How to Calculate Hedge Height for Privacy

Consult your local ordinances, restrictive covenants and homeowners' association by-laws before you begin. Hedges not only prevent viewing into your yard — they cast shadows on other people’s property they may not want. Check to determine the maximum allowable height for your privacy hedge.

Mark off the area in the yard where you want privacy. Stretch string around the area, and pin the string into the ground with a few nails.

Stand in the middle of the marked area with a short ruler while a partner with a surveyor’s measuring rod positions herself along the prospective hedge line.

Have your partner raise the measuring rod vertically but still touch the ground with one end. Close one eye while holding the ruler horizontal, and raise the ruler until the edge sits above your view of the nearest place outside the yard where a standing person can see you. Have the partner slide his finger up the measuring rod until it reaches the level where your ruler edge intersects the rod. Call out to him, “Mark.” Have him take note of the height, write in on a piece of paper and secure the paper at his feet with a nail.

Repeat this process along the entire hedge line every 5 feet. Check to determine the highest point you surveyed. If it lies within the legal limit, that high point is the height of your hedge.

Research hedge species. Identify a hedge species that will grow to the desired height without overgrowing it. Check to verify the hedge species is compatible with your climate and soil.