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47-399: A hedge is a line of closely spaced shrubs planted to act as a barrier or boundary. Hedge or Hedges may also refer to: Hedge A hedge often operates as, and sometimes is called, a "live fence ". This may either consist of individual fence posts connected with wire or other fencing material, or it may be in the form of densely planted hedges without interconnecting wire. This

94-505: A cultural heritage and historical record and for their great value to wildlife and the landscape. Increasingly, they are valued too for the major role they have to play in preventing soil loss and reducing pollution, and for their potential to regulate water supply and to reduce flooding. There is increased earthworm diversity in the soils under hedgerows which also help to store organic carbon and support distinct communities of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. In addition to maintaining

141-401: A hedge can be roughly estimated by counting the number of woody species in a thirty-yard section and multiplying by 110 years. Max Hooper published his original formula in the book Hedges in 1974. This method is only a rule of thumb, and can be off by a couple of centuries; it should always be backed up by documentary evidence, if possible, and take into account other factors. Caveats include

188-405: A hedge where hedge laying is not appropriate. The term instant hedge has become known since early this century for hedging plants that are planted collectively in such a way as to form a mature hedge from the moment they are planted together, with a height of at least 1.2 metres. They are usually created from hedging elements or individual plants which means very few are actually hedges from

235-420: A managed root growth system allowing the hedge to be sold with a continuous rootstrips (rather than individual plants) which then enables year-round planting. During its circa 8-year production time, all stock should be irrigated, clipped and treated with controlled-release nutrients to optimise health. A quickset hedge is a type of hedge created by planting live whitethorn (common hawthorn) cuttings directly into

282-523: A single species or several, typically mixed at random. In many newly planted British hedges, at least 60 per cent of the shrubs are hawthorn , blackthorn , and (in the southwest) hazel , alone or in combination. The first two are particularly effective barriers to livestock. In North America, Maclura pomifera (i.e., hedge apple) was grown to form a barrier to exclude free-range livestock from vegetable gardens and corn fields. Other shrubs and trees used include holly , beech , oak , ash , and willow ;

329-418: Is a skilled art. In Britain there are many local hedgelaying traditions, each with a distinct style. Hedges are still being laid today not only for aesthetic and functional purposes but also for their ecological role in helping wildlife and protecting against soil erosion . An alternative to hedge laying is trimming using a tractor-mounted flail cutter or circular saw, or a hedge trimmer . The height of

376-648: Is also possible to prepare really nice and dense hedge from other deciduous plants, however they do not have decorative flowers as the bushes mentioned before. Hedges of clipped trees forming avenues are a feature of 16th-century Italian gardens such as the Boboli Gardens in Florence , and of formal French gardens in the manner of André Le Nôtre , e.g. in the Gardens of Versailles , where they surround bosquets or areas formalized woodland. The English version of this

423-498: Is any hedge formed of living plants or of living plants combined with a fence. The technique of quicksetting can also be used for many other shrubs and trees. A Devon hedge is an earth bank topped with shrubs. The bank may be faced with turf or stone. When stone-faced, the stones are generally placed on edge, often laid flat around gateways. A quarter of Devon 's hedges are thought to be over 800 years old. There are approximately 33,000 miles (53,000 km) of Devon hedge, which

470-538: Is behind the Governor's Palace , Colonial Williamsburg , Virginia. Hedges and pruning can both be used to enhance a garden's privacy , as a buffer to visual pollution and to hide fences . A hedge can be aesthetically pleasing, as in a tapestry hedge, where alternate species are planted at regular intervals to present different colours or textures. In America, fences have always been more common than hedges to mark garden boundaries. The English radical William Cobbett

517-601: Is common in tropical areas where low-income farmers can demarcate properties and reduce maintenance of fence posts that otherwise deteriorate rapidly. Many other benefits can be obtained depending on the species chosen. The development of hedges over the centuries is preserved in their structure. The first hedges enclosed land for cereal crops during the Neolithic Age (4000–6000 years ago). The farms were of about 5 to 10 hectares (12 to 25 acres), with fields about 0.1 hectares (0.25 acres) for hand cultivation. Some hedges date from

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564-468: Is controlled by the Hedgerows Regulations 1997 , administered by the local planning authority . Hedges that have existed for hundreds of years are colonised by additional species. This may be useful as a means of determining the age of the hedge. Hooper's rule (or Hooper's law, named after Dr. Max Hooper ) is based on ecological data obtained from hedges of known age, and suggests that the age of

