HOW TO... CREATE VARIETY IN YOUR HEDGES
Hedging has been a common and longstanding feature of the British landscape ever since we stopped being hunter gatherers and started to fence land in. It used to be more prevalent in agricultural areas, but the introduction of the combine harvester and the subsequent move to larger field sizes since WWII meant many were grubbed out. So, as always, it pays to consider the era you’re modelling before you start a build.
Despite this, hedges are still a common feature in the countryside. Private hedges often border many roads and these are clipped regularly, but less so when used as field boundaries. The age of a countryside hedgerow can be ascertained by looking at the number of species growing in it. The more there are, often, the older the hedgerow.
In urban areas, hedges tend to be monocultural and regularly clipped to maintain their shape, usually in the autumn. Often, they form a dividing line between properties and each side is maintained by a different neighbour. Clipping often happens at different times, or not at
