You don't have much luck with those Bird Cherries Nut.
A shady hedge, I'd go for Yew, it is fairly slow growing but worth it. I have used Yew for the same reason. I've also got some Hornbeam but it isn't doing as well as I'd hoped so I've taken loads of Yew cuttings to 'replace' it. I'll under plant, I took semi-ripe cuttings in Summer/Autumn last year. They're all showing signs of growth, I don't think any one died. Yew's not cheap so I'll do more this year if I don't get enough. Beech is okay but in a shady place it won't be a very dense hedge and you have to get Beech fairly small Beech because they don't transplant very well unless you nurse them like a baby if you have dry shade especially. But it is a lovely hedge. I bought 6 x 2 meter bare root Beech a couple of years ago for a section of the hedge that needed replacing. It is very shady and dry, I lost more than half. I was stupid and greedy because I knew the risks and thought I was watering enough to compensate but I still lost half and I think only one has done well.
I know. Do you grow Raspberries, Red Currants or Rowan? The birds seem to love those just as much as Cherries. I've got Sorbus a. edulis I've yet to try the berries on those since the birds strip them the minute they turn slightly orange. Rowan is a great tree because it fruits from such an early age compared to other Rosacea.
By the way, those grasses in the Emorsgate seeds list are Amenity stock, that is, they're not wild grasses. Just in case you're wanting to be strict about what you introduce, very hard to take out grasses once you introduce them. I only bought from their wild section and I bought a great grass mix from another company. It came from a sight of special scientific interest. There's good credentials for you. I'll see if I can find the link.
Good morning Jim. I have one native rowan, also a S. hupehensis which has white berries which are left til last. There are several P. avium so they aren't too deprived
I've got some baby sorbus coming along from picked up berries. They could be anything, there were several trees they could have fallen from, but the leaves are very like aucuparia.
Morning Nut. Yeah, I've got a S. vilmorinii. The birds don't touch it which is why I've grafted it over this year. Thankfully and amazingly all three grafts have taken.
If they were nice red berries and the tree looks like aucuparia I'm sure they were, it's a very well used tree. Some of them are such wonderful trees. My neighbour across the road has one, when I'm walking the dogs in the evening I always walk a little bit further down the road than I need to just so I can bathe in the wonderful aniseed perfume. Some are a bit fishy. Edulis isn't the best smelling one but but they berries are supposed to be less bitter hence the name which means edible. There's a really beautiful one in the graveyard that I've collected seeds from it's a fantastic shape but has fairly small berries which means it's probably not too messed about with. Edulis was collected from the wilds of Eastern Europe so not a cultivar.
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Those Taphrina things have formed already Jo and for some reason I rarely get fruit on the bird cherries and it never matures.
In the sticks near Peterborough
You don't have much luck with those Bird Cherries Nut.
A shady hedge, I'd go for Yew, it is fairly slow growing but worth it. I have used Yew for the same reason. I've also got some Hornbeam but it isn't doing as well as I'd hoped so I've taken loads of Yew cuttings to 'replace' it. I'll under plant, I took semi-ripe cuttings in Summer/Autumn last year. They're all showing signs of growth, I don't think any one died. Yew's not cheap so I'll do more this year if I don't get enough. Beech is okay but in a shady place it won't be a very dense hedge and you have to get Beech fairly small Beech because they don't transplant very well unless you nurse them like a baby if you have dry shade especially. But it is a lovely hedge. I bought 6 x 2 meter bare root Beech a couple of years ago for a section of the hedge that needed replacing. It is very shady and dry, I lost more than half. I was stupid and greedy because I knew the risks and thought I was watering enough to compensate but I still lost half and I think only one has done well.
I don't mind the taphrina Jim, it all adds to the biodiversity. But some cherries would be nice for the birds
In the sticks near Peterborough
I know.
Do you grow Raspberries, Red Currants or Rowan? The birds seem to love those just as much as Cherries. I've got Sorbus a. edulis I've yet to try the berries on those since the birds strip them the minute they turn slightly orange. Rowan is a great tree because it fruits from such an early age compared to other Rosacea.
By the way, those grasses in the Emorsgate seeds list are Amenity stock, that is, they're not wild grasses. Just in case you're wanting to be strict about what you introduce, very hard to take out grasses once you introduce them. I only bought from their wild section and I bought a great grass mix from another company. It came from a sight of special scientific interest. There's good credentials for you.
I'll see if I can find the link.
Here it is then Jo, great timing. http://www.thegrassseedstore.co.uk/native-meadowgrass.html
I think that's a good price too. I wish I'd ripped up all the grass when I moved in. The OH wouldn't let me though.
I need reigning in sometimes. 
Good morning Jim. I have one native rowan, also a S. hupehensis which has white berries which are left til last. There are several P. avium so they aren't too deprived
I've got some baby sorbus coming along from picked up berries. They could be anything, there were several trees they could have fallen from, but the leaves are very like aucuparia.
In the sticks near Peterborough
Morning Nut.
Yeah, I've got a S. vilmorinii. The birds don't touch it which is why I've grafted it over this year. Thankfully and amazingly all three grafts have taken.
If they were nice red berries and the tree looks like aucuparia I'm sure they were, it's a very well used tree. Some of them are such wonderful trees. My neighbour across the road has one, when I'm walking the dogs in the evening I always walk a little bit further down the road than I need to just so I can bathe in the wonderful aniseed perfume. Some are a bit fishy. Edulis isn't the best smelling one but but they berries are supposed to be less bitter hence the name which means edible. There's a really beautiful one in the graveyard that I've collected seeds from it's a fantastic shape but has fairly small berries which means it's probably not too messed about with. Edulis was collected from the wilds of Eastern Europe so not a cultivar.
Anyone looking for local seed might try Googling 'local provenance wild seed then your area'