611-551: Is more than any other county. Traditional farming throughout the county has meant that fewer Devon hedges have been removed than elsewhere. Devon hedges are particularly important for wildlife habitat. Around 20% of the UK's species-rich hedges occur within Devon. Over 600 species of flowering plants, 1500 species of insects, 65 species of birds and 20 species of mammals have been recorded living or feeding in Devon hedges. Hedge laying in Devon

658-420: Is usually referred to as steeping and involves cutting and laying steepers (the stems) along the top of the bank and securing them with crooks (forked sticks). A Cornish hedge is an earth bank with stones. It normally consists of large stone blocks constructed either side of a narrow earth bank, and held in place with interlocking stones. The neat rows of square stones at the top are called "edgers". The top of

705-564: The Allies had established a firm foothold in Normandy. Operation Overlord also began on D-Day, and continued until Allied forces crossed the River Seine on 19 August 1944. Once an amphibious assault starts, victory tends to go to the side which can reinforce the beachhead most quickly. Occasionally, the amphibious forces do not expand their beachheads quickly enough to create a lodgement area before

752-691: The Bronze and Iron Ages , 2000–4000 years ago, when traditional patterns of landscape became established. Others were built during the Medieval field rationalisations; more originated in the industrial boom of the 18th and 19th centuries, when heaths and uplands were enclosed . Many hedgerows separating fields from lanes in the United Kingdom , Ireland and the Low Countries are estimated to have been in existence for more than seven hundred years, originating in

799-517: The Korean War (especially at Inchon ), and the Vietnam War . Although many references state that Operation Neptune refers to the naval operations in support of Operation Overlord , the most reliable references make it clear that Overlord referred to the establishment of a large-scale lodgement in Normandy, and that Neptune referred to the landing phase which created the beachhead; Neptune

846-469: The United Kingdom where they link the country's fractured ancient woodland . They also serve as a habitat for birds and other animals. As the land within a few metres of hedges is difficult to plough, sow, or spray with herbicides , the land around hedges also typically includes high plant biodiversity . Hedges also serve to stabilise the soil and on slopes help prevent soil creep and leaching of minerals and plant nutrients. Removal thus weakens

893-429: The 16th and early 17th centuries. Generally they were appreciated from a raised position, either the windows of a house, or a terrace . Clipped hedges above eye level may be laid out in the form of a labyrinth or garden maze . Few such mazes survived the change of fashion towards more naturalistic plantings in the 18th and 19th centuries, but many were replanted in 20th-century restorations of older gardens. An example

940-480: The English landscape and valuable habitats for wildlife. Many hedgerow trees are veteran trees and therefore of great wildlife interest. The most common species are English oak ( Quercus robur ) and ash ( Fraxinus excelsior ), though in the past field elm ( Ulmus minor 'Atinia') would also have been common. Around 20 million elm trees, most of them hedgerow trees, were felled or died through Dutch elm disease in

987-473: The Environment , based on age and other factors. Hedgerow removal is part of the transition of arable land from low-intensity to high-intensity farming . The removal of hedgerows gives larger fields making the sowing and harvesting of crops easier, faster and cheaper, and giving a larger area to grow the crops, increasing yield and profits. Hedgerows serve as important wildlife corridors , especially in

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1034-471: The action to take for a heavily over trimmed hedge, '5' is a healthy dense hedgerow more than 2 metres in height, and '10' is a hedge that has not been managed at all and has become a line of trees. The RSPB suggest that hedges in Britain not be cut between March and August. This is to protect nesting birds, which are protected by law. The techniques of coppicing and hard pollarding can be used to rejuvenate

1081-407: The cutting can be increased a little every year. Trimming a hedge helps to promote bushy growth. If a flail cutter is used, then the flail must be kept sharp to ensure that the cutting is effective on the hedge. The disadvantage of this is that the hedge species takes a number of years before it will flower again and subsequently bear fruit for wildlife and people. If the hedge is trimmed repeatedly at

1128-568: The development of traditional skills and works with Cornwall Council , FWAG (Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group), Stone Academy Bodmin, Cornwall AONB, Country Trust and professional hedgers to ensure the future of Cornish Hedges in the landscape. Hedges, both clipped and unclipped, are often used as ornament in the layout of gardens . Typical woody plants for clipped hedges include privet , hawthorn , beech , yew , leyland cypress , hemlock , arborvitae , barberry , box , holly , oleander , lavender , among others. An early 20th-century fashion

1175-399: The distances should vary so as to create a more natural landscape. The distance allows the young trees to develop full crowns without competing or producing too much shade. It is suggested that hedgerow trees cause gaps in hedges but it has been found that cutting some lower branches off lets sufficient light through to the hedge below to allow it to grow. Hedges are recognised as part of

