Dead hedges are an ideal example of an element with stacking functions
A permaculture design term for elements with multiple functions
When designing garden elements, it’s good to stack the functions, so you have a feature that is doing more than one thing.
For example, these are dead hedge functions:
- Windbreak for young trees (until the live windbreaks grow)
- A site for non-compostable brash, roots & prunings
- Wildlife habitat
- A marker for your trees
The same principle can be used for specific plants. Eg a Sea Buckthorn can be used for:
Sea Buckthorn fruiting, in a windbreak hedge
- Windbreak hedge
- Nitrogen fixer
- Wildlife habitat
- Edible fruit