The announcement that householders who fail to cut back high hedges could face charges of up to £200, in addition to a maximum £1,000 fine for non-compliance with an order to trim the bushes, will have prompted many gardeners to have a rethink about what hedging they should plant in future.

The law changes come as part of the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003 but are only now coming into force. Officials say complaints will only be considered where the hedge under dispute is evergreen, more than two metres high and "blocking out light, access, or reasonable enjoyment of the neighbours' property".

Over the years, the evergreen leylandii has been the cause of many neighbours' disputes because of its fast growth habit and massive height (they can grow to 130ft).

Yet many horticulturists recommend this as a great hedging plant provided you clip it at least twice in the summer and don't let it grow out of control.

Those who want extremely low-maintenance barriers should stick to fences, says Tony Dickerson, RHS horticultural adviser.

"The leylandii is a great hedging plant if it is kept at a reasonable height and clipped twice a year, but the problem is that if you leave it you can't cut back into old wood because it won't recover, which is the same for most conifers."

The slower growing yew may be a more suitable candidate for hedging, he suggests. When watered and fed well, it will make up to 1ft of growth a year and will form a small tree if left to its own devices. The advantages are that you can cut back into old wood.

"A lot of gardeners use it where they want to create garden rooms or want to have a tall hedge either side of their garden. It's very easy to grow and needs clipping twice during summer."

If you have let your hedge go, most evergreen broad-leaved hedges can be cut hard back on one side and the top in spring, and the other side and the top the following spring. In two to three years you should then have a fairly healthy and controllable hedge, he says.

If you are not going to have a lot of time for hedge-trimming, go for something that simply won't grow too tall. Informal hedges may be the option and produce flowers as well, such as escallonia, which can be trimmed back after flowering.

Other choices for an informal hedge include several berberis species, fuchsias and olearia.

If you want a deciduous formal hedge and are prepared to keep it tidy, one of my favourites is beech, which retains its old leaves during winter providing a russet-coloured background to the garden. The old leaves are pushed off by the new ones in spring. Other informal options are hornbeam, laurel, holly, the small-leaved honeysuckle and Prunus cerasifera Nigra', which produces deep purple leaves. Fargesia bamboo, which grows to around 6ft and isn't too invasive, is another possibility.

The hedging issue has prompted the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds to urge the public to check hedges for signs of birds nesting before cutting them back and is urging gardeners to delay hedge cutting until after the breeding season ends in August.

Dickerson notes: "If you keep your hedge tidy and clip it regularly twice during the summer, the clipping shouldn't unduly disturb the birds because you are only clipping around two inches off. They are likely to be nesting inside the hedge, not on the outside of it.

"However, if you've let your hedge go and are worried about disturbing the birds, leave any hard pruning until early spring."