James Whitfield
Why Plant a Native Hedgerow?
A native hedgerow is one of the hardest-working things you can put on a smallholding. It marks your boundary, slows the wind, holds soil and water in place, and turns a bare field edge into a larder and nursery for everything from hedgehogs to yellowhammers. Unlike a fence, it improves with age, and unlike a wall, it costs little more than a few hours with a spade and a bundle of bare-root whips.
If you keep livestock or poultry, the shelter alone earns its keep. A good thorn hedge cuts wind speed dramatically across the first few metres of leeward ground, which means warmer animals, less poaching, and grass that starts growing earlier in spring. Add the blossom for pollinators, the berries for birds and the tangle of low branches for small mammals, and you have a boundary that gives far more than it takes.
Choosing Your Species
Aim for a mix, not a monoculture. Hawthorn, or quickthorn, is the backbone of most British hedges — roughly 60 per cent of your plants — because it is tough, thorny, grows almost anywhere and supports hundreds of insect species. Then add others for staggered flowering, berries and autumn colour.
- Hawthorn — dense and thorny, white May blossom, haws in autumn.
- Blackthorn — early sloe blossom for pollinators and sloes for gin. It suckers freely, so keep it to a small proportion.
- Hazel — catkins in late winter, nuts for jays and dormice, and it coppices willingly.
- Field maple — reliable on most soils, with superb autumn colour.
- Holly — evergreen, dense, excellent winter cover and berries.
- Dog rose, guelder rose, spindle and dogwood — hips, berries and vivid autumn stems.
- Crab apple, rowan and wild cherry — blossom and fruit for the birds.
Buy British-grown stock, ideally of local provenance, and avoid ash because of dieback. Skip non-natives such as laurel or Leyland cypress. Bare-root whips of 60–90cm are cheapest and establish best.
Choosing the Site and Preparing the Ground
Most natives cope with a range of soils, but they will not thank you for a waterlogged or badly compacted spot. A south-facing edge warms earliest; a north-facing one shelters best. Leave at least 1.5 metres between the hedge and any boundary fence, so you can trim from both sides without a wrestling match.
Clear a strip about a metre wide of grass and weeds before planting. This is the single biggest factor in survival rates. Grass competes ferociously for water in the first two summers, and a whip smothered by couch grass will sulk rather than grow. If the ground is heavy clay, fork it over to break the pan, but do not add rich compost — natives prefer a modest start.
Planting, Step by Step
- Timing — plant between November and March while the whips are dormant. Avoid frozen ground and standing water.
- Spacing — for a thick, stock-proof hedge, use a double staggered row: 40cm between plants and 40cm between rows, roughly five plants per metre. A single row at 30–45cm apart suits a lighter boundary.
- Planting — dig a hole wide enough for the roots to spread, firm the soil back in stages, and set the plant to the same depth as the nursery mark on the stem.
- Guards and canes — fit spiral guards against rabbits and voles, especially in the first three winters.
- Mulch — a 5–7cm layer of well-rotted woodchip, kept clear of the stems, suppresses weeds and holds moisture.
- Hedgerow trees — every 20–30 metres, let a field maple, oak or wild cherry grow up to full height.
The First Three Years
Water deeply in dry spells — around ten litres per plant — through the first two summers. Keep the planting strip weeded, by hand or with a hoe, until the hedge closes over. Cut the whips back by about a third after planting to encourage bushy growth from the base, then trim the sides lightly in the second and third winters.
Never cut between March and August. That is peak nesting season, and a flail through a hedge in May will destroy nests, eggs and chicks. Late winter is your window: January and early February, before the sap rises.
Managing an Established Hedge
Once it is away, cut on a rotation rather than all at once. Trim one side or one section each year and leave the rest to flower and fruit, so there is always food and cover on offer. Cut with a battered "A" profile — wide at the base, narrower at the top — so light reaches the bottom and the hedge does not go bare and leggy.
Resist the urge to flail every year. A hedge trimmed annually produces few flowers and almost no berries, and the base hollows out. Cutting every second or third winter gives you a thicker, healthier hedge and a great deal more wildlife. If you keep livestock, fence them off, or they will browse it down to a bare line of stems.
Finally, don't burn your trimmings. Pile them into a dead hedge along the base, and you will have created another habitat before you have even taken your boots off.
