LIVING FENCES Pushing the boundaries of the hedge and its role in the modern-day garden

摘要

One of the classic instruments of garden design, hedges are, unfortunately, often overlooked in contemporary landscapes. Yes, Europeans have used living fences for centuries to enclose great estates, define and divide small plots, and block unsightly views. And Americans have long planted hedges to impose order - first on the wilderness, later on the suburban tract. But it is only in recent years that landscape designers on both sides of the Atlantic have begun to experiment again with this versatile tool. Crafted from a wide variety of plants, today's hedges assume forms from low and serpentine to sculptural and monolithic. Modernists added perennials to the hedge list, using rows of grasses to define properties or create screens.