Gardeners should consider swapping walls and fences for hedges, says the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), as new research shows how they provide a range of frontline environmental services.

The call forms part of the charity’s Greening Great Britain campaign which urges the public to turn urban concrete corners into thriving green spaces.

Analysis by the charity of 44 of the most popular hedges, found that as well as mitigating flooding, capturing pollutants and acting as a sound barrier they can also be used to help heat and cool the home. Hedge species in urban environments were also found to provide a crucial resource for a wide diversity of animal species through the provision of shelter, nest sites, food resources and corridors for movement.

Urban hedges

The best all-round performers suitable for UK gardens include beech, holly, privet, western red cedar and rose.

The varying structure of hedges makes them well suited for specific roles. Those with hairy, rough and oval leaves, were found to better capture and retain particulates with dense, but porous canopies capturing the most.

A yew canopy exposed to roadside pollution can accumulate and retain, for example, four times more particles than Photinia which has smoother leaves and is less dense. 

Meanwhile wide, tall and layered evergreen species have been shown to act as sound barriers with English yew (Taxus baccata) and western red cedar (Thuja plicata) found to be the top performing.

Tijana Blanusa, Principal Horticultural Scientist, at the RHS said: “In a world that is rapidly urbanising and where there is pressure on land use through the increased densification of cities, the relatively compact nature of the urban hedge may have a pivotal role in ensuring our cities remain ‘liveable’, through its various ecosystem benefits.”

This Article 

This article is based on a press release from RHS.