Fences rot.
Hedges grow.
Every boundary tells a story. What will yours become?
Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire
A bare close-board fence, every neighbour's window in full view
The Hargreaves family had replaced their rotting close-board panels twice in seven years. The replacement posts were already leaning. They wanted permanent privacy that didn't feel like a stockade — something that aged into the garden rather than fighting it.
A two-row mixed screen: hawthorn backbone, beech infill
We planted a staggered double row — hawthorn at 45cm centres for the outer structure, copper beech woven through to hold winter colour. Field maple and dog rose added at intervals for flower and fruit. Root-ball spacing tightened at the exposed south-west corner.
Species Mix
Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)
Structure, thorny barrier
Copper Beech (Fagus sylvatica)
Winter colour, dense fill
Field Maple (Acer campestre)
Height variation, autumn gold
Dog Rose (Rosa canina)
Flower, hips, wildlife
By year five, the fence posts had vanished entirely
The Hargreaves hedge reached full screening height in four growing seasons. The beech holds its tawny leaves through winter — no bare-stem gap. Two wrens nested in the hawthorn in spring 2024. The fence posts are still in there somewhere.
"We used to see right into the Hendersons' kitchen. Now we can't even see their chimney pot. It looks like it's always been there."
Near Burford, Cotswolds
Stock escaping through a sagging post-and-wire perimeter
Tom Whitfield runs twelve rare-breed Hebridean sheep on seven acres. His post-and-wire fencing had been repaired seventeen times in three years — sheep are inventive. He needed a boundary that would hold livestock, filter the westerly winds off the Windrush valley, and actually improve the land rather than just contain it.
A stockproof laid hedge: blackthorn leading, with elder and spindle
Blackthorn was chosen as the primary species — impenetrable once laid, berries for sloe gin, blossom for early pollinators. Elder added for rapid establishment and wildlife value. Spindle for autumn flame colour. We planted at 30cm centres in a single row, with temporary stock fencing removed once the hedge reached laying age in year five.
Species Mix
Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa)
Stockproof, thorny, sloe berry
Elder (Sambucus nigra)
Rapid fill, flower & fruit
Spindle (Euonymus europaeus)
Autumn colour, wildlife
Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)
Structure reinforcement
No fence repairs since planting. The sheep haven't tried.
The blackthorn laid hedge is now impenetrable. Tom removed the temporary stock fence in spring 2023 — the hedge has held on its own since. Wind speed at the field centre dropped measurably in the first winter after establishment. Three hares were photographed sheltering in the base growth.
"I spent more on fence repairs in three years than the entire hedge cost. The hedge will still be there when my grandchildren are farming this land."
Near Aldeburgh, Suffolk Coast
Half a mile of crumbling dry-stone wall, open to North Sea gales
The Marchmont estate boundary wall had been losing stones since the 1970s. Full restoration quotes came in above £180,000. The estate manager, James Alderton, wanted a solution that would work with the Suffolk coastal landscape — salt-tolerant, wind-resistant, and visually appropriate to the AONB setting. He also needed it to qualify for Countryside Stewardship funding.
A salt-tolerant coastal mix: sea buckthorn, hawthorn, and blackthorn
Coastal hedging demands different species. Sea buckthorn anchors the windward face — salt-tolerant, fast-growing, and spectacular in berry. Hawthorn and blackthorn form the structural backbone. Guelder rose and crab apple were added in sheltered sections for wildlife and visual variety. We worked with the estate's Countryside Stewardship application to maximise grant funding.
Species Mix
Sea Buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides)
Windward face, salt-tolerant
Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)
Structure, wildlife
Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa)
Dense fill, stockproof
Guelder Rose (Viburnum opulus)
Flower, berry, variety
£180,000 wall restoration replaced for £34,000 — and the hedge will never need repointing
The Marchmont hedge reached establishment in four seasons. The Countryside Stewardship grant covered 40% of the planting cost. The old wall stones were left in situ — the hedge is growing over and through them, creating a habitat structure that English Heritage described as 'exemplary'. Fieldfares arrive from Scandinavia every October to work the sea buckthorn berries.
"The wall quote was a quarter of a million pounds with maintenance on top. The hedge cost a fifth of that and will outlast the estate. English Heritage called it exemplary. I call it obvious."
What grows from
good ground.
Every hedgerow we plant becomes someone's favourite thing about their land.
"We had three quotes for close-board fencing. Hedgerow came in fourth and changed the question entirely. Five years on, the fence quotes feel like a different century."
Caroline Ashworth
Homeowner, Stroud
"The team arrived knowing the soil. They tested our clay, adjusted the planting mix on the day, and left the field looking better than we'd imagined. The hedge proved them right."
