English hedgerows, traditionally dense, multi-layered living fences, can be a game-changer for community and residential landscapes in the Southeast, especially around Charlotte and Asheville. Combining the structure of English hedgerows with Southeastern native plants creates vibrant, functional, and long-lasting features that benefit both people and nature.

Practical Benefits

Privacy & Security: Hedgerows form natural barriers that get denser with age, offering privacy while blending into the landscape.

Wildlife Habitat: They support pollinators, birds, and small mammals, enhancing biodiversity.

Low Maintenance: With periodic hedge-laying (every 8–10 years), hedgerows stay healthy and functional without constant upkeep.

Edible Yields: Incorporating native species like hazelnut, elderberry, and serviceberry provides seasonal fruits and nuts.

How to Apply Hedgerows

Design for Layers:

• ​Canopy: Use trees like hawthorn (Crataegus viridis), serviceberry (Amelanchier spp.), or crabapple (Malus angustifolia). Some trees, like black locust and honey locust, are suitable for coppicing. Mindfully pruning these species produces plentiful perfectly straight stems with many uses like poles or trellises.
• ​Shrubs: Add blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum), hazelnut (Corylus americana), spicebush (Lindera benzoin), and black raspberry (Rubus occidentalis).
• ​Groundcover: Incorporate clover and a variety of low-growing native species for soil health and nitrogen fixation. Adding taller perennials for texture and color, and ecological value, adds great dimension to this layer.

Choose Native Plants: Native species handle the Southeast's clay soil, moisture levels, and climate better than traditional English plants. They’re also better for local wildlife.

​Ask local independent garden centers about the plant list at the end of this post to see what they have on hand and what they might be able to order. The more people ask them for these plants, the more of these plants they will carry.

Adapt for Drainage: In areas with heavy clay soil, plant on slight mounds to improve drainage and avoid root rot.

Scale to Space: For community spaces, design wide hedgerows with multiple rows. For residential landscapes, use single-row hedges with denser shrubs.

Collaboration: Reach out to local experts for advice. Most plant people are happy to help out, as long as it's not the busy season!

Advice for Maintenance

Initial Planting: Space shrubs 18–36 inches apart, depending on species. Include a mix of quick-growing fillers and slower-growing backbone plants.

Hedge-Laying: Every 8–10 years, cut and weave shrubs to keep the hedge dense at the base and prevent gaps. This is a great opportunity for community workshops.

​Communities get a chance to connect and share an experience for the common good and, long term, they can pass along wisdom of life and plants to the next generations. Many english hedges are hundreds of years old, some near a thousand. Imagine planting a living fence that feeds, connects, and protects your community for a twenty generations...

Pruning & Mulching: Prune lightly in between layings to control growth, and apply mulch annually to conserve moisture. 

​Leaves are the best mulch. Instead of throwing them in the dump, use them to blanket your hedge for the winter and shred them after the butterflies emerge in the spring if need be. Or, plant groundcover plants as a living mulch for your living fence!

Utility for Communities

Erosion Control: Hedgerows stabilize soil on slopes. ​Their dense nature and expansive roots hold soil in place. 

Community Projects: They’re ideal for beautifying greenways, parks, and shared spaces while fostering ecological stewardship.

Educational Tool: Host workshops to teach traditional hedge-laying, engaging schools and volunteers.

Surprise snacks!