An ancient gardening tradition, dead hedges are receiving renewed attention as of late. While the name ‘dead hedge’ may not be the most appealing, as a garden feature and eco-friendly landscaping technique dead hedges are quite appealing. They add unique visual interest, make use of available/natural materials, and support native wildlife and helpful insects. So what are dead hedges and what can they do for your garden? Let’s dig in and learn a bit more!
What is a Dead Hedge?
Whereas conventional hedges or “live” hedges make use of shrubs or bushes that are shaped and pruned into a living fence, dead hedges are fence-like barriers built out of cut branches, brush, fallen limbs and logs, and similar garden or landscaping debris. There are probably as many ways of making a dead hedge as there are people doing it, but the basic goal is to create an upright barrier out of debris from trees, shrubs, and bushes. Two parallel rows of sturdy limbs or cut saplings are often planted in the ground upright like fence posts, with other materials piled between them to form the dead hedge.
As with many historical gardening, agricultural, or landscaping techniques, dead hedges are so ancient as to have no known origin. They likely began as a means of making use of waste materials from recently cleared land and continued as an efficient means of forestry and woodland management. Most cultures around the world have some version of a dead hedge—good ideas are often universal!
The Advantage of Dead Hedges
Dead hedges have a number of advantages over conventional fences which appeal to gardeners and landscapers of all types. There’s almost too many to list, but here are a few of the more important advantages of dead hedges for your lawn or garden:
· Low (or no) cost: Dead hedges arise from the need to use both space and materials efficiently, and that remains a big plus to this day. As you prune, remove limbs, or otherwise generate dead wood, it can become part of your dead hedge. Savvy gardeners often scavenge dead hedge materials from around the neighborhood as they appear.
· Environmentally-friendly landscaping: As more gardeners and home owners focus on supporting the natural environment around them, dead hedges have grown in popularity. They’re environmentally friend, close to carbon neutral, and they provide habitat for animals, birds, and other living things. They don’t create microplastics or accrue shipping and transport costs in the way that manufacture materials do.
· Drainage and runoff issues both benefit from dead hedges. They allow rain water to pass through naturally, avoiding pooling and puddling in your garden and preventing runoff from damaging your soil.
· Infinitely renewable and sustainable: Dead hedges are renewable, and in a sustainable way. As needed, simply add more material to your dead hedge—it’s that easy. You can build or add to your dead hedge gradually, depending on your needs and the time you have available. Your dead hedge can evolve as your garden does.
· Dead hedges create a unique visual feature: let’s face it, dead hedges are beautiful in their own way. They stand out in a world of white picket fences and chain link barriers. A dead hedge can provide a focal point in your garden or function as a screen, hedge, or fence depending on your needs and the look you’re trying to create. They can also scale to just about any outdoor garden space, allowing gardeners to be creative. Check out this amazing feature to see a good example of dead hedges as art!
There are only two drawbacks to dead hedges that we can see: some people don’t like the aesthetic and they do require a bit of work to install and maintain. So are dead hedges right for you? Well, as with all things gardening only you can answer that. We do encourage you to consider adding a dead hedge to your garden space if you need a hedge or other barrier or if you want to add a unique decorative feature. They may not be for everyone, but this ancient gardening technique still has a place in the 21st century.
We’re new to dead hedges, so we’re putting the call out—if you have dead hedge or have had one previously, get in touch and tell us all about it! We’d love to learn more, and we always love hearing from you!
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