Yes, you can plant a hedge next to a rotting fence. The fence can also fall down and squash your baby hedge.

any where you can dig a hole.. you can plant things..

whats on your mind.. that you think you cant do it near an old fence????

nice dark soil is basically made from rotting wood, leaves.. humus.. etc ... so what difference would the fence make..

other than as mentioned .. it might fall down on babe plants??

if you want help selecting plants.. and advice on the project.. add you big city location.. perhaps a pic or two.. and other pertinent info...

some soil conservation districts have spring plant sales.. for just this type of project ...

ken

Maybe the entire fence does not need to be replaced. But rather specific parts of it. And whether the hedge is new and small or old and big when the unaddressed fence finally blows over you will have a mess if both elements are present at the time.

if it were me, I'd remove the fence before planting. It would be less work than doing it after the shrubs are growing and less likely to damage the plants.

You can always place some stakes along where the fence was to preserve the original location of the fence, until the shrubs grow bigger.