Why plant a native hedgerow?

A hedgerow does far more than mark a boundary. It is a wildlife corridor, a larder, a nesting site and a windbreak in one. A mixed native hedge supports hundreds of species, from brown hairstreak caterpillars to hazel dormice, and it improves with age. Unlike a fence, it offers privacy, shelter for tender plants and a home for birds that repay you by eating aphids and codling moth larvae. If you have a bare fence line or a gap in a field boundary, a native hedgerow is one of the best long-term investments you can make.

The four best natives for a mixed hedge

Mix several species so each flowers and fruits at a different time. The classic quartet for a dense, thorny boundary is hawthorn, blackthorn, hazel and holly. Plant roughly 50 per cent hawthorn, 20 per cent blackthorn, 15 per cent hazel and 15 per cent holly. Add field maple, dog rose or guelder rose for extra diversity if you like.

• Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna): The backbone of most British hedges. Quick to establish, fiercely thorny, with creamy May blossom and haws that feed thrushes into winter.
• Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa): Flowers on bare stems in March. Its sloes make gin, and its dense, suckering habit creates an impenetrable thicket ideal for nesting birds.
• Hazel (Corylus avellana): Lambs' tail catkins in February, nuts in autumn. It coppices willingly and its flexible stems are perfect for laying.
• Holly (Ilex aquifolium): The evergreen anchor. Slow-growing but invaluable for winter shelter and red berries on female plants.

Buy bare-root whips in winter

Start with bare-root whips, planted between November and March while dormant. They are cheaper than pot-grown plants, establish faster and come in a wider range of natives. Order 60–90cm whips grown from British seed. Unpack them immediately; if you cannot plant within a few days, heel them into a spare patch of soil by laying them in a trench and covering the roots. Soak the roots for an hour before planting. Choose a mild, frost-free day and avoid frozen or waterlogged ground.

Planting a double row for density

For a truly dense boundary, plant a double, staggered row. Clear a strip about 1.2 metres wide, removing couch grass and bindweed. Fork over the soil and add a bucket of well-rotted compost per square metre. Space whips 30cm apart within each row, with 40cm between rows, offsetting them into a zigzag. For a 10-metre hedge, that is roughly 60 whips. Cut a narrow notch with a spade, slide the roots in and firm the soil back with your heel. Keep the plants at the same depth as they were in the nursery — look for the soil mark on the stem. Firm well, because air pockets around the roots kill a whip faster than frost. Water each plant in.

Mulch thickly and water through the first summer

Spread a 5–7cm layer of well-rotted manure or bark chippings along the row, leaving a 10cm gap around each stem. Mulch suppresses weeds, locks in moisture and feeds the soil. Keep a metre-wide strip either side clear of grass and weeds for two years — young whips cannot compete. Water deeply in dry spells during the first two growing seasons. Fit spiral guards if rabbits or deer are about. Do not use nitrogen-rich fertiliser; it encourages soft growth that aphids love and frost damages.

Trimming, laying and seasonal care

In the first winter, cut each whip back by one third to encourage bushy growth. For two years, trim the sides lightly in late winter but leave the top to gain height. From then on, cut in late winter — February is ideal — before birds nest. Never trim between March and August. For a wildlife-friendly hedge, trim only one side or section each year, leaving the rest to flower and fruit. After eight or ten years, consider laying the hedge: cutting part-way through the stems and bending them over to create a living, stock-proof barrier. It rejuvenates the hedge and creates the dense base that wrens and hedgehogs need. A native hedgerow is a slow investment, but in a decade you will have a boundary that is beautiful, useful and alive.