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This is the third of a series of posts I have been
commissioned to write by PomonaFruits. This month I have decided to
focus on hedging. It is the time of year
when my mind turns to hedging and in particular the native hedge I have that
runs along the side boundary of my house.
I am particularly thinking about hedging now because it is a
good time to prune and also to plan how fill in any gaps. My boundary is full of colour from the
berries and fruits that tangle their way around each other. There are many benefits from having a native
hedge and I shall now go through some of them.
As said above, they are easy to maintain, I chop bits off
that are annoying throughout the year but I only give it a proper sorting once
a year. My hedge is a glorious mix of Field Maple, Sloe and Hawthorn trees,
with a weave of blackberries threading through them. The blackberries and hawthorn create a prickly
barrier that is better than any barbed wire I could buy and certainly more
beautiful. I also have dog roses growing
here and there, self-sown by the birds that love to nest in the higher branches
of the trees.
Image c/o Pomona Fruits
Pomona Fruits sell a nativehedging mix that is made up Viburnum opulus (Guelder Rose), Crataegus
mongyna (Hawthorn), Prunus spinose (Sloe).
You get six plants of each, making a goodly length of hedge with 18
plants in total. It is a not a speedy
project, they will need time to grow, but within a year or two they do start to
grow together well.
Image c/o Pomona Fruits
Hedges can be made from many different shrubs/trees. I always think a definition of a hedge is
that you cannot walk through it. Pomona
Fruits sell a good selection of other shrubs in bundles of 6. 12 and 18
plants. Not only is there the native
mix, there is also an EdibleHedging Mix containing Prunus cerasifera (Cherry Plum), Cornus mas
(Cornelian Cherry) and Corylus avellana (Hazel), any one of these is a fine
plant in itself. I am particularly fond
of the Cornus mas as it flowers so early in the year, it would be a great
addition to any hedge or make a stunning hedge on its own.
Image c/o Pomona Fruits
This shrub has one of the finest scents available in my opinion and it certainly can grow with vigour. Treating it as a hedge would also encourage its flowering and it would be getting the pruning it so loves. Bees love this plant and it is really quite tolerant of difficult conditions. It is not native to the UK, but it is very good for pollinators nonetheless.
image c/o Pomona Fruits
Finally there is the dogrose, the wild rose, which grows into a beautiful hedge quite quickly. There is a simplicity to the flowers that I
find hard to resist. Again it is
festooned with sharp prickles that will deter people/animals from pushing
through it. At the top of my garden I
have a corner that is protected by a row of wild roses trimmed into a
hedge. Bees and birds just love
them. I have made rose-hip jelly from
them and I think they are a great all-rounder of a plant.
I love a good hedge, they are easy to maintain, they help
reduce wind damage and create microclimates in our gardens. Best of all, they look amazing, what is not
to love.
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