Plant profile: edible hedgerow

Planting an edible hedge provides f lavours you can’t buy in the shops and rich pickings for the larder

Alys Fowler suggests the best shrubs and trees to create hedgerows for every garden

Imagine a boundary that is rich in wild flavours, alive with spring blossom, peppered with autumn colour and a feast for foraging from fat hips to intense berries and wild-tasting apples. A good edible hedge provides flavours you truly can’t buy in the shops and offers a wealth of preserving opportunities.

Your choice of what to include will inevitably be limited by the size and conditions of your garden. Urban and smaller gardens need plants that will thrive from clipping but still fruit well. Rosa rugosa, Japanese quince, juneberry and sea buckthorn are all tolerant of a wide range of conditions and can be clipped to suit the size of the garden. But if your garden can accommodate a wilder, country hedge then larger species, such as elderberries, crab apples, pears and damsons, which can grow into substantial boundaries could be an option.

With many of the best edible hedging choices you have the option to choose the common or the cultivated. You may be lucky enough for a bird to deposit a bramble, or you could choose a cultivar with an interesting leaf or a particular flavour. Rubus fruticosus ‘Ashton Cross’ is a wild-selected bramble with wiry stems and vast numbers of small to medium berries suited to freezing and preserving. R. fruticosus ‘Oregon Thornless’, as its name suggests, has smooth stems and is semi-vigorous with deeply cut attractive leaves. One of its parents is the cut-leaved blackberry, Rubus laciniatus, which I think has one of the finest flavours going, if you don’t mind its truly beastly thorns and vigorous habitat. Not one for a small hedge, but if you have space to let it ramble, it’s a handsome thing.

For a splash of colour, you could add an elderberry. Cultivars, such as Sambucus nigra f. porphyrophylla ‘Gerda’, with its pink flowers, S. nigra f. porphyrophylla ‘Eva’ with its lacy leaves, or golden elder, S. nigra ‘Aurea’, which has yellow-green leaves, all fit the bill. But an elderberry is not a subject for a tidy hedge; in the middle of a hedge, it tends to out compete its neighbours. Elderberries do best either on the end of the hedge line or allowed to grow as a tree within the hedge where you’ll get more flowers and fruits. Sloes or blackthorns ( Prunus spinosa), are another good choice. Their vicious thorns create a perfect hideaway for birds, their flowers are much loved by bees, and their fruits are delicious infused in gin. It is shade tolerant and combines well with other native hedging, such as crab apples and dogwoods.

Of the many plums that can be allowed to grow into a wilder hedge, damson and mirabelle are my favourites. Both are cultivar groups of Prunus insititia; the damson is deep purple, dense, slightly dry and irresistible in jam while the more astringent, rounder, golden mirabelle is perfect for a plum tart. They do need to be allowed to grow tall and if you want plenty of fruit they can’t be clipped into a neat row. Both do best in south- or west-facing positions, in slightly moist soil that is neutral to acidic. In exposed areas, they are liable to have all their flowers frosted. If you’re battling biting sea winds and hill-top conditions then sea buckthorn, Hippophae rhamnoides, might be your jam. Its brilliantly tart berries are excellent for cooking with and it is incredibly tolerant of poor soil conditions.

Then there are crab apples ( Malus sylvestris), wild pears ( Pyrus communis), small but delicious, and the handsome quince ( Cydonia oblonga), which will need to be left to grow as a tree within the hedge. But the Japanese quince ( Chaenomeles japonica), can be clipped into a neat, low hedge. You could combine it with the juneberry ( Amelanchier x lamarckii), which isn’t a tree many think of as a hedge subject, but it makes a mighty fine one.

Whatever you end up choosing, a good hedgerow can truly offer a banquet for everyone from you to song birds and insects. From early spring right into winter these hedgerows can offer pollen, nectar and berries that persist deep into the frosts, as well as varied overwintering habitat for many different species. The spiny stems of sloe, for example, offer birds a safe nesting place away from cats where they can shelter from the worst of the winter weather with a ready food source. Hopefully they’ll leave some rich pickings for your larder too. n

• Author Alys Fowler is a gardener and garden writer. Her recommendations for the best edible hedging plants can be found over the next five pages.

Establishing these hedges can be simple, either as a single row or staggered into two or three rows for a thicker affair. If you are in a wind-ripped, coastal area it might be wise to think of using wind-mitigating netting to allow the hedge to get growing upright. You can get young whips into the ground from

October to March. Late autumn plantings tend to do better because they have had early winter to bed down and settle in and tend to make a march on spring growth.

The general rule of thumb is that you need to plant five bare root whips per metre for a hedgerow in two rows so that the plants are staggered roughly 33cm apart. Often you can get bundle deals for country hedgerows in offers of 50, 100 or 250 plants and this might be a good starting point if you have large hedgerow to establish. You can always cherry pick some extra edibles to add to the hedge. Fifty plants roughly equates to 16m metres of a single row hedge or 10m of a double row.

