As party girl August staggers out for another year, it is a delight to welcome September and her gorgeous no-nonsense aura. What could be more fitting for the month of back to school and pencil cases than the tidy lines of a manicured hedge?

Every parenting manual will tell you: there is comfort in boundaries, so cocoon oneself behind a motherly yew while the world continues on the other side. Ever practical, hedges earn their keep as windbreaks or by screening less attractive areas of the garden.

Don’t confuse the ordered nature of hedges with an austere outlook, there is also enormous fun to be had with topiary and mazes, space permitting. Hedging is one of the most versatile ornamental structures in a garden so do allow yourself to play with heights, zones and by mixing flowering species, such as lavender, in with the evergreens.