Patrick Brennan
Smallholder, Shropshire
"We're in a conservation area. Planning wouldn't permit a fence. The hedge sailed through — and the conservation officer actually wrote to compliment it."
Miriam Okafor
Homeowner, Bath
"I planted the first section myself in the 1990s and it was a disaster. Hedgerow came in, assessed what survived, and built on it. Thirty years of failed hedging sorted in one season."
David Sutherland
Estate Manager, Herefordshire
"The children count the bird species every spring. This year we reached nineteen. The hedge is their nature reserve and it's only six years old."
Priya Sharma
Homeowner, Hertfordshire
"We specified beech for the winter colour and they delivered something better — they wove in hornbeam at intervals. The hedge glows amber from October to April."
Alistair McGregor
Garden Designer, Edinburgh
"We had three quotes for close-board fencing. Hedgerow came in fourth and changed the question entirely. Five years on, the fence quotes feel like a different century."
Caroline Ashworth
Homeowner, Stroud
"The team arrived knowing the soil. They tested our clay, adjusted the planting mix on the day, and left the field looking better than we'd imagined. The hedge proved them right."
Patrick Brennan
Smallholder, Shropshire
"We're in a conservation area. Planning wouldn't permit a fence. The hedge sailed through — and the conservation officer actually wrote to compliment it."
Miriam Okafor
Homeowner, Bath
"I planted the first section myself in the 1990s and it was a disaster. Hedgerow came in, assessed what survived, and built on it. Thirty years of failed hedging sorted in one season."
David Sutherland
Estate Manager, Herefordshire
"The children count the bird species every spring. This year we reached nineteen. The hedge is their nature reserve and it's only six years old."
Priya Sharma
Homeowner, Hertfordshire
"We specified beech for the winter colour and they delivered something better — they wove in hornbeam at intervals. The hedge glows amber from October to April."
Alistair McGregor
Garden Designer, Edinburgh
"I planted the first section myself in the 1990s and it was a disaster. Hedgerow came in, assessed what survived, and built on it. Thirty years of failed hedging sorted in one season."
David Sutherland
Estate Manager, Herefordshire
"The children count the bird species every spring. This year we reached nineteen. The hedge is their nature reserve and it's only six years old."
Priya Sharma
Homeowner, Hertfordshire
"We specified beech for the winter colour and they delivered something better — they wove in hornbeam at intervals. The hedge glows amber from October to April."
Alistair McGregor
Garden Designer, Edinburgh
"We had three quotes for close-board fencing. Hedgerow came in fourth and changed the question entirely. Five years on, the fence quotes feel like a different century."
Caroline Ashworth
Homeowner, Stroud
"The team arrived knowing the soil. They tested our clay, adjusted the planting mix on the day, and left the field looking better than we'd imagined. The hedge proved them right."
Patrick Brennan
Smallholder, Shropshire
"We're in a conservation area. Planning wouldn't permit a fence. The hedge sailed through — and the conservation officer actually wrote to compliment it."
Miriam Okafor
Homeowner, Bath
"I planted the first section myself in the 1990s and it was a disaster. Hedgerow came in, assessed what survived, and built on it. Thirty years of failed hedging sorted in one season."
David Sutherland
Estate Manager, Herefordshire
"The children count the bird species every spring. This year we reached nineteen. The hedge is their nature reserve and it's only six years old."
Priya Sharma
Homeowner, Hertfordshire
"We specified beech for the winter colour and they delivered something better — they wove in hornbeam at intervals. The hedge glows amber from October to April."
Alistair McGregor
Garden Designer, Edinburgh
"We had three quotes for close-board fencing. Hedgerow came in fourth and changed the question entirely. Five years on, the fence quotes feel like a different century."
Caroline Ashworth
Homeowner, Stroud
"The team arrived knowing the soil. They tested our clay, adjusted the planting mix on the day, and left the field looking better than we'd imagined. The hedge proved them right."
Patrick Brennan
Smallholder, Shropshire
"We're in a conservation area. Planning wouldn't permit a fence. The hedge sailed through — and the conservation officer actually wrote to compliment it."
Miriam Okafor
Homeowner, Bath
The right plant
in the right ground.
Every hedgerow we design starts with a soil test and a site walk. Species selection isn't a catalogue choice — it's a response to your land's particular character. Here are the six species we plant most often, and why.
Hawthorn
Crataegus monogyna
Copper Beech
Fagus sylvatica purpurea
Blackthorn
Prunus spinosa
Field Maple
Acer campestre
Sea Buckthorn
Hippophae rhamnoides
Dog Rose
Rosa canina
Download the full Species Guide
32 pages covering species selection, soil preparation, planting technique, and the first five years of hedge management. Free.
Plan Your Hedgerow
Answer three questions. We'll send a species recommendation and indicative cost within two working days — no obligation.