Rows of bushes or shrubs planted close together to create a boundary or barrier. Can also mean ways of avoiding a direct answer or commitment. Plural of 'hedge.'
From Old English 'hecg,' possibly related to Germanic words meaning 'to enclose.' The plant-related meaning dates back to Anglo-Saxon times when hedges were the primary way to mark property lines. The figurative meaning 'to avoid commitment' developed in the 1500s, from the idea that a hedge is a boundary that keeps you from moving forward decisively.
Hedgerows—lines of hedges that crisscross British countryside—are basically wildlife highways that hold thousands of species. Interestingly, many ancient hedges are thousands of years old and can be dated by counting the different plant species in them; the more plants, the older the hedge! This makes them living historical records.
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