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Wildlife hedge - heavy clay

Colin-JacksonColin-Jackson Posts: 31
in Wildlife gardening
I finally have a garden to call my own and would like to plant up hedges on either side to provide both privacy and to act as a wind break. Hopefully this will also become a haven for insects and small birds once established.

Here in Milton Keynes we are on solid clay, so wanted to get advice on which type of hedge I should plant this winter. I know Hornbeam will thrive in clay, but is it a good hedge for wildlife?

I also like the idea of an evergreen hedge, but not sure if Holly or Yew would cope with such heavy soil. Not to mention they would take many years before they are big enough to provide any privacy.

All advice, gratefully received.

Posts

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Whatever you plant, and hornbeam will cope with more moisture than many hedging plants, you would be better spending time and money improving the clay before planting anything. That will give you more scope and also save money in the long run as the hedging is more likely to establish and thrive if it gets a good start. If you do it now, the ground will be in good condition for autumn, when you can buy bare root plants - much cheaper, and the best time to establish them   :)
    Holly would be fine, and so would Yew - but yew needs good drainage, so that prep is far more important for it than for the holly. 
    Privet will also be fine. 
    There are loads of others which will work - Eleagnus, evergreen Viburnum, evergreen Berberis, Laurels, Cotoneaster etc, but the prep is important.  
    All hedging is used by birds, and anything which has berries will be particularly suitable, but whether they 'll nest in it etc, will depend on the depth of the hedge, and the site.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • raisingirlraisingirl Posts: 7,093
    edited July 2023
    Agree with FG - spend the summer and autumn improving the soil as much as you can and plant bare root in the winter - that's the best way to establish a new hedge.

    The best wildlife hedge has a mixture of plants, the more the better. Holly will be fine as will all the rose relatives - hawthorn or blackthorn (although that can be a tricky one - vicious thorns and it suckers very freely), dog roses, bullace and crab apple. Elder is very adaptable and the wayfarer tree (viburnum lantana) grows around here (also clay soil).
    Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon

    “It's still magic even if you know how it's done.” 
  • KeenOnGreenKeenOnGreen Posts: 1,831
    We are on solid London clay. Pyracantha, Hawthorn and Privet all do very well, all are pretty tough and take regular pruning. 

    Pyracantha and Hawthorn are better for wildlife, as they have berries as well as blossom. Of the three, I prefer Pyracantha as a formally clipped hedge. The new growth is a fizzing, fresh green, and when full in blossom (especially if it's a large hedge), is stunning. It does have nasty spikes though, a small price to pay.


  • Colin-JacksonColin-Jackson Posts: 31
    Thanks All,

    I must admit I do like the look of Pyracantha when the red fruit appears.

    Some good points have been raised about maintaining access to the fence for repairs and pruning. Will have to give this some thought (not like I can order any bare root plants until November anyway).

    In the mean time I will add loads of spend mushroom compost into the soil and get it ready for planting.
  • tonystapletontonystapleton Posts: 13
    From my experience, Hornbeam is only really good for blackly and blight. We're on heavy clay and have lots of hawthorn hedges, good for birds, ripping your arms to shreds and containing livestock. We recently divided a field with a mixed soft hedge of spindle, beech and maple, all edible but useless for livestock without a stock fence.
    Portugal Laurel is good for year-round garden privacy and slow growing so you don't have to cut it so much so often.
  • RedwingRedwing Posts: 1,511
    Lots of good advice already. If you wait til about November you can buy bare rooted mixed hedging packs quite cheaply. If you google wildlife friendly native hedging in the autumn lots of options will come up, including mixes for clay soils. They usually contain about 50% hawthorn plus various other plants such as hazel, spindle, hornbeam, holly, wild roses and others. I would always include some evergreen in the mix such as privet and holly.
    Based in Sussex, I garden to encourage as many birds to my garden as possible.
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