1222-459: The earth (hazel does not sprout from cuttings). Once planted, these cuttings root and form new plants, creating a dense barrier. The technique is ancient, and the term quickset hedge is first recorded in 1484. The word quick in the name refers to the fact that the cuttings are living (as in " the quick and the dead "), and not to the speed at which the hedge grows, although it will establish quite rapidly. An alternative meaning of quickset hedging

1269-550: The effects of tree roots, burrowing rabbits, rain, wind, farm animals and people. How often repairs are needed depends on how well the hedge was built, its stone, and what has happened to it since it was last repaired. Typically a hedge needs a cycle of repair every 150 years or so, or less often if it is fenced. Building new hedges, and repairing existing hedges, is a skilled craft, and there are professional hedgers in Cornwall. The Cornish Hedge Research and Education Group (CHREG) supports

1316-434: The environmental impact of farming features more highly and in many places hedgerow conservation and replanting is taking place. In England and Wales agricultural hedgerow removal is controlled by the Hedgerows Regulations 1997 , administered by the local planning authority . If hedges are not maintained and trimmed regularly, gaps tend to form at the base over many years. In essence, hedgelaying consists of cutting most of

1363-525: The fact that planted hedgerows, hedgerows with elm , and hedgerows in the north of England tend not to follow the rule as closely. The formula also does not work on hedges more than a thousand years old. Hooper's scheme is important not least for its potential use in determining what an important hedgerow is, given their protection in The Hedgerows Regulations (1997; No. 1160) of the Department of

1410-446: The gardens and meadows and fields, in the neighbourhood of New York and other cities and towns, were divided by quick-set hedges, what a difference would the alteration make in the look, and in the real value too, of those gardens, meadows and fields! In the US, some local jurisdictions may strictly regulate the placement or height of a hedge, such as the case where a Palo Alto city resident

1457-441: The health of the environment, hedgerows also play a huge role in providing shelter for smaller animals like birds and insects. A recent study by Emma Coulthard mentioned the possibility that hedgerows may act as guides for moths, like Acronicta rumicis , when flying from one location to another. As moths are nocturnal, it is highly unlikely that they use visual aids as guides, but rather are following sensory or olfactory markers on

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1504-472: The hedge is planted with grass turf. Sometimes hedging plants or trees are planted on the hedge to increase its windbreaking height. A rich flora develops over the lifespan of a Cornish hedge. The Cornish hedge contributes to the distinctive field-pattern of the Cornish landscape and its semi-natural wildlife habitat. There are about 30,000 miles (48,000 km) of hedges in Cornwall today. Hedges suffer from

1551-402: The hedgerows. Larkin et al. 2013 find 100% of northwest European farms have hedges, providing 43% of the wildlife habitat there. Historically, hedges were used as a source of firewood, and for providing shelter from wind, rain and sun for crops, farm animals and people. Today, mature hedges' uses include screening unsightly developments. In England and Wales agricultural hedgerow removal

1598-587: The last three can become very tall. Of the hedgerows in the Normandy region of France, Martin Blumenson said The hedgerow is a fence, half earth, half hedge. The wall at the base is a dirt parapet that varies in thickness from one to four or more feet and in height from three to twelve feet. Growing out of the wall is a hedge of hawthorn, brambles, vines, and trees, in thickness from one to three feet. Originally property demarcations, hedgerows protect crops and cattle from

1645-510: The late 1960s. Many other species are used, notably including common beech ( Fagus sylvatica ) and various nut and fruit trees . The age structure of British hedgerow trees is old because the number of new trees is not sufficient to replace the number of trees that are lost through age or disease. New trees can be established by planting but it is generally more successful to leave standard trees behind when laying hedges. Trees should be left at no closer than 10 metres (33 ft) apart and

1692-533: The manorial open-field system . Many were replaced after the Enclosure Acts , then removed again during modern agricultural intensification, and now some are being replanted for wildlife. As of 2024 in a study using Lidar by the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology England alone was found to have a total of 390,000 km of hedgerows, which would span the circumference of the earth 10 times. A hedge may consist of

1739-784: The medieval period. The root word of 'hedge' is much older: it appears in the Old English language , in German ( Hecke ), and Dutch ( haag ) to mean 'enclosure', as in the name of the Dutch city The Hague , or more formally 's Gravenhage , meaning The Count 's hedge . Charles the Bald is recorded as complaining in 864, at a time when most official fortifications were constructed of wooden palisades , that some unauthorized men were constructing haies et fertés ; tightly interwoven hedges of hawthorns . In parts of Britain, early hedges were destroyed to make way for

