[Objective] To study the differentiation characteristics of soil water retention in different part of the hedgerow system in order to provide guidelines for design and management of hedgerow systems.[Methods] Based on measuring the physical parameters of soil moisture for Caragana korshinskii and Armeniacc sibirica, the soil water retention curve as well as derived parameters of in-band and inter-band of hedgerow System were compared by van Genuchten model. [Results] (1) The total soil porosity, water stable micro-aggregates content and soil permeability was higher for C. korshinskii and A. sibirica. hedgerows than farmland(as a check). Soil properties from the in-band of C. korshinskii such as total soil porosity(66.36%), water stable micro-aggregates content(35.50%) and organic matter content(44.1 g/kg) were 7.34%, 1.95% and 25.64% higher than that from the inter-band, respectively. Similarly, the above three indicators from the in-band hedgerows of A. sibirica were 11.93%, 29.33% and 21.48% higher than that from the inter-band hedgerows, respectively. (2) The wilting coefficient of C. korshinskii and A. sibirica was 7 and 3.25 times of farmland, respectively, and the field capacity was 1.46 and 1.25 times, respectively, which display a more obvious advantages in soil water retention of farmland. (3) The soil water content of the in-band hedgerows was higher than that from the inter-band for both moisture absorption and desorption process with the same soil water suction, which was consistent with the content of soil clay. The in-band soil water content of C. korshinskii was higher than that of A. sibirica. They were both higher than that in the farmland. [Conclusion] The two-phase structure of hedgerows can significantly promote the enrichment of soil clay, micro-aggregates and organic matter in in-band hedgerows, which is the key mechanism to improve soil water retention and saturated soil permeability.