MAKE YOUR HEDGE A HAVEN
They shelter wildlife — just pick one that won’t annoy the neighbours
THE back garden of our previous home had an overgrown — but lovely — old mixed hedge. It had probably been there since the house was built. To my horror, a new neighbour ripped it out and replaced it with a 6 ft fence. I can’t complain too much as we now have a fence in our current home to prevent our dog from escaping, but we have a hedge of cherry plum by our front steps which will soon flower.
GREEN CORRIDORS
HEDGES can be species-rich wildlife havens, forming green corridors between gardens, as well as mitigating flooding and reducing noise pollution.
But they are often a source of tension between neighbours, particularly the hated Leyland cypress (Cupressus leylandii), which can grow up to 3ft a year, casting shade and sucking all the nutrients from the soil.
Unlike our neighbours in Britain, Ireland has no height limits for either hedges or trees — in the UK, a row of two or more evergreens over 2 m tall were outlawed by the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003. However, there are warnings against planting invasive species as hedges that can spread into the wild, outcompeting native plants.
Cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) and the Japanese rose (Rosa rugosa) are two of the worst culprits.
The answer is to plant native or non-invasive hedging species and the best time to do so is in winter.
NATIVE SPECIES
EVERGREEN hedges offer yearround privacy but need to be maintained to prevent them from becoming overgrown.
Yew is dense and slow growing, but makes a great formal hedge and doesn’t need to be clipped as often as other conifers. The spotted laurel Aucuba japonica ‘Crotonifolia’ is an award-winning and compact evergreen shrub, which doesn’t mind shade.
If you live near the coast and are looking for protection from the wind, Griselinia littoralis is a good option, but bear in mind it likes full sun and a well-drained soil. If you want your hedge to act as a deterrent to people or animals, Berberis and Pyracantha have sharp spines, while lavender can make an attractive low-growing barrier.
Deciduous hedges don’t need to be pruned so often and are less prone to wind damage. Beech holds its coppery leaves over winter, giving the best of both worlds. Hornbeam is similar — it doesn’t keep its leaves for so long but it is more tolerant of the cold.
Hawthorn makes a great native hedge, with pink and white blossom in May, followed by gleaming scarlet berries in autumn. Most deciduous hedges are planted as bare-root plants until the end of winter, but not when the ground is waterlogged.
Dig a trench big enough for the plants to be level with the soil where the roots branch out, but don’t incorporate organic matter as this will sink. Don’t be afraid to plant bare-root whips close together for a denser result. For a few years, water your new hedge during dry periods.