1786-847: The ocean winds that sweep across the land. The hedgerows of Normandy became barriers that slowed the advance of Allied troops following the D-Day invasion during World War II. Allied armed forces modified their armored vehicles to facilitate breaking out of their beachheads into the Normandy bocage . Formal, or modern garden hedges are grown in many varieties, including the following species: Hedgerow trees are trees that grow in hedgerows but have been allowed to reach their full height and width. There are thought to be around 1.8 million hedgerow trees in Britain (counting only those whose canopies do not touch others) with perhaps 98% of these being in England and Wales. Hedgerow trees are both an important part of

1833-511: The same height, a 'hard knuckle' will start to form at that height – similar to the shape of a pollarded tree. Additionally, hedge trimming causes habitat destruction to species like the small eggar moth which spend nearly their entire life cycle in blackthorn and hawthorn hedgerow. This has led to a decline in the moth's population. It is now nationally scarce in Britain. A 'hedgerow management' scale has been devised by an organisation called Hedgelink UK ranging from 1 to 10. '1' describes

1880-639: The soil and leads to erosion. In the United Kingdom hedgerow removal has been occurring since World War I as technology made intensive farming possible, and the increasing population demanded more food from the land. The trend has slowed down somewhat since the 1980s when cheap food imports reduced the demand on British farmland, and as the European Union Common Agricultural Policy made environmental projects financially viable. Under reforms to national and EU agricultural policies,

1927-833: The start, as the plants need time to grow and entwine to form a real hedge. An example of an instant hedge can be seen at the Elveden Hall Estate in East Anglia, where fields of hedges can be seen growing in cultivated rows, since 1998. The development of this type of mature hedge has led to such products being specified by landscape architects, garden designers, property developers, insurance companies, sports clubs, schools and local councils, as well as many private home owners. Demand has also increased from planning authorities in specifying to developers that mature hedges are planted rather than just whips (a slender, unbranched shoot or plant). A 'real' instant hedge could be defined as having

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1974-426: The way through the stem of each plant near the base, bending it over and interweaving or pleaching it between wooden stakes. This also encourages new growth from the base of each plant. Originally, the main purpose of hedgelaying was to ensure the hedge remained stock-proof. Some side branches were also removed and used as firewood. The maintenance and laying of hedges to form an impenetrable barrier for farm animals

2021-474: Was already complaining about this in 1819: And why should America not possess this most beautiful and useful plant [the Haw-Thorn ]? She has English gew-gaws, English Play-Actors, English Cards and English Dice and Billiards; English fooleries and English vices enough in all conscience; and why not English Hedges, instead of post-and-rail and board fences? If, instead of these steril-looking and cheerless enclosures

2068-586: Was arrested for allowing her xylosma hedge to grow above two feet. Beachhead A beachhead is a temporary line created when a military unit reaches a landing beach by sea and begins to defend the area as other reinforcements arrive. Once a large enough unit is assembled, the invading force can begin advancing inland. The term is sometimes used interchangeably (both correctly and incorrectly) with bridgehead and lodgement . Beachheads were important in many military actions; examples include operations such as Operation Neptune during World War II ,

2115-631: Was for tapestry hedges , using a mix of golden, green and glaucous dwarf conifers , or beech and copper beech. Unclipped hedges take up more space, generally at a premium in modern gardens, but compensate by flowering. Rosa multiflora is widely used as a dense hedge along the central reservation of dual-carriageway roads , such as parkways in the United States. In mild climates , more exotic flowering hedges are formed, using Ceanothus , Hibiscus , Camellia , orange jessamine ( Murraya paniculata ), [1] or lillypilly ( Syzygium species). It

2162-637: Was the wilderness , normal in large gardens until the English landscape garden style and the rise of the shrubbery began to sweep them away from about 1750. The 'hedge on stilts' of clipped hornbeams at Hidcote Manor Garden , Gloucestershire , is famous and has sometimes been imitated; it is fact a standard French and Italian style of the bosquet. Hedges below knee height are generally thought of as borders. Elaborately shaped and interlaced borders forming knot gardens or parterres were fashionable in Europe during

2209-536: Was therefore the first part of Overlord . According to the D-Day Museum: The armed forces use codenames to refer to the planning and execution of specific military operations. Operation Overlord was the codename for the Allied invasion of north-west Europe. The assault phase of Operation Overlord was known as Operation Neptune. (...) Operation Neptune began on D-Day (6 June 1944) and ended on 30 June 1944. By this time,

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