If you are planning to put some new plants in the ground now so they will be established when spring comes around, consider planting a hedgerow. In urban and suburban areas, fences or hedges are typically used to define property lines, block unsightly views, provide privacy screening, and create windbreaks. However, hedgerows are becoming a popular alternative for these landscape duties. While a hedge is made up of a single plant species placed in a tightly spaced row, a hedgerow is a broad bed planted with a variety of trees, shrubs and forbs (herbaceous flowering plants).
Urban and suburban landowners can reap these benefits by planting smaller trees and large shrubs to establish mini-hedgerows instead of fences or hedges. A scaled-down hedgerow will still attract pollinators, beneficial insects and birds. Hedgerows can also create corridors between wild spaces, allowing wildlife to more safely move through neighborhoods. As landscape designer Rebecca Lindenmeyr says, “Hedgerows can provide a slice of wild on the outskirts of a landscape design.”
If you decide to create a hedgerow, try to choose plants with a variety of heights. Different types of wildlife are adapted to living at different levels above the ground. Also, generally speaking, wider is better when it comes to hedgerows. The wider the planting area, the more room there is for a greater diversity of plants. The greater the diversity of plants in a hedgerow, the more likely it is that wildlife will find a suitable habitat there. Look for plants that provide food for wildlife. Selecting a variety plants that produce flowers, fruit, nuts, seeds, or nectar at different times of the year increases your chances of providing food for the greatest diversity of wildlife species.
Native plants are a logical choice for use in hedgerows. They are familiar sources of food and shelter for local wildlife species, and are well adapted to the local climate and soils. Large native shrubs that are suitable for residential hedgerows in our area include California redbud, toyon, many species of Ceanothus and manzanita, coffeeberry, desert willow and coyote brush. California bush anemone, Cleveland and white sage and buckwheat are more moderately-sized natives that can also be useful in hedgerows. Smaller native perennials include deer grass, California fuchsia, milkweed and penstemon. An added bonus is that, once established, all of these natives are at least moderately “deer resistant.” It is important to recognize, however, that if they are hungry enough deer will eat virtually anything.
For further information on residential hedgerows:
Hedgerows and Integrated Pest Management
UC Master Gardeners of Butte County are part of the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) system. To learn more about us and our upcoming events, and for help with gardening in our area visit our website. If you have a gardening question or problem, email the Hotline at mgbutte@ucanr.edu or leave a phone message on our Hotline at 530-552-5812. To speak to a Master Gardener about a gardening issue, or to drop by the MG office during Hotline hours, see the most current information on our Ask Us section of our website.
By Brent McGhie, Butte County Master Gardener, December 9, 2016.
While farmers have historically planted hedgerows around fields to delineate boundaries, provide windbreaks and keep livestock from wandering, University of California research shows that hedgerows also provide many unintended benefits. Hedgerows have significantly fewer crop pests and more beneficial insects, such as pollinators and predatory wasps, than conventional field edges and these benefits extend into adjacent croplands. Hedgerows also provide habitat for insect-eating birds and other wildlife. Native bees benefit from the undisturbed habitat, as well as the nectar and pollen that hedgerows can provide. Additionally, hedgerows are useful in controlling dust, reducing sound pollution, and preventing erosion.
Urban and suburban landowners can reap these benefits by planting smaller trees and large shrubs to establish mini-hedgerows instead of fences or hedges. A scaled-down hedgerow will still attract pollinators, beneficial insects and birds. Hedgerows can also create corridors between wild spaces, allowing wildlife to more safely move through neighborhoods. As landscape designer Rebecca Lindenmeyr says, “Hedgerows can provide a slice of wild on the outskirts of a landscape design.”
If you decide to create a hedgerow, try to choose plants with a variety of heights. Different types of wildlife are adapted to living at different levels above the ground. Also, generally speaking, wider is better when it comes to hedgerows. The wider the planting area, the more room there is for a greater diversity of plants. The greater the diversity of plants in a hedgerow, the more likely it is that wildlife will find a suitable habitat there. Look for plants that provide food for wildlife. Selecting a variety plants that produce flowers, fruit, nuts, seeds, or nectar at different times of the year increases your chances of providing food for the greatest diversity of wildlife species.
Native plants are a logical choice for use in hedgerows. They are familiar sources of food and shelter for local wildlife species, and are well adapted to the local climate and soils. Large native shrubs that are suitable for residential hedgerows in our area include California redbud, toyon, many species of Ceanothus and manzanita, coffeeberry, desert willow and coyote brush. California bush anemone, Cleveland and white sage and buckwheat are more moderately-sized natives that can also be useful in hedgerows. Smaller native perennials include deer grass, California fuchsia, milkweed and penstemon. An added bonus is that, once established, all of these natives are at least moderately “deer resistant.” It is important to recognize, however, that if they are hungry enough deer will eat virtually anything.
Three larger nonnative plants that deserve consideration for incorporation into hedgerows are rosemary, Chinese fringe flower and chaste tree. All are adapted to our climate, deer resistant, and relatively easy to manage. If you'd like to see what these plants look like in a garden setting, the chaste tree and most of the native plants mentioned above can be seen in the Demonstration Garden being developed by Butte County Master Gardeners at the Patrick Ranch Museum. Whatever plants you decide to use, enjoy the natural beauty and other benefits of your hedgerow!
For further information on residential hedgerows, consult the following sources for this article:
Butte Co. Master Gardeners. "Make Room for Hedgerows!" Butte County Gardening Guide and Three-Year Gardening Journal (2015): 104 (with thanks to Eve Werner).
By Eve Werner, Butte County Master Gardener, September 19, 2014
In recent decades, hedgerows have largely been replaced in California by mown, cultivated, or weedy edges as farmers seek to maximize their productive acreage. But hedgerows are coming back into favor as scientists document the many benefits that they offer to farmers and the environment. Consider the following:
- Hedgerows can perform several distinct functions. Depending on the plants selected, they can provide wildlife habitat, dust control, wind breaks, biofiltration, pest control, crop pollination, and natural beauty.
- California native plants make effective hedgerows. The natives bloom and set seed later than weedy invasive plants. The timing of their blooming and seeding is just right for many beneficial pollinators and too late for many pests.
- Hedgerows can help control insect pests. UC studies have shown that hedgerows have 90% fewer crop pests and 60% more beneficial parasitoid wasps (tiny, non-stinging wasps that prey on stinkbugs, aphids, scale, and many other harmful pests) than conventionally managed edges. Croplands adjacent to hedgerows have 10% more parasitoid wasps than conventionally-edged fields.
- Hedgerows support insectivorous birds that eat the larvae of the coddling moth.
- Populations of potentially harmful animals (such as field mice and gophers) are present in equal or lesser numbers in hedgerows than in conventionally-managed edges.
- Populations of predatory animals (such as raptors) that prey on potentially harmful animals are much higher in hedgerows.
- Hedgerows support native bees by providing undisturbed habitat, pollen, and nectar. Some species of native bees, such as Mason bees, are individually more effective at pollinating flowers than are honey bees.
While the benefits of hedgerows to farmers are apparent, the hedgerow concept can be of use to homeowners, too. A smaller hedgerow, planted along a property boundary, will attract pollinators, pest predators and birds to your yard. Landscape-friendly California native plants that are suitable for a suburban yard and providing habitat, shelter, pollen, and nectar include California Redbud; Ceanothus; Buckwheat; Coffeeberry; Manzanita; Coyotebrush; Deergrass; California Fuchsia; Milkweed; Cleveland and White Sage; Yarrow; and Penstemon.
If you are looking for a way to screen views or define the edges of your property, consider planting a mini hedgerow!