Why a native hedge is worth the space

A fence keeps the wind out and hides the bins, but it does little else. A hedge of native species does the same job while feeding, sheltering and housing birds, insects and small mammals. On a smallholding or in a generous garden, it is one of the most useful things you can plant — and once established, it asks for remarkably little.

The trick is to choose species that suit your soil, plant them while dormant, and then resist the urge to tidy them into submission. A hedge clipped hard every few weeks will survive, but it will carry few flowers, fewer berries and almost no nesting cover.

Three backbone species

Ready-mixed hedge packs are fine, but it pays to know what you are planting and why. Three natives do the heavy lifting in most British hedges.

• Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) — the classic field hedge. Quick, tough and unfussy about soil, coping with clay, chalk and everything between. Creamy May blossom feeds early bees and moths, red haws keep blackbirds, redwings and fieldfares going into winter, and the dense thorny growth is a favourite nesting site for dunnocks, robins and thrushes. Make it the backbone.
• Hazel (Corylus avellana) — quieter but invaluable. Yellow catkins open in February when little else is flowering, and the nuts are taken by squirrels, mice and jays. The flexible stems are easy to lay or weave, and the leaves feed a long list of moths. It prefers a little shade and moisture.
• Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) — first to flower, with white blossom on bare black stems in March. The sloes that follow feed thrushes and warblers, and the plant suckers freely into a dense, impenetrable thicket — exactly what nesting birds want. Give it room; it can be a thug in a small garden.

If you have space for a fourth or fifth species, add field maple, dog rose or crab apple. The wider the mix, the longer the season of food.

Choosing a spot and preparing the ground

Hedges make good boundaries, but they also work as corridors, letting wildlife move safely across your plot. Link yours to an existing boundary, a woodpile or a wild corner — a hedge that joins two habitats is worth two that stand alone.

Allow at least 60cm of clear ground on each side. Grass and weeds compete ferociously with young whips, so strip a metre-wide band with a spade, or smother it with cardboard and mulch a few months beforehand. On heavy clay, fork over the top 30cm and work in well-rotted compost. If you have rabbits or deer, plan for guards from day one.

Planting bare-root whips

Bare-root whips are cheap, establish fast and should go in between November and March while dormant. Avoid frozen or waterlogged ground.

Space plants 30–45cm apart in a single row, or use a double staggered row for a thicker boundary. Dig a trench deep enough to take the roots without cramping, and set each whip at the same depth it grew before — look for the soil mark on the stem. Firm well with your heel, water thoroughly, and mulch with bark or compost, keeping it clear of the stems.

Cut the whips back by about a third after planting, or to 15–30cm for a really bushy base. It feels brutal, but it encourages branching from low down, which is what makes a hedge dense.

Gentle management for the long haul

For the first two summers, water in dry spells and keep the strip around the hedge clear. After that it should look after itself.

• Trim in late winter — late January to early March, before birds nest. Never cut between March and August.
• Don't cut the whole hedge every year. Hawthorn and blackthorn flower on the previous year's growth, so an annual haircut removes blossom and berries. Cut one side or one section a year on a three-year rotation, and let some stems grow tall enough to flower and fruit.
• Leave a wild base. A skirt of grass and leaf litter shelters hedgehogs, frogs, beetles and overwintering insects. Resist the strimmer.
• Cut a hedgehog gap. A 13cm square gap at the base every few metres lets hedgehogs through.
• Skip the sprays. Ladybirds, hoverflies, blue tits and wrens will do the pest control for you.

A hedge that earns its keep

A native hedge takes three or four years to look like much, and about ten to become genuinely wildlife-rich. In return you get a windbreak, a screen, blossom in spring, berries in autumn, catkins in midwinter and a nesting site every year. Plant it once, manage it lightly, and it will outlast any fence.