| My last article on how to plant a country | | | | wild roses. Put some dog rose or sweet briar |
| hedge covered what is involved in preparing | | | | into your hedging. Both are rambling roses |
| the ground. This concentrates on helping you | | | | with well barbed shoots that can grow 8-10 |
| choose your hedging plants. A typical country | | | | feet in a year. These shoots run through the |
| hedge fulfils one or more of four purposes; | | | | hedge, helping to tie it together. They also |
| it is a boundary marker, it is designed to | | | | carry pretty leaves (wild briar leaves smell |
| keep live stock from wandering, it is a | | | | of apple when crushed), single flowers in |
| screen and it can be a wildlife habitat. | | | | clusters - generally white and pink and |
| | | | bright red hips held well into winter make |
| A stockproof (which includes people and dog | | | | roses a visual highlight of your hedge as |
| proof) hedging needs a good proportion of | | | | well as being one of its 'enforcers'. |
| hawthorn - about 50% is good - and it should | | | | |
| not have anything too poisonous in it - so no | | | | The most beautiful native shrub of all is the |
| wild privet, yew or laurel. If all you want | | | | Guelder Rose. It is actually a viburnum, not |
| is to keep animals or people in or out, then | | | | a rose at all, has no thorns and most |
| pure hawthorn is the cheapest way. Hawthorn | | | | un-roselike leaves. In summer it is covered |
| is pretty - it flowers, fruits, has | | | | in cream coloured puff ball flowers which are |
| attractive foliage in summer and good autumn | | | | followed by cherry red berries and the most |
| tints, but a whole hawthorn hedge is a bit | | | | magnificent autumn foliage in shades of red. |
| 'samey'. | | | | |
| | | | Field maple is also truly beautiful. Little, |
| Why not have a bit of fun and mix it up a | | | | glossy green maple shaped leaves with red |
| bit? And not only more fun; in the most | | | | stalk and veins. Helicopter fruitlets in |
| literal sense, variety is the spice of life. | | | | autumn and then leaves turning in colour to |
| You will be amazed at the range of wildlife | | | | what can only be described as Benson & Hedges |
| that will be attracted by a few additional | | | | Gold. |
| plants in your simple country hedgerow. | | | | |
| | | | Dogwood is an everyday sort of plant in |
| So we have hawthorn as the base - the cheese | | | | summer. Rather non-descript leaves and |
| and tomato in the pizza if you will. Hazel | | | | flowers that are over in seconds. It does |
| is also an excellent hedge plant. Good | | | | carry berries in autumn, but you really grow |
| leaves - strong and broad that contrast well | | | | it for its bark. The new growths of dogwood, |
| in shape and texture with hawthorn and that | | | | in winter light up your hedge when all leaves |
| colour well in the autumn. Nuts that the | | | | have fallen. Depending on the variety, you |
| squirrels get long before we do. Hazel also | | | | can pick your colour, red, yellow, lime |
| lays well, which means your hedge can be | | | | green, purple even black. |
| regenerated every 50 years or so. The | | | | |
| crowning glory of hazel however is its | | | | Last and by no means least is Blackthorn. |
| flowering. Hazel carries catkins in very | | | | Dense growing, viciously spined, blackthorn |
| early spring, on bare wood. Not only are | | | | is an essential ingredient in any hedge that |
| they a sight for winter-sore eyes, but they | | | | is needed to keep sheep in or vandals out. |
| are heavy with pollen which is essential for | | | | First to flower in spring, a blackthorn bush |
| bees when they come out of their hives and | | | | can be completely hidden by its blossom. In |
| nests on warm days in late winter. Without | | | | late summer, pick the sloes to make your sloe |
| that pollen they struggle to survive and your | | | | wine, brandy, vodka or non-alcoholic jelly. |
| fruit and veg suffer as a consequence. | | | | And all through the summer listen to the |
| | | | birdsong - for no other hedge plant brings in |
| Every fence (man-made or natural) is | | | | the birds, including nightingales, like |
| strengthened with the addition of a bit of | | | | Blackthorn. |
| barbed wire. Nature's barbs are found on | | | | |