When you look out of your window and see a lovely, well-tended garden, you’re sure to feel a real sense of pride about the work you’ve put in and how great it all looks. But are you missing something? Could you add one more element that would make a massive difference and improve your garden in all kinds of ways? If you don’t have a hedge, that could be exactly the case, and adding a hedge could take your garden to the next level, making you even prouder of the result. If you’ve never considered having a hedge before, keep reading as we’ll outline some of the best reasons to include one in your garden design.
Natural Beauty And Privacy
One of the best reasons to add a hedge to your garden, and the one that’s most likely to spring to mind first, is that it offers a natural and beautiful added layer of privacy to your outside space, and perhaps even to your home in general.
Unlike fences and other ‘artificial’ barriers, hedges are all-natural and can look absolutely stunning, especially when you choose the hedging plants wisely. Green mountain boxwood, for example, makes a fantastic hedge because it’s big and bushy, can easily be trimmed and kept neat, and it’s a lovely, vibrant green color - it’s exactly what you would imagine a hedge to be.
When you have an attractive hedge in place, you’ll be able to define the borders of your garden properly, and it will look great, but an added bonus is that it will make the garden more private too. Your outside space will be shielded from anyone walking by outside, and it makes your home more secure at the same time - people can climb over a fence, but climbing over a hedge is another challenge altogether and one most burglars wouldn’t choose.
A Wildlife Habitat
Hedges are more than just decorative elements to add to your garden, though, and it’s good to know that they actually play an important part in giving local wildlife habitat and supporting local ecosystems.
When you have a hedge that’s also filled with a wide range of plants (this is something that needs to be decided in the planning stages, and the earlier the better to make sure it all comes together in the right way), you can attract a variety of different insects, birds, and small animals to it, giving them somewhere safe to live and offering them plenty of food. Having these things in your garden is definitely a positive, as they’ll contribute to pollination and natural pest control, and they’ll mean your garden is ecologically balanced, which is something we all need to try to do more to protect the planet.
Noise Reduction
Unless you live completely out in the middle of nowhere, you’re going to have people and roads around you, and those people and roads will make noise. It might not be a lot of noise, but it will be there nonetheless, and in some cases, it will be incredibly loud. Whatever the noise level, if it’s impacting your ability to enjoy your garden in peace and quiet, then it’s a problem.
A good, dense hedge can act as a natural sound barrier, reducing the impact of street noise and giving you the secluded outdoor spot you want. When you can lower the noise of the outside world and enjoy your garden in peace, you’ll be more relaxed and happier, improving your overall quality of life - and it all comes from planting a hedge in your garden.
Windbreak
Something else that can be a problem when you just want to enjoy your garden is the wind. How many times have you looked out of the window and thought the day was a lovely one - lovely enough to go outside with a good book or a cup of coffee - only to realize once you do go out that it’s incredibly windy, making the day much colder than it should be? It’s likely happened a number of times, and it’s hugely annoying when it does.
Having a hedge in place around your garden can help to make this less of an issue by acting as a casual windbreak. In fact, a well-designed hedge can even create a microclimate in your garden, regulating temperatures so it’s always lovely to use whenever you want. On top of this, a good regular microclimate can give you a longer growing season for some plants, helping you keep your garden looking good for longer.
