Peter Dowdall: How to choose a plant for a garden hedge

Consider whether you seek to create privacy, define boundaries, provide wind protection, or add a backdrop to other plantings

Is your hedge or planting there to create privacy, define boundaries, provide wind protection, or simply to add aesthetic appeal to your garden or outdoor living space? File pictures

One of the questions that I am asked most often is: “What plant can you recommend for a hedge?” or “I have recently removed a hedge which had grown too big, what can you recommend as a replacement?”

There is most certainly not a one-size-fits-all answer to these questions. It depends on everyone’s requirements, likes, dislikes and local conditions.