Why a native hedge earns its keep

A fence gives you privacy and nothing else. A hedge of British natives gives you privacy, a windbreak that filters rather than batters, a corridor for wildlife, and something that changes through the seasons — May blossom, autumn haws, the rustle of sparrows inside it. It also costs far less than most fencing if you plant bare-root whips and are patient. A well-managed native hedge will reach two metres in five to seven years on decent ground, and it will outlast you.

The trick is getting the planting right in the first place, then trimming it properly rather than simply hacking it back to the same height every year.

Choosing your mix

Density and food come from a blend of species, not a single one. Hawthorn should be the backbone — it is tough, thorny, dense and generous with berries. Around it, add diversity.

• Hawthorn (May): the classic field hedge. Tolerates clay, wind and neglect, and its haws feed redwings and fieldfares into winter.
• Blackthorn (sloe): early blossom for bees, sloes for gin, and suckering habit that fills gaps fast. It flowers on the previous year's growth, so keep trimming light if you want fruit.
• Hazel: good in slightly damper ground, excellent cover for nesting birds, and it coppices willingly if you want to cut pea sticks or bean poles.
• Field maple and holly: holly is the best evergreen for a mixed native hedge — dense, prickly and a winter roost. Plant a few, both sexes if you want berries.
• Dog rose, guelder rose, crab apple and spindle: smaller contributors that add hips, blossom and brilliant autumn colour.

Aim for roughly 70 per cent hawthorn and blackthorn, 30 per cent everything else. On heavy clay, hawthorn and blackthorn thrive. On light sandy soil, add more field maple and holly. Nothing here needs rich ground.

Planting: bare roots in the dormant season

Order bare-root whips — 60 to 90cm is ideal — and plant between November and March, avoiding frozen or waterlogged spells. Bare roots establish better than potted stock and cost a fraction as much.

Prepare a strip about a metre wide, clearing grass and perennial weeds; competition is the main reason young hedges fail. Space plants 30 to 45cm apart in a double, staggered row, with about 45cm between the rows. That gives you roughly five plants per metre for a hedge that will knit together and become impenetrable.

Plant to the same depth the whips were grown at, firm them in properly with your heel, and water well. Fit a spiral guard to each stem if rabbits or deer are about, and mulch with bark or a mat to keep the weeds down. There is no need to stake a whip.

Check for drains, cables and pipes before you dig, and leave a metre from any boundary so you can trim from both sides without trespassing.

The first three years

Water through the first two summers if the weather turns dry — a thorough soak every ten days or so beats a daily sprinkle. Keep the base clear of grass and weeds for at least two seasons; a strimmer is the enemy here, so cut by hand near the stems.

Do not trim the top in the first two years. Let the plants put on height. In the third winter, cut the leading shoots back by about a third to encourage sideshoots and a bushier base. If a plant dies, replace it the following winter.

Trimming for a dense, wildlife-friendly hedge

This is where most hedges go wrong. Cutting everything to the same flat height every year produces a thin, leggy top and removes the flowers and berries that make a hedge worth having.

• Cut in late winter, ideally late February, before birds nest. It is an offence to damage an active nest, and native hedges are nesting habitat from March onwards.
• Shape it like an A, not a rectangle. A wide base tapering to a narrower top lets light reach the bottom, so the hedge stays dense to the ground. Never cut hawthorn or blackthorn back into thick, old wood — they rarely reshoot from it.
• Cut on a rotation. Trim a third of the hedge each year, or cut the whole thing every second or third year. Less frequent cutting means more blossom and far more berries.
• Leave the odd tall stem. A few standards left to flower and fruit add height, shelter and interest.
• Want sloes? Trim blackthorn lightly in early September after the fruit, rather than in winter.

For real density, consider laying the hedge once it is established — partially cutting stems and bending them over. It is a traditional skill, but it produces a stock-proof, long-lived hedge that no flail can match.

Living with your hedge through the year

Beyond the annual trim, a native hedge asks little. Top up the mulch in spring for the first few years, watch for rabbit damage, and resist the urge to tidy the leaf litter beneath it — that is where hedgehogs, beetles and moths overwinter.

If the hedge starts to shade a border or a neighbour's window, remember that you can keep it lower simply by cutting more often; the shape and rotation matter more than the height. Two metres of mixed hawthorn, blackthorn and hazel will screen a garden, cut the wind, and hum with life from March to November. Give it five years and you will wonder why anyone bothers with panels.