English native country hedges are an iconic part of our countryside with a history dating back to the bronze age, making them one of the oldest man made features in the British landscape.
Whether you want to create a living boundary, enclose livestock, create some privacy or screen an unsightly view… a native hedge can solve many garden dilemmas. A native hedge makes a great hedge in two to three years, that will not only provide a fantastic resource for wildlife and foragers, but will delight you and your neighbours with year round interest.
What do you want your hedge to say?
An Englishman and his castle; we English love to define and protect our boundaries and this of course is an obvious reason for hedging but other reasons are many and these native hedges do not need to be confined to the country.
A single or multi-species can look very smart. Yew, beech and hornbeam are very happy to be tightly clipped or pleached. Hawthorne and hazels can be mixed with fruit trees and roses for a beautiful informal hedge. So do you need to hide or enhance a view, provide shelter from the wind, reduce noise or pollution then a hedge could be the perfect solution.
Conscious about the future of our environment we can all do our bit to create a mini eco system in our gardens; large or small, town or country.
Rural Edible Hedging
How about an edible hedge? Restoring childhood memories of country walks scavenging for damsons, sloes and cobnuts is something I am sure we can all remember. The benefits of an edible hedge extend beyond filling the larder with supplies not available in the supermarket and let’s not forget the Sloe Gin. The spring blossom produced from hawthorn and blackthorn is simply stunning, the hazel will delight with yellow green catkins in spring, abundant autumn fruit and berries will give an array of colours.
My perfect country hedge would smell amazing, offer year round interest and most of all offer lots of things to forage. The general rule of planting is 50% of a backbone filler with a mix of up to a maximum of 5 other species
The Details
This would be my ultimate plant list;
- 50% Crataegus monogyna (Hawthorn)
- 25% Corylus maxima (Kentish Cob Hazel)
- 10% Prunus spinosa (Sloe)
- 10% Prunus insititia ‘Prune Damson’ (Damson Plum)
- 5% Rosa Canina (Dog Rose)
This will provide spring blossom, abundant autumn and a beautiful dense green habit that a huge range of wildlife will adore! All are deciduous but will provide winter interest and shelter for wildlife. Happy in any soil in any situation.
Native Formal Hedging
For a formal evergreen yew (Taxus baccata) hedge is hard to beat. Suited to many gardens and settings; rural or urban. Providing a haven for birds and insects.
A yew hedge with its dark, dense evergreen tones provides a beautiful garden canvas, a great planting backdrop and year round soft structure. Yew will establish quickly in warm, dry soil.
Pleached hornbeam hedging
Hornbeam (Carpinus betulus) and beech (Fagus sylvatica) are fabulous, quick growing plants, taking only 2-3 years to establish.
Perfect for ornamental hedging both are very happy to be pleached and clipped into all manor of shapes. Deciduous, they keep their coppery leaves all winter. Unlike beech and yew, hornbeam will tolerate cold, wet clay soils, sun or shade.
Planting Native Hedges
Plant late autumn to early winter to allow the roots to establish before the hard winter weather arrives.
To prepare the soil thoroughly dig over and remove all weeds, dig in bulky organic matter. A new hedge is a big investment of time and money so it’s worth putting the time in now. Water well for the first year until the plants are established.
- Native species are best sourced as root-ball plants up to 1m high. Mound soil up to 30cm before planting to ensure the ground does not become water logged. Plant closely together between 50 – 75cm cm in a single row.
- Prune late summer, when young clip leggy growth as needed to encourage plant to thicken.
- Keep base weed and grass free.
- Feed hedges annually with slow release fertiliser, mulch to prevent weeds.
Choosing your plants
- Buy from local hedge growing specialist face to face. If it grows well locally it should be happy in your soil.
- Talk them through your plans & seek advice.
- Ask them to dig the plants up as you need them.
- If delivered, make sure they are protected from damage and cold winds and are packaged accordingly.
Just a few of my favourite suppliers:
- Botanicaplantnursery.co.uk
- Swannursery.co.uk
- Glebe Farm Hedging.co.uk
