hedges?

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DaveW
Posts: 7377
Joined: Thu Dec 20, 2012 2:36 pm
Location: Nottingham, England/UK

hedges?

Post by DaveW »

As a Brit I have always noticed one difference between the American housing we see on film and British is American yards or gardens are usually "open plan", whilst we like our properties fenced or hedged so people, kids and dogs can not just stroll across it. Probably summed up by the old saying "an Englishman's home is his castle", so we like a "wall" around it to keep out "invaders", even if we cannot afford a moat and drawbridge these days.

We also are gradually loosing our walls and hedges as front gardens are being paved over and traditional hedges and fences ripped out.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-32780242

Evidently science has now found that British hedges do a useful job of providing us with a better atmosphere by soaking up pollution from passing traffic on the roads, usually better than planting trees. Also acting as "sound mirrors" to reflect traffic noise away from the house. They additionally provide privacy (we Brits are an antisocial lot. :lol:).

Rather than ripping them out then we should be planting more as pollution is increasing. Their only drawback is you have to keep trimming them.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-39943197
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cactushobbyman
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Location: Sanger, California

Re: hedges?

Post by cactushobbyman »

What I see is different from Hollywood films. In big cities of California you are lucky to have a front yard and if you do, it is concrete. The suburbs of the 60's you'll see the white picket fences and some formal hedges marking the boundaries of your property. The rural area, where I live, I have 2 acres and grass is the landscape with trees used as windbreaks instead of hedges. Today in California it is drought landscaping due to water restrictions unless you have a well like me. I took out my front yard grass, 1800 square feet, and put in all drought tolerant plants because I got tired of fixing sprinklers and mowing and edging the grass. :lol:
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7george
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Re: hedges?

Post by 7george »

Image
I also like my front yard fenced with trees and shrubs from neighbors and intruders but this means lots of organic waste every week for half of the year. This summer the city will provide a green card for that stuff that could help us at some degree.

Most home owners do simple plane grass mowing because it's easier.
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DaveW
Posts: 7377
Joined: Thu Dec 20, 2012 2:36 pm
Location: Nottingham, England/UK

Re: hedges?

Post by DaveW »

Gardens have been lost to decking, paving and gravel in the UK to save mowing and weeding. Youngsters do not want to be tied in in the evening gardening when they return home and want to go out for a meal and entertainment instead, since unlike the 1950's most women also go out to work so don't want the chore of cooking when they get home as when they were at home all day in the past. Obviously as the population ages they too don't want the effort of maintaining gardens and employing gardeners to do it for them costs money.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... -2005.html
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