Hedges create living boundaries for our gardens, providing colour and all year round interest. They provide a home for wildlife and can trap air pollution and they’re often seen as a defining character of our landscape.
Hedges can help with:
- pollution capture – plants with small rough or hairy leaves can trap dust and pollution particles. Good for pollution are yew, cotoneaster and western red cedar
- noise reduction – wide, tall and multi-layered hedges and borders are best for noise reduction. Good options include berberis, cherry laurel and holly with a shrub border planted in front
- flood mitigation – plants with large leaf surface and evergreen canopies are associated with greater rainfall retention and reducing runoff. Helpful hedges include cotoneaster, forsythia, golden privet and hawthorne
- supporting wildlife – some hedges provide food for birds and nectar for insects, most provide shelter for birds. Good for wildlife include beech, yew, hawthorne, pyracantha and rosa rugosa
Planting a hedge at home
Most hedges are formed from plants that naturally want to be trees, so face and top trimming is usually needed once or twice a year to keep them tidy. Hedges can last for many years if properly maintained making them reliable and cost effective. Most hedges benefit from an open sunny site.
Plant deciduous hedges from late October to March provided the ground is not too water logged or frozen. Evergreen hedges are best planted in October or early November or March.
Removal of hedgerows
If you are proposing to remove a hedgerow, or part of a hedgerow, covered by the Hedgerows Regulations 1997, an application for Hedgerow Removal Notice must be made to us.
We’ll assess the importance of the hedge using criteria set out in the Hedgerows Regulations 1997 – legislation.gov.uk. If the hedgerow is important in terms of its wildlife or historical value, we will not grant consent to remove it.
View guidance and details on how to apply to remove a hedgerow – GOV.UK.
A hedge may also be protected by a Tree Preservation Order (TPO) or be within a conservation area.
Managing hedgerows
You should avoid trimming hedgerows between 1 March and 31 July as this is the main nesting season for birds. Exemptions apply if the hedgerow overhangs a public highway or public footpath, or if it obstructs the view of drivers.
Read more guidance on hedge trimming - RSPB.
High hedges and overhanging branches
If you are seriously affected by high hedges on neighbouring properties, you can contact us and request an independent adjudication on the problem.