Hedging about.
Dick Warner advises on hedge plants for wildlife
A friend of mine wants to plant a hedge and we met up so he could pick my brains about it. It's only when we started to discuss it that I realized just how many functions a hedge can perform. Some people plant hedges for privacy and provided the result is reasonably tall and reasonably dense they do a very good job. Not only will they prevent you seeing the neighbours, and prevent them seeing you, a hedge can provide remarkably good sound insulation so you shouldn't be able to hear each other either.
Some people plant a hedge for shelter, particularly in windy areas. Here again they do an excellent job, far better than any other form of boundary division, because they don't just deflect the wind and change its direction, they actually filter it and reduce its speed. But if the winds are strong, and particularly if they're salty, you will be restricted in your choice of hedgerow species.
Most people want a garden hedge to look nice and there's no question that laurel, for example, can make a very efficient hedge but it can look a bit depressing on a bad day in February. And there are other functions hedges can perform - they can stop the dog straying or even provide crops of crab apples for jelly and straight hazel rods for supporting runner beans.
It turned out that my friend wanted all these things but his primary ambition was to plant a hedge that would be good for wildlife. The next thing to consider was the location. It wasn't particularly windy; it wasn't on the coast; the soil was neutral to alkaline, and it was free-draining. This allows plenty of choice. Actually I knew the area and I was familiar with the long-established farm hedgerows there, which is a help.
For wildlife, I suggested, he should only plant native species that were suited to his soil type. Also he should try and select species that would eventually grow to different heights and densities to give a variety of habitats. This should include a few large standard trees of a species that would not kill smaller plants with their shade. For wildlife the hedge should contain ivy, but he really shouldn't worry about this as the birds would plant it for him.
This still left a wide choice but I explained that the list I would draw up for him would contain about twice as many species as he would need because he would find it hard to source all of them - the supply of native trees and shrubs is still a bit patchy in this country.
For the standard trees I strongly recommended ash because they like his soil type, their seeds provide valuable winter food for birds and small mammals and they cast a very light shade and for only about four or five months of the year. For the bulk of the hedge I suggested a mix of hawthorn and hazel, both of which respond well to being trimmed. I also suggested that wild cherry, spindle, elder and crab apple were attractive to man and beast and suited his soil. Holly would grow for him too, though it's rather slow, and an evergreen was very valuable in winter. I told him to keep away from blackthorn because its root suckers are hard to control.
I said he should try and get some guelder rose for its berries and fine autumn colour and honeysuckle for its wonderful summer scent. Right in the bottom of his hedge he should think of hart's tongue fern, primroses and violets and, if possible, lords-and-ladies. At this point he was starting to flinch at the size of my list so I stopped. ‘Don't worry', I called after him as he left, ‘start with that lot and nature will supply the rest.'