Create a wildlife corridor with a ‘dead hedge’
If you do not have space or funds to plant a hedgerow, or if sunlight is limited under the canopy of trees, a dead hedge is an excellent solution. In deep shade under trees where the roots are close to the surface and only the smallest holly seedlings can be planted, a dead hedge will protect the plants as they get going. It can also be a legal requirement to lay one on construction sites where live hedgerows have been taken out, until a new hedge is established. These features also provide excellent wildlife corridors between territories for small mammals – you will also find birds of prey perching on them to hunt. As dead hedges decompose, the wood becomes the perfect host for invertebrates and fungi. These hedges also make great barriers and free alternatives to a fence, using cuttings from tree pruning and any woody material that can be laid in rows.
You will need:
String, a hose pipe or small pegs
Timber posts about 150cm/5ft long
An axe
Mallet or monkey wrench
Prunings etc.
Method
To begin, mark out the line of the hedge with string or a hose pipe or small pegs. A good location would be between a compost area and the main garden, at the edge of the garden, or in a woodland area where you would like to encourage wildlife.
Drive some vertical posts about 30cm/ 12in into the ground to create a frame – using an axe sharpen the posts to create pointed ends to make this job easier. Using a mallet, or borrow or hire a monkey wrench if you want to cover a large area and save your shoulders from injury, position the posts in pairs, 90–120cm/3–4ft apart at 150cm/5ft spacings. Image - 1
Collect together small branches and twigs, either dead windfall or prunings from trees, live hedge clippings, dried ornamental grasses, or reeds from ponds. If you don’t have enough material your neighbours may be happy to give you their garden waste.
Pile the brush into the gaps, using the largest pieces at the bottom. Image - 2
Try to overlap the piles, as though you were laying bricks in a staggered bond, to knit them together. Image - 3
As the woody material breaks down the hedge will sink, so you can add to it each year, or grow ivy over it and allow it to gently break down.
