting for many species, it is a porous boundary which allows wildlife to move between neighbouring gardens freely. Hedge plants are a lot cheaper than you think and will establish into a solid boundary much quicker than you imagine if planted correctly. 

Garden boundaries

Some of our best urban wildlife could be just outside your garden but have no means of getting in. Cutting a small hole in a fence panel, removing a base stone from a wall or digging a small channel underneath could make all the difference. By allowing wildlife free movement between neighbouring houses, you can create a series of interconnected gardens that provide a much larger space for wildlife to thrive.

Top tips::

  • Make a hole approximately five inches square, not big enough for most pets but perfect for hedgehogs and other animals
  • For gardens which are not at the same level, create small steps from stones or bricks
  • Ask your neighbour to do the same, the more holes the larger the space for wildlife

Have you planted a hedgerow in your garden or in your local park?  Tell us about it!


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hedgesforwildlife.pdf616.57 KB