For example, monarch and swallowtail butterflies were once common in the Willamette Valley, feeding on plants that once grew at the base of valley hedgerows. Hedgerows growing along streams and sloughs also protect water quality and provide privacy, explained Dan McGrath, agricultural agent with the Oregon State University Extension Service. McGrath would like both growers and private homeowners to plant more hedgerows once again in the landscape. And one way to enhance biodiversity on your property is to grow a hedgerow, as they maintain diversity and beauty in the landscape. It is also possible to cultivate beauty and wildness in our own backyards and in our production farming systems.
Hedgerows can help make our own spaces more wild.
Think about how tall you would want the hedgerow to get. When you have figured out where you want to plant your hedgerow and what the characteristics of the site are, then you will want to choose a diverse array of perennial plants that will be well suited to the site. If you have a dry, shady site, consider planting golden chinquapin, ninebark, chokecherry, service berry, Oregon grape, red-osier dogwood, ocean spray, Indian plum, mock orange, or evergreen huckleberry. If you have a wet, sunny site, red flowering currant, black currant, hooker's willow, blue elderberry and western spirea are known to thrive in those conditions. Try western flowering dogwood, hazel, red elderberry, vine maple and western yew.