Winter reveals the bones of the landscape. Twiggy trees and shrubs stand erect in the cold and it’s hard to recall the soft beauty of their tender green leaves dancing in the summer breeze. Leafless trees and shrubs may seem somber to the gardener, but to a myriad of local wildlife, these plants provide a safe winter haven.

A Bucksport gardener recently relayed an interesting story of a hawk, which from its perch on the gardener’s hedge, terrorized songbirds tucked safely within. The dainty little thrushes, finches and chickadees avoided becoming the hawk’s lunch by taking refuge together under the densely intertwined leafless branches of the shrubs.

No matter what the season, a hedge can be a beautiful and functional thing. Hedgerows, in fact, are nothing new. They are an ancient horticultural means employed by farmers for hundreds of years.

Traditionally, a hedgerow was a row of shrubs, bushes and occasionally trees, which formed a boundary between properties. In addition to defining the physical area, this barrier was used for keeping livestock from wandering afar. The narrow line of plants also provided shelter for farm animals and wildlife alike. It may have provided crop protection during difficult weather. Historically, hedgerows functioned as a buffer from wind and water erosion: the shrubs, trees, and grasses anchored the soil with deep roots, restricting soil loss. The rows also acted as shelter for pest predators and biological controls.

Rambling hedgerows often are seen as the defining feature of the European landscape. They provide valuable evidence of land-use history. And, in fact, these structures have affected the course of human history in more ways than just agricultural.

In the days after World War II’s historic D-Day strike in June 1944, American soldiers became all too familiar with the hedgerows of Normandy, France. The earthen, plant-covered mounds dated back to Roman times. Since they were meant to keep cattle contained and to mark boundaries between farms, typically only one small, obscure entry connected adjacent fields that were completely enclosed by the hedgerows. Many of the hedgerows and fields were irregular in length and height and set at odd angles. On the sunken roads running across the landscape, the brush often met overhead and must have given the soldiers an eerie feeling of leafy tunnel with a very shallow view. One can only imagine the difficulty of operating in a life-threatening situation where every view was blocked by walls of vegetation.

Today, ancient hedgerows are disappearing at an alarming rate in some European countries. Farmers, seeking to make their operations more efficient, dismantle the narrow belt of vegetation to expand field size.

In the garden, the conservation and wildlife habitat features of hedges are perhaps most often viewed as an added benefit of the horticultural endeavor. Most often hedges are used for the same reason as the ancient hedgerows. “Good fences make good neighbors,” we say. But somehow, erecting a lifeless fence seems like a cold way to relate to our neighbor, so we define our property lines with the lush, more palatable greenery of a hedge. Besides, we say, hedges usually last longer then fences and may require less maintenance.

Secondly, we use carefully planned rows of shrubs for hedges to divide the garden plot into carefully sized “outdoor rooms.” If properly selected, the soil, sun and moisture conditions of the site will dictate which plants will form the hedge, but many selections available provide colorful, fragrant flowers, edible fruits, autumn color and are decorative in the winter.

For a bitty hedge under 3 feet, select boxwood, potentilla, spirea or dwarf European viburnum. Chokeberry, dogwood, dwarf euonymous, Korean lilac, Miss Kim lilac, dwarf ninebark, serviceberry, snowmound spirea, arctic blue leaf willow will reach between 3 and 6 feet. Arborvitae, Peking cotoneaster, red twigged and variegated dogwood, euonymous, old-fashioned lilacs, Amur maple, Vanhoutte spirea and many viburnms are excellent hedge selections that reach over 6 feet in height at maturity.

Diana George Chapin is the NEWS garden columnist. Send horticulture questions to Gardening Questions, 512 North Ridge Road, Montville 04941 or e-mail dianagc@midcoast.com. Selected questions will be answered in future columns. Include name, address and telephone number.