Hazel and Hawthorn

Cliffage

Hello,
We got a new fence put in last year, replacing some Leylandii trees planted by previous owner. I don't miss the Leylandii but I very much miss the birds, not much coming into the garden.
I was thinking of planting some trees behind the fence (we back on to a field and would be no issue with farmer) and was considering hawthorn and hazel trees alternated. I want something that would not grow upwards too quickly as would have to trim the tops when it reaches height of fence.
Would this be a good idea? Any tips or alternative suggestions?
Thanks

macraignil

Nice idea to make some planting to encourage birds in your garden and I found the following web-page that lists some suitable choices. The more variety the better to give a more diverse food source for the birds that do visit the garden and provide food at different times of the year. If you are going trimming everything to the height of the fence then maybe you should be looking more at hedging plants than trees. I would for example suggest cherry varieties as being a good choice but these might not appreciate being cut back too much. Going planting a hawthorn and hornbeam hedge myself soon and beech is also traditionally a good choice for hedging. Most choices wont grow as fast as Leylandii anyhow. I found a hazel tree I have planted was set back badly by a hare eating the top off and it has been very slow to recover. Some sites will require protection of young trees from hare damage and I found some old drainage pipe around the stem kept them away after I noticed the problem. Hawthorn seem fairly strong but the thorns do mean its worth taking your time when trimming them.
Good luck!

Lumen

Birds like fruit (food) and thorns (security).

Lots of good ideas on FutureForests.

http://www.futureforests.net/br_mix_hedging.htm

Thorns are great to have outside your boundary so you don't have to deal with them!

On that theme, think about sneaking in pollination partners for productive things you want to grow (fruit, nuts). Some of the pollinators aren't that productive themselves but will boost your own yields.

uberwolf

and sure you'd have to have at least one of these https://www.edenproject.com/shop/Truffle-Trees-Hazel-10936.aspx