Garden Hedges
Hedges can be attractive and long lasting assets to gardens, giving shelter, privacy and defining boundaries. However using fast growing subjects for quick results can lead to hedges which are hard to handle and become too large. The RHS believes that information to help choose better hedging plants or to select alternatives will help, but will not entirely resolve the problem of high hedges. There is a need for local authorities to be able to act where hedges are a nuisance.
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A summary of RHS policy
1) Where appropriate, hedges are often the best solution for providing gardens with privacy and shelter. They are environmentally beneficial, both for wildlife and as an entirely renewable resource.
2) The RHS recognises that hedges are often not a suitable solution for garden boundaries under modern conditions, and suggests that gardeners consider fences, where long term hedge care and size restriction are not possible.
3) Where hedges are appropriate, gardeners will benefit by choosing subjects that will not grow too large, or require more maintenance than can be given. The RHS recommends that this information be made freely available and has published its guide to hedges on the Internet.
4) can lead to great expense, inconvenience and loss of privacy, the RHS recommends that they be dealt with, as in the long run, a better garden for the owner and improved local environment will result.
5) The RHS encourages the government to introduce legislation giving local authorities the power to intervene in disputes between neighbours over high hedges in a fair way, avoiding fueling disputes between neighbours.