New Hedge

[Galileo]

Hi

I will be planting a new hedge about 6 meters (twenty feet) long and would like it to benefit wildlife particularly birds.

I don't mind if it benefits birds directly for nesting and/or berries or is good for caterpillars or other crawlies which the birds can eat.

Any suggestions welcome

Thanks

Galileo

[joannec]

Hi

I will be planting a new hedge about 6 meters (twenty feet) long and would like it to benefit wildlife particularly birds.

I don't mind if it benefits birds directly for nesting and/or berries or is good for caterpillars or other crawlies which the birds can eat.

Any suggestions welcome

Thanks

Galileo

The best advice is to plant a mixed hedge and stick to native species to encourage wildlife. Your hedge to be at 6 metres is quite short. I would go for hawthorn dominant with a selection of the following, wild rose, privet, holly, blackthorn. Spildleberry (euronomus europeaus) would be a special addition and are gorgeous in the autumn and the berries a food source.

Hawthorn produces a good thick hedge, commonly used by nesting birds, and the thorns are good for protection. The blossom in spring is attractive and the berries are a good food source as are the berries of holly and blackthorn. I suggest wild rose because, not only is it pretty but it will attract aphids which the tits like as well as the rosehips which thrushes, particularly fieldfare, like. Holly and privet, as evergreen offer good protection in wet weather.

Eighteen years ago I planted a mixed hedge and am still pleased with it, the only drawback is the thorns on the blackthorn are horrible, really long and sharp and dangerous at hedge cutting times, so maybe on second thoughts leave the blackthorn out.

Joanne

[Cudyll Bach]

Instead of cutting the hedge every year why not get it laid every ten or fifteen years? It isn't that difficult if you wanted to do it yourself.

The only tree I would add to the list would be Hazel and maybe a shrub like Dogwood. If you have the option of planting the hedge on a bank you could sow a mixture of wild flowers in front it.

[Stranger]

Particularly like the mixture suggested by Joanne,Except for the Blackthorn as having once driven a motorbike through a Blackthorn hedge I can tell you if you don`t find all the ones that penetrate they fester and come up like boils!.

[joannec]

Particularly like the mixture suggested by Joanne,Except for the Blackthorn as having once driven a motorbike through a Blackthorn hedge I can tell you if you don`t find all the ones that penetrate they fester and come up like boils!.

OOh, that sounds painful. :eek!: OK I withdraw the suggestion for blackthorn.

[Isurus]

throw some guelder rose (VIburnum opulus) into the mix - its good stuff. You might also like to consider getting a thornless blackberry or rasberry and mixing that in too - obviously the birds love the fruit and you can often pick up the plants cheap in lidl or the like around now plus you don't get shredded by these like you would if you just mixed in a little wild bramble.

[Isurus]

PS if you do a search I put a post on here a while back about "improved" forms of most of the above with pictures. Since your hedge is going to be relatively small (and I assume in your garden) it might be worth a look to see if there's anything there that might make the garden prettier but just as wildlife friendly.

[kingwolf]

One thing I would add is check what is native to your locality as well andtry and source locally.

Sourceing locally will provide you with a more suitable stock of plant.

[alan_rymer]

OOh, that sounds painful. :eek!: OK I withdraw the suggestion for blackthorn.
No dont. Blackthorn makes a lovely hedge for birds. O.K. its a deterrent for people. But you get the blossom in the spring ( Bullfinch love it ), nice green foliage, then sloes if you want to try them in gin in autun.winter. All birds love it!.
If you're going to work on it, wear thick leather gloves ( the ones you might use with barbed wire), and a wax type jacket. Keeps most of the thorns out!

[Shifty]

And remember that if you are going to cut or prune the hedge at any time (which you may want to do every two or three years once it is established), it is best to do this in late February. This means that any berries are available for as long as possible and is before birds will begin nesting.

[joannec]

No dont. Blackthorn makes a lovely hedge for birds. O.K. its a deterrent for people. But you get the blossom in the spring ( Bullfinch love it ), nice green foliage, then sloes if you want to try them in gin in autun.winter. All birds love it!.
!


You are of course right Alan. I live in rural Sussex, the land of hedges. The sloes are one of the first berries to be stripped in Autumn, first by starlings and blackbirds and if there are any left the fieldfare and redwings finish them off.

[Stranger]

No dont. Blackthorn makes a lovely hedge for birds. O.K. its a deterrent for people. But you get the blossom in the spring ( Bullfinch love it ), nice green foliage, then sloes if you want to try them in gin in autun.winter. All birds love it!.
If you're going to work on it, wear thick leather gloves ( the ones you might use with barbed wire), and a wax type jacket. Keeps most of the thorns out!

You are quite right.,Just that the mention of Blackthorn brings back painful memories,
Incidentally it happened along the Bearwood road, not too far from you.
I made the mistake of grubbing out a box hedge and as a result lost a lot of birds from the garden.this thread has given me some ideas about replacing it.

[KnockerNorton]

One thing I would add is check what is native to your locality as well andtry and source locally.

Sourceing locally will provide you with a more suitable stock of plant.

Better still, go and find a piece of wasteground and dig up some self-seeded young hawthorns. They should be easy to find on any bit of abandoned ground. Also young rose. Make sure you get a big root ball, and not only have you got local plants, you've also got local bugs and a plant that is suited to your locality. Elder is also a quick-growing hedge plant.

All this talk of blossom and berries does depend an awful lot on how you plan to maintain your hedge - it is going to be clipped into shape? left to grow wide and tall and loose? laid? Unless you only clip it every few years, you will probably not see any blossom or berries from any species.

I'd defo go for hawthorn as the main plant, with maybe a couple of others. Once it's established and a few feet high, you could add some native (local) ivy or bramble at the bottom to grow through it and thicken it up, and add extra attraction for wildlife. You can again find young plants and take cuttings of rooted stems from almost anywhere.

[kingwolf]

Poecile is right I would add however, try and find out who the landowner is first and ask permission first - save issues in the future.

[Ian Latham]

Also consider what other wildlife is in the area. There could be a great number of predators (wild and domestic) that will enjoy the fruits of your labour (egg takers and fledgling killers)!! Maybe a hidden nest box would be better in the long run??