Why a native hedge earns its keep

Plant a fence and you get a line. Plant a hedge and you get a boundary that breathes: a filter for wind, a sponge for rain, a larder and a nursery for everything from hedgehogs to wrens. A well-made mixed native hedge will cut noise, screen the neighbours and give you something to watch all year — May blossom, autumn haws and the indignant rustle of a blackbird when you get too close.

Native species matter because our insects evolved alongside them. A mature hawthorn can support well over 300 species of insect, and that insect life is the food that raises nestlings. Holly, hazel and ivy add shelter and berries through the coldest months, when food is scarcest of all.

Choosing your mix: hawthorn, hazel and holly

You want three things from a privacy hedge: dense growth at the base, height, and evergreen cover. A mix gives you all three, plus resilience if one species struggles in your soil.

• Hawthorn — the backbone of almost every British hedge. Quick to thicken, thorny enough to deter intruders, superb nesting cover, and a May froth of blossom followed by haws for the fieldfares.
• Blackthorn — earlier blossom, sloes for gin, and a habit of suckering into thick, impenetrable clumps.
• Hazel — lambs' tail catkins in February, nuts in autumn, and it coppices readily, so it forgives hard cutting.
• Holly — slow growing but evergreen, with berries if you have both male and female forms, since only the female fruits and she needs a male nearby.
• Field maple, dogwood, guelder rose and spindle — smaller shrubs to fill gaps and bring autumn colour.

A rough ratio of 60 per cent hawthorn, 20 per cent hazel and 20 per cent of everything else makes a robust, wildlife-friendly hedge that looks pleasingly informal.

Bare-root whips: the cheap, reliable route

Bare-root whips — young, soil-free plants sold in bundles — cost a fraction of potted shrubs and usually establish faster, because their roots go straight into real soil rather than sitting in a pot of compost. Look for a nursery that grows stock from British-origin seed.

Plant between November and March, while the plants are dormant. Late autumn or early winter is best: the roots settle in before the cold bites. Avoid planting when the ground is frozen solid or standing in water; a mild, damp day is ideal. Whips of 60 to 90cm are the sweet spot — tall enough to handle, small enough to take quickly.

Preparing the strip and planting

Give yourself a strip at least 60cm wide and clear it properly first. Couch grass, ground elder and bramble will out-compete young whips if you let them. Fork the ground over, pull out the roots, and break up any hard pan at spade depth.

• Plant in two staggered rows, 30 to 40cm apart within each row and about 40cm between rows — roughly five whips to the metre.
• A 10 metre hedge therefore needs about 50 whips.
• Dig a trench or individual holes and plant to the same depth as the soil mark on the stem. Too deep and the bark rots.
• Firm the soil around the roots with your heel, then mulch with 5 to 7cm of well-rotted compost or bark, keeping it clear of the stems.
• Fit spiral guards and a cane wherever rabbits or deer are about, or they will strip the young bark.

Do check your boundaries and any local restrictions before you plant, and remember that a hedge within a couple of metres of a neighbour's window can cause more trouble than a fence ever would.

The first summer: water, weeds, patience

The first summer decides whether your hedge thrives or sulks. Water is the whole game. In dry spells give each plant a thorough soak — 10 to 15 litres — once a week, or every ten days on heavy clay. A deep soak pulls roots downward; a daily sprinkle only encourages weak surface roots and wastes water.

Keep the strip weed-free by hand or hoe, and top up the mulch if it thins. A few losses are normal, especially with holly. Replace any gap with a potted plant the following autumn rather than leaving a hole in the line.

Trimming, laying and the long game

Resist the urge to clip in the first two or three years. Let the whips grow, flower and thicken; only cut out damaged or crossing stems. From year three, trim in late winter — late January or February — once the berries have gone but before birds start nesting. Cutting between March and August risks breaking the law as well as disturbing nests, so leave the trimmer in the shed until then.

Shape matters more than neatness. Cut the sides on a gentle slope, wider at the bottom, so light reaches the base and the hedge stays dense to the ground. Leave the top rounded rather than flat, and vary the height along its length — a slightly uneven hedge is far better for wildlife than a ruler-straight one.

If this is a long-term boundary, learn to lay it. Laying — partly cutting through the stems and bending them over — rejuvenates an ageing hedge better than any amount of trimming, and a laid hedge is genuinely stock-proof. It is a winter job and a satisfying one. Do it every ten to fifteen years and your hedge will comfortably outlast you.