Hedges. Environment

80sDiesel · 15-02-2019 10:11pm #1

So having planted native trees, started the process of a traditional hay meadow I am now turning my attention to the road side hedges. Any advice would be welcome.

Currently half of the roadside is fuchsia hedge ( probably was in favour back decades ago) and the other half bare. It's all stone wall. I currently get it cut every year.

I was thinking of cutting down all the fuchsia and for the whole roadside planting haythorn tres say every 6 to 10 metres. Plan would be to let them grow into trees and aid the local insect habitable.

Questions are. Can I leave them grow on the merry way or do I have to cut them?

patsy_mccabe · 15-02-2019 10:25pm

This is what it will look like, if let grow.

Hedgelayer · 15-02-2019 10:25pm

Plant White thorn, or hawthorn.

And lay them the traditional style, say maybe let them grow for about 4 or 5 years.

Google hedge laying, it's a beautiful craft and looks really well.

2 or 3 feet apart....

_Brian · 15-02-2019 10:30pm

patsy_mccabe wrote: »

This is what it will look like, if let grow.

We’ve a few like that.

80sDiesel · 15-02-2019 10:47pm

Thanks firstly for the pic. I would only be planting single trees as much as 10 metres apart so I don't think it would become such a colostal hedge.
My idea would be trees I guess rather than a long hedge.

Tnks yeah I did some earilier research about the traditional way of 'laying' a hedge but my idea would be to have the trees aiding the local insect/bird habitat without necessarily creating a hedge. If that makes sense

Dinzee Conlee · 15-02-2019 10:52pm

80sDiesel wrote: »

So having planted native trees, started the process of a traditional hay meadow I am now turning my attention to the road side hedges. Any advice would be welcome.

Currently half of the roadside is fuchsia hedge ( probably was in favour back decades ago) and the other half bare. It's all stone wall. I currently get it cut every year.

I was thinking of cutting down all the fuchsia and for the whole roadside planting haythorn tres say every 6 to 10 metres. Plan would be to let them grow into trees and aid the local insect habitable.

Questions are. Can I leave them grow on the merry way or do I have to cut them?

Why would you remove the tree thats there (fuschia) only to plant a hawthorn bush every 20 to 30 feet?

Go ahead and plant the hawthorn, cut the fuschia back if you like... but surely removing it altogether to put in fairly spread out bushes will only negatively impact the insect population?

PoorFarmer · 15-02-2019 11:22pm

Leave the fuschia as it is. If you just plant the white thorn every 10 metres or so as you want. If it was my choice I'd put in a few crab apples, black thorn, willow, hazel or any flowering trees just to add a bit of variety and also have a better habitat structure for different species. Apparently Sallys or willow are good too I just dont like the way they spread out.

80sDiesel · 17-02-2019 10:34pm

Thanks for the feedback. The fuschia is non native which is why I wanted to get rid if it but yes I will keep it under I develop a new hedge.

Yes I have crab apple, Willow ( as trees) so may add a hawthorn and let it grow to its max.

I bought alot from these guys and never noticed their hedge mix as was concentrating on trees.
This looks like a good choice ?
https://futureforests.ie/products/wild-fruiting-hedge-mix

memorystick · 17-02-2019 11:00pm

Every ditch I have is taken over with ivy. Going to attack it once work is finished. How late can we sow barefoot trees?

Genghis Cant · 17-02-2019 11:07pm

memorystick wrote: »

Every ditch I have is taken over with ivy. Going to attack it once work is finished. How late can we sow barefoot trees?

Don't be too hard on the ivy. I know it can lead to problems in certain circumstances but in its favour it flowers when very little else does, autumn, and provides berries when little else does. It provides valuable winter cover when little else does too. So all in all it has value in biodiversity.

PoorFarmer · 17-02-2019 11:46pm

memorystick wrote:

Every ditch I have is taken over with ivy. Going to attack it once work is finished. How late can we sow barefoot trees?

Should be ok for another month or 2 but sooner is better

older by the day · 18-02-2019 12:24am

memorystick wrote: »

Every ditch I have is taken over with ivy. Going to attack it once work is finished. How late can we sow barefoot trees?

Any month with an R in it, earlier the better, if you dont want them to dry out. Maybe put a shield around them, something ate a few on me last year and they died

Bass Reeves · 18-02-2019 12:30pm

I would leave the Fushia. I know it is not native but it flowers later than other bushes and for longer. As other posted plant a varity of other bushes trees. Plant an Oak tree or two. Very slow growing so its for the generation after next. Another tree that we never see planted any longer and is native is Scotts pine. If I was twenty again I would plant a few to be able to sit under in my eighties if I am around that long

80sDiesel · 18-02-2019 3:57pm

Bass Reeves wrote: »

I would leave the Fushia. I know it is not native but it flowers later than other bushes and for longer. As other posted plant a varity of other bushes trees. Plant an Oak tree or two. Very slow growing so its for the generation after next. Another tree that we never see planted any longer and is native is Scotts pine. If I was twenty again I would plant a few to be able to sit under in my eighties if I am around that long

Yep planted an oak grove (100) and socts pine(25). Big fan of the way Scots pine look as they age. Will be planting more of them on another parcel of land. If you drive on the N25 you can see they mixed scots pine with birch.

Yeah i will think about the Fushia

And yes. Plant a tree ( especially an Oak tree ) and you soon become aware of your own mortality. Got all the nieces/nephews/siblings to plant an oak tree too. Should be good hands for future generations.

Hedges. Environment

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