Ideally, your soil should be soft enough to push a spade right the way in before planting. If it’s not, you may want to consider rotavating or forking it over first. If you do it is wise to remove more persistent weeds at this stage as the ground does need to be clear. If you have well-rotted compost or manure then it’s always a good idea to add a layer. It will keep the weeds down and help feed the plants, and it does not need to be dug in.

For large hedges, it makes sense to use a weed-suppressing membrane and plant into this, which will help keep down weeds and lock in moisture. Plastic membrane is more permanent but will eventually leach into the soil, so better to opt for an eco alternative, such as jute, wool or cardboard matting. You’ll find these at suppliers such as Chimney Sheep (chimneysheep.co.uk) and Mulch Organic (mulchorganic.co.uk). Bare-root plants need to be planted at the depth of the soil mark on their main stems or if bought in containers to the depth they were in their pots. Firm in and prune back the tips of leggy plants and water in well. If you have deer or rabbits you will need to use guards. And it goes without saying that it is essential that you continue to water your hedge in dry weather as it establishes for the first year of its life.

Prunus spinosa Also known as blackthorn or sloe, its prickly stems make an excellent stock-proof barrier. Five-petalled white flowers in spring are followed by blueblack fruits in autumn. Use three plants per metre for a single row, or five per metre for staggered double hedge. 3.5m. RHS H7†.

Rubus fruticosus Blackberry or bramble can be used as a single-species hedge in a double row, with five plants per metre, 33cm between plants and 40cm between rows, or in a mixed hedge with one plant every 5m or so. 1.5m. RHS H6, USDA 5a-8b.

Sambucus nigra Common elder, is a wild thing and doesn’t like to be clipped, so best as an informal hedge or at the end of a mixed hedge where it can grow taller. Two to three per metre, 33-50cm apart. 2.5-6m. USDA 5a-8b.

Corylus avellana The hazelnut is a cheap and effective way to bulk out a hedge. It’s extremely fast growing, and also very tolerant of a wide range of soils and shade tolerant. Two to three per metre for a single row, five per metre for staggered, double rows, 40cm apart. 3-6m. RHS H6, USDA 4a-8b. Prunus insititia This wild plum or damson has sharp spurs and a dense habit that means it can be grown as a large hedge subject or as a standalone tree. The sweetest fruit comes from a sunny position. Three plants per metre, 33cm apart. 3-4m. RHS H6. Amelanchier xlamarckii The juneberry is often grown for its wonderful white spring flowers and brilliant autumn foliage. But it also offers red-purple berries that taste like blueberries with an almondflavoured seed. Surprisingly happy clipped into an informal hedge. 7m. AGM*. RHS H7, USDA 4a-8b. Chaenomeles japonica Japanese quince is ideal for urban and small gardens. Thorny, criss-crossing branches make a dense hedge, which flowers from January. Round, yellow, blush-orange or pink fruits can be cooked like quince. Three plants per metre, 33cm apart. 90cm. RHS H6, USDA 5a-9b.

Cydonia oblonga Quinces are truly the fruit of the gods with a divine scent to match their flavour. The large, pearlike, yellow fruits need cooking but they make an excellent jelly. The quince tree, must be grown as a tree within the hedge in a sheltered position. 2-4.5m. RHS H5, USDA 5a-8b. Cornus mas The Cornelian cherry is very early flowering, usually starting in February with small, yellow flowers that ripen to edible, bright-red fruits. Lovely autumn colour. Good for part shade. Three plants per metre, 3cm apart, 7.5m. RHS H6, USDA 4a-8b. Hippophae rhamnoides A prickly shrub with narrow, silver-green leaves that are tolerant of wind and salt spray. Its orange berries are delicious but very tart. Only females produce berries and tend to fruit only after six years. Three plants per metre, 33cm apart, 3.5m. RHS H7, USDA 3a-8b. Pyrus communis The wild pear flowers heavily in April, has glossy green leaves in summer, orange and gold foliage in autumn and produces tiny, but sweet pears that are perfect for jam. It also truly doesn’t mind being clipped into a hedge. Three plants per metre, 33cm apart. 9m. RHS H6, USDA 4a-8b.

Malus sylvestris Our native crab apple forms a dense, bushy tree that happily conforms to a hedge. In spring it offers pink-white flowers, then in autumn hard, tart fruits that make a delicious jelly and are good for adding pectin to jams. Three plants per metre, 33cm apart. 5-10m. RHS H6. Rosa canina The dog rose makes a wonderful informal hedge. Let it romantically wind its way through the hedge and pick the hips for vitamin C-rich syrups. Five plants per metre, 33cm apart. is another good choice, and is suitable for a windy or seaside location. 1.5m. RHS H7. Rosa rugosa