Planting a Native Hedge for Birds and Insects

Why a native hedge earns its space

A mixed native hedge is arguably the single most useful thing you can plant for British wildlife. It works as larder, nursery and winter shelter all at once, and it does so in a space that would otherwise be given over to a fence or a strip of close-mown grass. Native trees and shrubs support vastly more invertebrates than most ornamentals: a hawthorn can feed dozens of moth species, while a trimmed conifer hedge offers almost nothing. Those insects in turn feed the birds, and the dense, thorny growth gives them somewhere safe to nest.

The good news is that a hedge is forgiving. You do not need deep soil or a large garden, and once it is established it asks very little of you beyond an occasional trim at the right time of year.

Start with the three workhorses

If you plant only three species, make them these. Between them they cover early nectar, summer cover, autumn fruit and winter food.

Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) is the backbone of almost every traditional British hedge. Its May blossom is a magnet for bees, hoverflies and beetles, its haws are stripped by redwings, fieldfares and blackbirds in early winter, and its thorns make it the nesting shrub of choice for dunnocks, robins and blackbirds. It grows in most soils, tolerates wind and salt, and responds well to cutting.

Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) flowers in March and April, often before the leaves appear, making it one of the most valuable early nectar sources of the year. Sloes follow in autumn, softening and becoming palatable to thrushes after the first frosts. It suckers freely, which makes it excellent for filling gaps and creating a thick, protective thicket. It is also the larval food plant of the brown hairstreak butterfly, which lays its eggs on young stems — one more reason not to flail the same hedge to the same height every year.

Hazel (Corylus avellana) brings something the others do not: catkins from January onwards, when there is very little else in flower. The nuts are taken by squirrels, jays, wood mice and, in the right places, dormice. Hazel tolerates partial shade and coppices willingly, so it can be cut hard and will come back bushy.

Widen the mix with a few extras

A hedge of five to eight species will feed and shelter far more wildlife than a monoculture, and it will look better too. Plant in groups of three to five of each species rather than alternating single plants, which looks fussy and gives each shrub too little room.

• Field maple — good autumn colour, aphids and their predators, seeds for small birds.
• Crab apple — early blossom, fruit that blackbirds and thrushes will fight over.
• Dog rose and guelder rose — open flowers for bees, hips for birds, and guelder rose berries for winter thrushes.
• Holly — evergreen shelter and berries in the leanest weeks of the year.
• Spindle — unremarkable until autumn, when its pink-and-orange fruits appear and the spindle ermine moth caterpillars have done their work.
• Alder buckthorn — the food plant of the brimstone butterfly, if your soil is reliably damp.
• Elder — fast growing, flowers for hoverflies, berries for warblers in late summer.

Planting bare-root: timing, spacing and preparation

Bare-root plants are cheaper, establish better and come in far more variety than container-grown stock. Order British-grown native provenance where you can, and plant between November and March while the plants are dormant — but not when the ground is frozen or waterlogged.

Clear a strip about 60cm wide, digging out perennial weeds such as couch grass and bindweed, which will otherwise smother young whips. Improve poor soil with a little well-rotted compost or manure, but skip fertiliser, which encourages soft growth at the expense of roots.

• Plant at five plants per metre in a double, staggered row for a stock-proof, dense hedge. For a looser wildlife hedge, four per metre is fine.
• Set each plant to the same depth it was growing before — look for the soil mark on the stem.
• Firm the soil around the roots with your heel, then water thoroughly.
• Mulch with 5–8cm of bark chip or compost, keeping it clear of the stems.
• Fit spiral guards against rabbits and voles, and mark each plant with a cane so you do not lose it in the grass.

The first two summers

Water young plants generously in dry spells — a slow soak once a week is far better than a daily sprinkle. Keep the base clear of grass and weeds for the first couple of years, then let a rough margin grow in; that tussocky edge will shelter beetles, frogs and small mammals.

Immediately after planting, cut deciduous whips back by about a third, to roughly 30–45cm. It feels brutal, but it forces bushy growth from the base rather than a few spindly stems — exactly what you want for nesting birds.

Cutting for wildlife, not tidiness

Resist the urge to trim every year. A hedge left to flower and fruit will feed far more creatures, and it will be nest sites, not neatness, that you notice.

Never cut between March and August, when birds are nesting — it is both harmful and, for active nests, an offence. Instead, cut in late winter, every second or third year, and do it in sections, leaving part of the hedge uncut each time. That way there is always some older growth for berries and some young stems for butterflies. Cut with a slight batter, so the hedge is wider at the base than the top, letting light reach the bottom and preventing it from going bare and leggy.

In the long run, consider laying the hedge rather than flailing it. Laying rejuvenates the shrubs, thickens the base and creates a structure that will house wildlife for another generation — and if you get the chance, leave a pile of cut brash in a quiet corner. It will be full of wrens and hedgehogs before you know it.