How can I build a bird-friendly, thick hedgerow?

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You know the kind of thing - they got erased by new farming methods but were hundreds of years old with all kinds of mosses and things growing in them, a haven for wildlife. I have an area in my garden which could host something like that but what kind of hedge is best to get started?

One possible area runs along a stream.

Neighbours' gardens have hedges aplenty but they tend to be the kind of flame-leafed green twigs that grow up and in a few years make a hedge, not horrible at all but you can't see them getting thick and entangled or impenetrable.

I was inspired by this recent piece in the Sunday Times Culture magazine.

Hawthorn. Holly.

Looking out my window the birds around me love hawthorn. All year around full of life.

Could you stretch to a crab apple tree? So many as part of the hedgerows when I was young.

Native hedging plants, ideally with the occasional tree in it.
Form it - it feels brutal when you basically strip everything off, and hack through half the trunk, but hedges need to be laid.
Time!!!

A mixed native hedge is ideal for birds, think blackthorn, hawthorn, field maple, holly, hornbeam. Beware too much of any one species, as the broader the variety the better it is for wildlife. You may have left it too late for this year, most hedging planting is done over winter from bare root stock, not least because planting is quite dense for a new hedge and this is the cheapest way of doing it. Winter planted trees and hedges also tend to survive better. You could have a look at the woodland trust or wildlife trusts websites for more details about planting.

My garden has both a laurel and holly hedge - both here when we moved - and whilst both form a thick dense hedge, they are a pain to trim, especially the holly! And holly leaves get everywhere and can be a nuisance in the flower borders.

Plant in a zig-zag fashion fairly close together rather than in a single row, and use a whole variety of the following all at random and mixed up together.

Hawthorn, dog rose, hornbeam, field maple, guelder rose, blackthorn, yew, hazel, holly, spindle, beech, native privet.

Some councils do run a scheme where they provide packs of free hedging plants, so it might be worth finding out if something like this is operating in your area. The best time of year to plant new hedges is from autumn through to early spring though.

I was also going to suggest a mixed hedge. Look up hedge laying techniques on youtube so you can build a good one, I have seen a farmer making one once before and he kind laid the branches sideways & wove it in.

They need to be well-established before you can lay them though, and farmers generally do it to keep in livestock.

I'd be tempted to put in some woodbine - our native honeysuckle - as well.

What a lovely idea. There's nothing for me add in terms of advice - book good luck! I hope it goes really well

Our hedge is mostly hawthorne and I'd recommend it. We get ours laid every few years to tidy it (in February/March) and keep it nicely thick. Then it flowers and the birds love the berries in autumn.

I've just planted some. Got a mix from R.V Roger by post. My dad used to pletch hedges but I think so long as it's kept trimmed in time it will be fine.

Mine is a mix of edible hedge and native hedge. It's coming along nicely as the plants were 2 years old and all have taken.

I tried to make a dead hedge with cut branches from my newly coppiced Hazel tree, and put thin branches twisted round to hold them together. It took about an hour to knock the stakes into the ground and weave long branches round them.
The dead branches turned out to be not quite dead and I've made an accidental hurdle hedge.
Picture is when it was newly laid, it's now covered in leaves and shoots.
Perhaps you could try that sort of thing to get the thickness straight away. Any branch poked into the soil has sprouted, including the upright stakes.

I have a mixed hedge, holly, tall shrubs, when I planted it 15 years ago, I put a bamboo screen up, attached to wire farm fencing. The birds love it, lots of nests they love the holly, but also happily nest in the ivy. It's a deep hedge and offers wind protection, I think that is key. (also helps if you have lots of fruit trees, bushes, raspberries for them to eat.

Thank you everyone! In truth, I thought it unlikely I'd be getting around to this any time soon so as someone suggested upstream, I will probably wait for late autumn to start, funds permitting.
I wanted to start this thread however, so I could refer back to it!