Hedging to encourage wildlife

[Susie]

I am going to put in a second hedge shortly and before I order my plants I thought I would run them by you and see if you could suggest any improvements. Your advice and experience is always welcomed.

What do you think about:-

1 Alder Buckthorn
1 Blackthorn
1 Spindle Bush
1 Holly
1 Cherry Plum
1 Hawthorn
1 Hazel
1 Guelder Rose
2 Dog Rose
2 Honeysuckle.

I am going to underplant this with English Bluebell, Red Campion and Foxglove.

[Brocker]

Susie,
I know nothing about this at all, but are you actually putting in a hedgerow or can this be done within a garden. Sorry for the naivity but this has interested me. I will follow this thread closely as it is something I would like to do..

[tufftie]

What soil are you on - it makes a difference? If you're not on chalk i'd give the spindle a miss. Here's a very good nursery link for you: Hopes Grove Nurseries Their plants arrive in very good condition and I haven't lost one yet. There prices are very good too.

Others I would add would be;

cotoneaster lacteus (evergreen)
ligustrum ovalifolium (evergreen)
rowan
yew
holm oak

They are all good for wildlife and while the bottom two grow quite large they are both slow growing and easy to manage. I'd avoid loniceras (honeysuckles) as they can be real nightmares in hedges, go for another type of rosa instead.
For under planting there's always violas, wood anenomes, ransoms and lesser celendine too.
Just as an after thought I might be tempted to put a buddlia or two in the hedge, while not native they are fantastic for insects and the other plants will keep it from toppling in a strong wind.

[aeshna5]

Spindle normally grows on chalk but I've seen a few good ones that were planted that were on neutral soils so I'd still give it a go unless you're on very acid soil.

I've got Loniceras growing through my boundary shrubs along with other climbers + wouldn't be without it- wonderful fragrance, attractive flowers/berries not to mention attractive to various pollinating moths.

A disadvantage of Blackthorn is that it suckers profusely which may be a problem, otherwise good native shrub.

[Jez]

Originally Posted by Susie

I am going to put in a second hedge shortly and before I order my plants I thought I would run them by you and see if you could suggest any improvements. Your advice and experience is always welcomed.

What do you think about:-

1 Alder Buckthorn
1 Blackthorn
1 Spindle Bush
1 Holly
1 Cherry Plum
1 Hawthorn
1 Hazel
1 Guelder Rose
2 Dog Rose
2 Honeysuckle.

I am going to underplant this with English Bluebell, Red Campion and Foxglove.

sounds great tome Suzie! Alder Buckthorn suggests yu want to encourage the Brimstones to lay eggs here. Blackthorn because you are wanting to make sloe gin. Holly berries for the birds and the seasonal spirit of Christmas. Spindle have lovely looking berries. Cherry Plum For the Birds
and so on. I planted a hedge back in March very similar to yours i planted Purging buckthorn,Wild Cherry,Cherry Plum,Hornbeam,Hazel,Dog Rose,Sweet Briar,Dogwood,Small leaved Lime,Holly,in between Hawthorn bushes.

I have however read that if your sowing a woodland meadow to plant in hedging trees the following year and to prune evey 2-3years to realise the hedges potential and to provide an abundance of fresh colour & form in spring flowers & Berries.

All the best with it sounds Native and abundant to me already

[Emma S]

Just a thought - if you are wanting berries on your hedge, wouldn't you need more than one plant of each species for fertilisation? I noticed that you were buying one plant of most species. I know that to be true of hazel, I don't know about the others.

[Susie]

Yes, you are quite right, Emma. Good point.

The shrubs I have gone for are ones that are around locally (such as the spindle, which is why I think it will grow quite happily in the hedge here as I have seen it in the wild very nearby) so there should be enough bushes around to cross pollinate where there is a need. I also have another hedge planted on the other side of the front garden too, but this is mainly Blackthorn.

Jez, you are right about the Alder Buckthorn, it is going to be planted specifically for Brimstones, but the Blackthorn isn't for Sloe Gin, it is for the Brown Hairstreak butterflies that come into my garden.

How has your hedge done since March when you put it in? Has it established well?

Thanks for the suggestions and link, tufftie. They're great.

I imagine lesser celendine and dog violet will turn up whether I want them or not, they are all over the garden. I love buddleia too, but I already have six in the garden and I really want to put in plants that will be food plants for specific caterpillars that I am trying to encourage or as a habitat/food source for the local wild birds.

Hi Brocker,

I am being a bit naughty and pinching a bit of the local authority's land which runs adjacent to my front garden to put this hedge on, but I don't think anyone is going to notice or complain. There is no reason why you can't put a hedge in a garden, just scale it down to suit and keep it trimmed back when necessary.

[Brocker]

Many thanks Susie. I am going to start to look into that.....

[Emma S]

Ah yes, if you have others of the same species in your viscinity then you're right, pollination won't be a problem.

[Jez]

Originally Posted by Susie

Yes, you are quite right, Emma. Good point.

The shrubs I have gone for are ones that are around locally (such as the spindle, which is why I think it will grow quite happily in the hedge here as I have seen it in the wild very nearby) so there should be enough bushes around to cross pollinate where there is a need. I also have another hedge planted on the other side of the front garden too, but this is mainly Blackthorn.

Jez, you are right about the Alder Buckthorn, it is going to be planted specifically for Brimstones, but the Blackthorn isn't for Sloe Gin, it is for the Brown Hairstreak butterflies that come into my garden.

How has your hedge done since March when you put it in? Has it established well?

Thanks for the suggestions and link, tufftie. They're great.

I imagine lesser celendine and dog violet will turn up whether I want them or not, they are all over the garden. I love buddleia too, but I already have six in the garden and I really want to put in plants that will be food plants for specific caterpillars that I am trying to encourage or as a habitat/food source for the local wild birds.

Hi Brocker,

I am being a bit naughty and pinching a bit of the local authority's land which runs adjacent to my front garden to put this hedge on, but I don't think anyone is going to notice or complain. There is no reason why you can't put a hedge in a garden, just scale it down to suit and keep it trimmed back when necessary.

Brown Hairstreaks aswell as Brimstones well well how lovely is that aye Theres plenty of Blackthorn around these parts but i haven't seen the Hairstreaks lucky you P.S nothing wrong with Lesser Celadine how very dare you tis such a lovely welcome to spring and very beneficial so are violets without my garden would be less so! In regards to how my trees are doing- I bought them back in march from bare root plants offered at around 45-90cm and cut them back to a foot in height but i'm really chuffed to the vigor already. I also planted them in a zigzag line to offer them optimal growing!