The Farmland Hedge

 

Along the edge of the garden, bordering open farmland, runs a hedge of almost one hundred metres in length.

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For many years this boundary consisted of an ageing row of conifers. Gradually the trees began to fail, each winter another one leaning or collapsing into the branches of its neighbouring trees. While the hedge still offered shelter, its ecological diversity remained limited. The long-term plan is to transform this boundary into a wide, species-rich hedge reminiscent of a traditional countryside hedgerow.

 

The first step has been the planting of bare-root Cherry plum trees (Prunus cerasifera), placed roughly every four metres to form the future upper structure of the hedge. Between them, alternating shrubs of hazel and blackthorn are planted at one-metre intervals.

For now, the old conifers remain partly in place, providing shelter for the young planting. As the new hedge establishes itself, the conifers are gradually removed. In their place a row of evergreen cherry laurel will be planted, maintaining year-round shelter while the deciduous hedge develops.

 

Years of fallen conifer needles have created a rich organic mulch layer, helping the new planting establish in fertile soil. Over time this boundary will evolve into a dense living hedge, flowering early in spring, producing fruit in late summer and offering shelter for birds throughout the year.