Just as my own double hedge rows work in the summer for both food production and shelter, they act as a living snow fence in winter, there is a swale on the far side of them that drops down a solid three feet, excellent for keeping water in place and allowing it to soaking the gardens around it but also means that before the snow can come up and though. The winter winds get cut by the spruce trees, and then trapped again by the hedge in front before coming at the house itself.

Don’t let this photo fool you, you can just make out the pathway in the middle and if my Miss Fancy was using that path you would not even see here, that snow is a solid three feet deep on this side, and a solid five foot plus on the other side. This area is a haven for the small birds like sparrow’s, chickadee’s and junco’s

I remember the first year we moved here being surprised to see so many farmers left these stripes of corn standing but as the snows came i went ah.. then i saw them plant corn sections even when the rest of the fields were in different and went huh.. turns out they are paid to do so if their fields are by the right roads.

“Plant a snow fence

The City encourages landowners who plant corn to participate in the Alternative Snow Fencing Program.

In late summer, participating landowners leave six to 12 rows of standing corn parallel to the road and 20 metres from the road’s right-of-way property line. In December, landowners are paid an amount based on the market value per tonne of the unharvested corn, the yield of tonnes per acre, the actual acres standing and for spring clean-up work

In non-agricultural areas, landowners can plant trees 20 metres from the right-of-way property line.”

Ottawa City

I was very pleased to see that they are expanding the tree shelter belt program to three new areas, so great for land owners!

We have been working on planting hedge rows on the road side frontage, its more tricky on the farm sides as there are legal rights to the farmer due to tree roots and footage required as the land around us is tiled. So we had to do our side hedgerows into further back to keep to the footage required,

When we built our fences, i set them back for a bit of a spray zone protections, but when we redo them for what will be the final time in our lifetime, i am taking that two feet back for a few reasons including full fenced to the property line.

I am still not sure what to do with the large stripe between the cedar hedgerow and the farmers field , i keep thinking it would be lovely in wild flowers or a combo sunflower triple row and then wild flowers. we will see.. we will see.

Do they have living snow fencing in your neck of the woods, do they pay you to put in hedgerows and to keep them year after year.. do you live in a country where hedgerows are normal and expected, do you live in a spot where there are no hedgerows at all.

I grew up in alberta and for me, seeing hedgerows as a child the normal, due to the fact that they had millions and millions of trees and bushes planted into hedgerows after the dirty 30s as a huge province wide project for many years..

Sadly as new farmers came in, they took out the hedgerows and now are starting to see the results of those losses, they will learn they were there for a reason and will be need to be planted again.

Farm Buildings in Vermilion Valley, Alberta, [1920]. This photo shows the use of Caragana bushes as windbreaks around farmyards.
(photo credit: Library and Archives Canada / PA-101669)

What is your personal favorite hedgerow look? I loved Caragana as a child, those dense green big bushes with the pretty yellow flowers with the hint of sweetness and the birds loved the seeds so much.

It was never used as human feed that i remember but the chickens sure loved it and no doubt!

“The seed contains 12.4% of a fatty oil and up to 36% protein and it has been recommended as an emergency food for humans. More than just an emergency food, this species has the potential to become a staple crop in areas with continental climates. Young pods can be cooked and used as a vegetable.”

As a child that natural space under them provided shelter on a hot day and a good book reading spot! Many a game with friends was played under the hedgerows. One of the great things about these bushes is they are self filling and spreading due to the seed dropping and they are of a height that allows them to work under the power lines!

Do you have any on your property?