Screening wildlife hedge

parsley · #1 (**permalink**) 15-06-2008, 01:42 PM

We have moved to a house with a blackthorn hedge approximately 20m long and about 8ft high, along one side of our garden, adjoining a road. It is only a single row and is quite scrappy in places and thin for the bottom third.

We need to increase the screening of the garden from the road and wish to avoid fencing it if we can.

The blackthorn provides reasonable screening when it is in leaf, but is not much use in the winter. We are also a bit concerned about the thorns, both on the pavement outside, and for us and our children on the inside.

There is a bit of space on the outside of the hedge (perhaps a couple of feet) and we could also spare some space on the inside.

We wonder about laying the blackthorn and then perhaps thinning some of it out and planting more native species (e.g. field maple, dogrose, hawthorn, pyracanthra ....)

Any ideas please, especially to increase the screening in winter.

Paul mabbott · #2 (**permalink**) 15-06-2008, 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by parsley

There is a bit of space on the outside of the hedge (perhaps a couple of feet) and we could also spare some space on the inside.

We wonder about laying the blackthorn and then perhaps thinning some of it out and planting more native species (e.g. field maple, dogrose, hawthorn, pyracanthra ....)

Two natives that will give you winter cover are holly and beech, neither of them are that good at living with other species. Holly is easy to grow (some turns up in most hedgerows eventually) and evergreen - is eaily sheared to keep it neat. Beech is not evergreen but retains its dead foliage over the winter - can be quite attractive - it is slow growing and the stumps will eventually get quite thick - needs trimming once a year in late summer.

Otherwise, just put anything in that you fancy and leave things to grow of their own accord! Hawthorn provides the best hedge - grows quickly and produces useful flowers and fruit.

Good luck