A hedge is “fence or boundary formed by a dense row of shrubs or low trees.“ So says the Merriam-Webster dictionary.

I grew up in South Wales where every little row house, semi-detached house, single dwelling house, or even castle sported its own fence, often of bricks, railings, or plants.
The hedge idea continues. If it is to be a plant, how does one choose? Should the plant be evergreen or deciduous?

Now that we are in April, all the deciduous hedges are sporting buds, tiny leaves, and even minute flowers: for instance, chocolate vine, English yew, boxwood (Buxus sempervirens), privet honeysuckle, cherry laurel, Japanese skimmia, and Japanese barberry.

 

Some hedges have thorns and that would certainly keep out intruders, like deer and moose. But thorns seem unnecessary in the city.

If tidiness is not necessary, there are some successful hedges of rhododendrons and azaleas (azaleas are also in the Rhododendron genus, differentiated by their much smaller leaves and flowers).

What are your hedge requirements? A certain height? Tidiness? The plant responds to being sheared with more leaf colour? Sweet smelling? Blooming over several months? Slow growing? There is a lot to consider.

And would you mind if it became really tall? No longer a hedge, but more of a barricade?
What does a hedge mean to you? Does it set a boundary? Or is it more of a certain height of plant among a wide range of plant heights?