Planting a new hedge or hedgerow for wildlife
If you are planning a new hedgerow you can find specialist native mixes online that are wildlife friendly with plenty of nuts and berries, or in privacy with a mix of prickles like blackthorn or holly. A forage hedge makes a great boundary. Blackberries, rosehips, hawthorn and blackthorn (sloes) will all fill your baskets, hazelnuts or kentish cobnuts may attract the endangered dormouse, and if you forget to pick them or plant too many for your own use, the animals will thank you as they feast on them!
Planting an edible hedge brings joy into your garden and offers a great way to connect to and notice the seasons for both children and adults. It differs from a normal garden hedge only in the choice of plants and timing of the care. You cut it less often to allow the plants to flower and fruit, something which we can all do anyway to help feed the wild birds as they migrate on their way to and from warmer climes.
Choose a mixture of berries and structural plants and buy bareroot young trees, known as whips, in winter. Hawthorn and blackthorn are the classic base plants that knit the hedge together. Blackthorn has long sharp thorns, so be careful if you have small children. Hazels are delicious raw or will keep for ages when dried. Sea buckthorn is a good choice for cold and coastal sites, its fiery red berries ideal for jams and pies; crab apples can be made into jellies and will feed the birds when all else is eaten in the coldest winter garden; and you can make cordials from elderflowers and a powerful vitamin syrup or wine from the berries.
You will need:
Bare root whips
Cardboard
Compost (home-made ideally)
Rabbit guards (optional)
Method
To allow berries to develop, the hedge needs a little bit more space than a formal hedge to grow comfortably. Leave 50cm/20in from the edge of the hedge to a boundary or path to allow you access to it for pruning and picking each side.
Apply a layer of thick cardboard, with a 5cm/2in layer of compost mulch on top (see page xx for no-dig planting), over the area where you plan to plant the hedge. Leave through several rains or water in to soak the cardboard.
When your bare-root whips arrive, soak them in water for a few hours. Image - 1
Then move the mulch aside and make holes in the soggy card so that you can plant each whip at a spacing of 50cm/20in in a staggered row. Image - 2
If you have rabbits, protect the whips with with rabbit guards or wire netting until it is established. Image - 3
Water for the first year during dry spells only. Harvest leaves in spring and berries in autumn. Image - 4
Fill your baskets! Some berries such as elder are toxic when raw and many need preparation and cooking before eating, so always consult a good hedgerow cookbook before eating.
Useful Suppliers
Rumwood Nurseries - https://rumwoodnurseries.co.uk › hedging
Polhill Garden Centre - https://www.polhill.co.uk
Palmstead - https://www.palmstead.co.uk
Provender Nurseries - https://www.provendernurseries.co.uk › products
Capel Cottage Nursery - https://www.capelcottagenursery.co.uk
