The charm of Cornwall's landscape is in its pattern of hedges around the small fields and along the narrow winding lanes. Nearly all are within sight of a public highway, and most people see some of them every day. Without these traditionally unkempt-looking hedges the land would be bare and bleak, with little to interest the eye. The hedges with their weathered stones and wind-slanted bushes and trees give character to the Cornish landscape. On the hilltops stone and boulder hedges merge with rocky tors and cliffs. In the valleys lush greenery and tall trees grow on the hedgebanks which, where stone is scarce, may be made of earthy clay clad with turf and wild plants. Between these extremes the classic Cornish hedge reigns supreme, built of earth and stone, topped with scrub and covered with wildflowers, amazingly varied by the local geology, aspect and exposure.
Cornwall's volcanic origins, followed by the erosion of around 200 million years, have resulted in the granite-topped hills, steep-sided valleys, and many different kinds of stone. Whether granite boulder hedges of West Penwith or Bodmin Moor, or mixed metamorphic rock hedges built of mining spoil, or “Jack and Jill” herringbone-patterned slate hedges of North Cornwall, the way the individual hedge is built depends on the local stone and tradition, and should blend naturally with the landscape. Today cheapness and ease of supply too often cause the wrong stone to be used, with less than tasteful results.