I am going to plant a lovely mixed hedge - what have I forgotten to include?

[SarahAndQuack]

I have a boundary between my land and the local primary school, which is currently marked by a fence. I would like a little more privacy, not least because DD now attends the school, so whenever I go into that bit of the garden, she can see me and shrieks!

I want to plant a mixed hedge, ideally with native trees (I'd vary it a bit if an alternative were particularly gorgeous). I want it as a good habitat and a decorative thing, rather than just to make a fast-growing barrier. And because there's a school on the other side, I mostly don't want it too prickly, though there's a patch where a few prickly things could be. I'm thinking:

• hawthorn
• blackthorn
• smooth-leaf holly
• elder
• guelder rose
• rowan
• beech
• crabapple?
• golden hop (yes, I know, not native and it might just swamp everything, but they are so pretty!)

What do you think? And do you have any tips for hedges? I know how to lay a hedge, but I've never had to establish one from scratch and don't know which things might out-compete others.

Yes thats correct. The arils do taste lovely though! Like fanta fruit twist and lychee!

I'd be tempted to make it an edible hedge but you know I'm obsessed with that!! I've been dreaming about my dream house and my dream garden with a long drive flanked by maple and cherries and an orchard on the lawn either side of the drive with a wildflower meadow underneath😍perhaps the full time gardener could live in the coachhouse, by the massive wrought iron gates?

Anyway, back to reality, you could try orchard trees spaced apart and then smaller bushes and shrubs planted in between. A lot of orchard trees need a couple of different cultivars to fruit successfully.

Im thinking apples, pears, crabapple, cherry, quince, medlar, plums, sloes and their relatives, mulberry, sea buckthorn, juneberry (not native but hardy), beech, hazel, birch, maple, lime, sweet chestnut, elder (sambucus nigra is beautiful), yes the lovely unusual hawthorn, dog rose etc

Have edible climbers weaving through such as honeysuckle, jasmine, hops and more climbing or scrambling roses.

You could even underplant with native edible plants like sweet cicely, bilberry, wild gooseberry, pignuts, honesty, wild carrot, wood sorrel, meadowsweet, yarrow, common mallow, seakale, fiddlehead ferns.

I want to go back to Dunham Massey to filch some more haws have another look round so Ill see if I can find a marker on the tree. Sometimes they're quite small.

You need two rows of plants, staggered. The young plants will need weeding or the surrounding vegetation cut back to remove competition. And golden hop is a thug and will swamp your infant hedge. I loved it till I had one. Never again. Hazel and field maple would be good additions.

Thank you! I will ponder yew, then. Pity, as it is nice.

Check to see if you can get discount native hedging through the Queen's Jubilee Green Canopy scheme. I ordered 40 native hedging trees/shrubs last week to put in a native hedge (for less than £1/each). If you order a bit less than you need you can add in specimens of other species from other sources to build more variety into the mix.

@CuriousEats - OMG, that would be amazing! You must do it! Just acquire the coach house and the full-time gardener first.

Seriously, if you do find the name of that hawthorn I would love to know.

@Spanielsarepainless - I have one, but I do know what you mean. Would definitely have to wait until other things were well established.

@DogInATent - thank you, I will look into that! Sounds useful.

I suggested that. I didn't know it was considered invasive.

@SarahAndQuack what use would hope be if we didn't have dreams to direct it? Aaah one day one day!
The leaf shape and fruit colour and size look very similar to Scarlet Thorn (Crataegus coccinea).

Don't forget to put bluebells around the roots.

We have hawthorn, hornbeam and dogwood.

I didn’t want too many different species, but I’m delighted with ours - the colours and textures throughout the year are simple but gorgeous, and I might start adding a few things to climb through it when it’s a bit more established.

Have edible climbers weaving through such as honeysuckle, jasmine, hops and more climbing or scrambling roses. Honeysuckle isn’t edible - or, at least, the the berries are toxic. There are species of honeysuckle with edible berries, but they’re bush honeysuckles not climbing ones.

@MereDintofPandiculation i think the flowers are?
Theres some lovely recipes on The View From Great Island website for honeysuckle vodka, ice cream and tea. Ive never been able to collect enough blooms from our pathetic plant to make them!

Hedges are great but if you have a lawn actually letting things like clover be part of it will be better than the hedge for wildlife. And I know I've said it before but everyone should have some heather, it will be covered with hoverflies.

We have Hazel in ours, they need to be pruned annually.

I'd be careful to check as some small trees or shrubs have berries that are poisonous.

Make sure you include some copper beech as well as green beech. One of the loveliest hedges I know is made up of different beeches , it is stunning.

I'd be careful to check as some small trees or shrubs have berries that are poisonous.
Is that a problem?

What a great project. I came into the gardening topic to get advice about a hedge for my tiny urban front garden. Feel a bit jealous!

It's a border with a school so yes, potentially.

I never knew raw elderberries could be harmful - I used to pick and eat them as a kid. But usually just one or two at a time because they don’t actually taste that nice!

Sounds lovely but I really would avoid the hop. Yes, pretty when in leaf but a tangled mess autumn winter and spring (ie most of the year) and virtually impossible to get rid of. We took 4 years to eradicate it after thinking it looked pretty and would hide an eyesore shed. Big mistake! I don't know why bindweed and hops haven't taken over the world!

Honeysuckle is definitely edible - it's the nectar from the flowers you want.

@CuriousEats - thank you for the tip about the variety! I will look out for that.

@SuspiciousDuck - that sounds beautiful!

@anyolddinosaur - we've lots of lawn, most of intentionally non-manicured. We do mow the main bit of the garden but the field (which is where the hedge will be) we only cut about twice a year, just to keep the biodiversity. I wish there were more clover but there is some, and I am working on it. Loads of dandelions which are also good for bees, and there are native orchids. The reasons I want the hedge is to make a bit of a screen between us and school, because I think it'd be pretty, and because it'd be nice habitat - I don't think sacrificing a few feet of grass is a bad bargain.

@viques - ooh yes! I love copper beech. So beautiful. And there is a big one near us constantly sending us seedlings, so I could easily nurture one of those up.

@PurpleParrotfish - I've no idea, but are they maybe like rowan berries, which are not very toxic raw (so you can one or two), but which you wouldn't want to eat masses of?

@Theoldwrinkley - oh, maybe you are right! I certainly need to take my time thinking about it. And ugh, bindweed - yes, I know that struggle!

Yes, I was thinking of the berries, as honeysuckle berries are a known thing, but the climbing honeysuckle berries are not edible

Damson

I went back to Dunham Massey today, just for you (not really)
The hawthorn didn't have any labels on it and the gardening staff didn't have a clue apart to confirm that the bark definitely looked hawthorny! I have left my email address and am hoping their head gardener gets in touch.
I did take some better pictures so maybe the more botanical minded among us can help out.
Personally I reckon its a Scarlet Thorn (Crataegus coccinea).