Posted by shiny on November 03, 2026 at 10:10 · 2 min read and edited at November 03, 2026 at 10:31

Wellington wind doesn’t care about your seedlings. After the last few storms, I had a pile of branches scavenged from the street and neighbourhood, dropped by gales, and a garden that needed protection. The answer turned out to be very old: the dead hedge.

A dead hedge is exactly what it sounds like. You build a wall from woody offcuts, branches, and prunings, either stacked loosely between pairs of stakes or woven into a tangle. No planting, no waiting for growth. It’s a fence made from what other people call rubbish. It costs $0.00.

Why it works against wind

A solid wall makes wind bounce up and swirl down the other side, often making things worse. A dead hedge is porous. The wind filters through the gaps, slowing and breaking up into gentler turbulence rather than being slammed. That protects tender plants without creating the buffeting you get behind a solid fence.

It gets better with age

Over the seasons the branches slump, rot, and break down. Fungi and beetles move in, birds shelter and nest in it, and weta and lizards do well there too. What’s left slowly becomes a low ridge of rich, woody humus along the edge of your garden. You top it up with fresh branches as it sinks, and the whole thing becomes a living compost system and wildlife corridor, not just a windbreak.

How I built mine

• Drove two rows of sturdy stakes into the ground, about 30-40 cm apart
• Packed branches between them, thick ends alternating, with the springy twiggy bits mixed in for density
• Pressed it down as I went, and kept going until it was chest height

That’s it. Free materials, an afternoon’s work, and no carbon-heavy fence panels.

The catch

It will shrink over time, so expect to add to it each year. And it’s a different look from a tidy picket fence. But if you like a garden that works with its surroundings, it’s a lovely thing to have.

If you’ve got a windy patch and a pile of branches, give it a go.

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