A hedgerow is a long, thick line of bushes — and often small trees — growing along the edge of a field or a country road. It is a living wall, not a wooden fence, and not one bush standing alone. In Britain especially, farmers have used hedgerows for hundreds of years to mark land, keep animals in, and give birds and insects a home. Wild flowers often grow in them too. The word feels rural and British; American English more often just says hedge. You will see hedgerow in writing about the countryside, walks, and wildlife. Though actually, a tidy garden hedge cut into a short green box is not quite what people mean. A hedgerow is usually mixed, a bit wild, and stretched out like a row beside the field.