The Essential Guide to Creating a Wildlife Hedge
Planning and Planting Native Plants to Encourage Flora and Fauna
Nov 14, 2009
They don't provide instant barriers; you have to wait for them to grow. Hedges take up space, water and nutrients. They also require clipping, but hedges form living boundaries. Hedgerows provide safe corridors for small mammals to travel along. Many native shrubs produce wonderful autumn colours as well as attractive flowers and fruits. The long term joy of owning such a hedge far outweighs the instant appeal of artificial barriers such as walls and fences.
A Selection of Native Hedgerow Shrubs.
A hedge containing a mixture of native species will support the widest range of wildlife. The following are all suitable contenders for inclusion:-
- The hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) is the stalwart of the wildlife hedge. This thorny, vigoprous grower will thrive in any soil and situation. The nectar-rich May blossom attracts 150 insect species, including bees and other pollinators, while the fruits provide food in winter for visiting birds such as redwings, fieldfares, songthrushes and blackbirds.
- Blackthorns (Prunus spinosa) carry profuse white blossoms in spring which supply easy nectar for bumble bees.
- The dog rose (Rosa canina) whose hips are rich in vitamin C is the favourite winter food for greenfinches.
- The guelder rose (Viburnum opulus) is laden with bright red translucent berries in autumn. Although they are slightly poisonous to humans, birds love them. The creamy white flowers are much favoured by hoverflies.
Other plants suitable for wildlife hedges, include the field maple (Acer campestre) which has a leaf similar to the hawthorn which turn lovely butter yellow colour in autumn, dogwood (Cornus sanguinea) for the red colour of its stems and the occasional Holly (ilex aquifolium) for a splash of evergreen winter colour and bright red berries.
Native Climbing Plants in the Wildlife Hedge
The shrubs in your wildlife hedge will quickly join together to form a complex living community. It's very likely they will soon be joined by some weak stemmed climbing plants which use the sturdy stemmed shrubs as support. Brambles and wild roses love to hook their way to the top of hedges. Once the hedge is established other climbing plants can be introduced such as honeysuckle,old man's beard (wild clematis) and ivy.
Encourage Woodland Edge Wild Flowers Along the Hedgebottom
Wild flowers found at the edge of woodland are to be encouraged and/or planted along the hedge bottom. Foxgloves, white campion, red campion,wood anemone, primrose, greater celandine and garlic mustard will attract nectar-loving insects and provide extra cover for birds and mammals.
Planting a Wildlife Friendly Hedge
Autumn is the best time to plant a hedge when the soil is still warm yet moist enough from autumn rains. It is better and cheaper to buy bare root plants from a nursery which specialises in the open ground production of trees and shrubs rather than purchasing container grown plants from a garden centre.
Key Stages When Planting a Hedge
When preparing the ground improve the soil structure by incorporating well rotted garden compost.
- Mark out the line of the hedge with string.
- Apply a light dressing (a handful per square metre) of slow release fertilizer or bone meal. If room allows plant a staggered double row.
- You need about 4 plants per metre length.
- Where space is limited plant a single row with 30cm between the plants
- Apply a mulch (75-100cm deep) of well rooted manure or compost at the base of the hedge. This supresses weeds and helps water conservation.
- After planting prune back the plants by half. This encourages bushy impenetrable growth all the way to the hedge bottom.
Future care of the Wildlife Hedge
- Ensure the plants are watered regularly during the first year after planting.
- Prune the plants back again by half In the following two autumns.
- In future years trim hedges every third year in late autumn/winter. At this time of year you won't disturb nesting birds.
- Try to leave nuts and berries available to birds and mammals for as long as possible.
Garden Hedges Are Valuable Replacements for Those Lost to Modern Agriculture.
With its large fields and mechanised methods of cultivation modern agriculture is responsible for the removal of miles of farm hedgerows. Garden hedges planted with native plants, and managed with the welfare of wildlife as a priority, provide a lot of habitat in very little space for much of the flora and fauna displaced from the countryside.
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