Pruning
Correct pruning of the young hedge plants is important to stimulate the development of lateral buds, which produce the dense bushy growth required of hedges. Pruning also stimulates root growth, which helps the plant establish.
It is better for the hedge plants if they are pruned in each of the early years, rather than trying to reshape the hedge once it has ‘grown away’. Even where the aim is not to trim, but to lay the hedge as soon as possible, it is still best to follow the suggestions below for the first year or two, to ensure strong, bushy growth.
For information on trimming of established hedges, see Chapter 7 – Trimming.
Hawthorn, blackthorn, myrobalan, privet
- Immediately after planting in autumn, prune each plant to 6” (150mm) above ground level, to encourage strong, basal shoots to form. Don’t prune in frosty weather, as the plant tissue will be exposed to frost damage. Normally pruning is better done after, rather than before planting, to minimise handling and root drying. Also, if any damage does occur to the top growth in transit, it is likely to be to the part which is going to be cut away.
If planting is done late in the season, leave the plants to grow on for a year before cutting to 6” (150mm) the following winter.
- In the second winter, cut back the previous season’s growth by about one-half.
- In the third winter, trim the laterals and leading shoots to an even shape.
An alternative to hard winter pruning is to trim lightly in summer for the first two years after planting, to encourage lateral buds. This is likely to produce a less thick hedge than that produced by winter pruning, but may fit in with work schedules, as trimming can be done at the same time as summer weeding of the young hedge.
Hornbeam, beech
After planting, cut back the leading shoots and longer side-shoots by one-third. Repeat the process in the second winter to thicken up the base of the hedge.
Hazel, alder buckthorn, alder, dogwood, guelder rose, field maple, wild plum, spindle, wayfaring tree
To create a trimmed, though not very dense hedge, these shrubs can be treated as described above for hornbeam and beech. Alternatively, where the shrubs have been planted at a wider spacing to produce a wildlife hedgerow or woodland corridor, they should be left mainly unpruned.
Holly, yew
At planting, prune back straggling laterals by about half. Leave the leading shoots untrimmed until the hedge reaches the required height. give the sides an annual light trim in late June, to create the desired shape.
Protection
Young hedges, as well as newly planted gaps may be vulnerable to damage by stock, or by rabbits, hares or deer. Fencing or other protection is expensive, and has some drawbacks. For wild animals, try and find out as much as you can about the likely level of damage, as it may be just as effective, and a great deal easier and cheaper, not to fence or protect at all. Fencing is not only expensive and can look obtrusive, but makes it more difficult to trim and tend the hedge.
Stock fencing
New hedges on land grazed by cattle or horses can be protected by strained plain wire or barbed wire fencing, with electric fencing another option. Against sheep, more expensive stock netting or temporary electric netting will be needed. These are standard types of fence commonly erected on stock farms. As a general guide for stock fences 42” (1.05m) high, the fence should be 3’ (1m) away from the hedge plants to be proof against sheep, and 6’ (2m) to be proof against cattle or horses.
Wild animals
Stock fences are not proof against rabbits, hares or deer. Where rabbits are a problem, particularly in light soils or on banks, clear the ground of rabbits before fencing to exclude them. Rabbit fencing is shown below. Note that the hexagonal mesh must be buried in the direction of attack, to stop rabbits burrowing beneath.
A range of spiral guards, tree shelters and shrub shelters are available, to give protection against rabbits, hares or deer. However, they are most easily fitted to single stems and not to bushy plants, and also tend to encourage slender, ‘soft’, upright growth, rather than the tough bushy growth required of hedges. Whips or other unbranched transplants are not sturdy enough to support a spiral guard, and will need a cane to support, adding to the cost. Hedge plants grown in shelters are likely to become leggy and bare at the base. Shrub shelters are wider in diameter than tree shelters, with more space for growth, but are more expensive.
Guards or shelters are worth using on newly planted hedgerow trees, to which they are easy to fit, and to which they will be beneficial. A wide range of shelters are available. When fitting, make sure the guard is pushed well down into the soil so that small rodents cannot gain access. The ‘quill’ has a pointed end which is easy to push into the soil, and does not need the support of a cane.
Electric fencing is available against rabbits, hares and deer, and may be the best option.
Grant aid is usually dependent on the provision of protection against stock and wild animals. Where grant aid is not being applied for, or where the terms are negotiable, it may be worth considering no protection on sites where rabbits, hares and deer are not a major problem. These may include roadside sites, urban fringe areas, the middle of large arable fields, or other areas of intensive cultivation. Planting with no protection can produce a cheap, bushy hedge which can easily be trimmed by machine from the first year.
Where there is likely to be winter damage to the bark of young stems, planting can be delayed until late winter, to shorten the vulnerable period. New plants, both pruned and unpruned, may have the bark stripped or severely damaged, leaving only a very short live stump. Nibbling of shoots is less of a problem, as this is only equivalent to light pruning. However, if it continues throughout the spring, the hedge plants will have no chance to get established. There is less likely to be a problem with rabbits, hares or deer where there is alternative grazing from lush new grass growth nearby in early spring.
Voles and mice can do serious damage to the bark, and where they are a problem, mulches should not be used as they provide protection and nest sites. Instead, use a herbicide for weed control.
Planting a new hedge amongst an arable crop can provide some protection from browsing animals by hiding the young plants, as well as giving shelter from the wind. In subsequent winters, damage by hares and deer is usually limited to nibbling the hedge growth down to the level of the previous season’s cereal crop, which continues to shelter and hide the young plants. The cereal will self seed, until the hedge grows large enough to shade it out.
A short grassy verge is a good way to control weed growth spreading into the young hedge, but it does tend to attract rabbits. It may be better to leave the grass to grow long which is less palatable to rabbits, but check that bramble, bindweed, thistles or other vigorous weeds don’t take hold.
Watering
If the spring and summer following planting is dry, it is well worth making the effort to thoroughly water the new hedge plants at intervals. A thorough watering is essential. It’s counterproductive to simply dampen the surface, as there needs to be sufficient water to penetrate to the rooting zone. It’s also no good watering if there is grass or other weed growth at the base of the hedge, as you will merely benefit the weeds. Bare soil or loose mulches on slopes are also difficult to water, as the water will tend to run downslope.
If a dry spell of more than about a fortnight occurs, with no rain forecast, plan to water the hedge during the evening, to allow the water to soak in during the cool of the night. On farms, a water bowser for watering animals may be available, or alternatively irrigation or spray equipment can be used. For smaller operations, but still distant from a piped water supply, you can use dustbins or similar containers of water carried by a trailer or pick-up. Each plant should have at least a bucketful. If a hosepipe ban is unlikely in your area, and the new hedge is near a tap, the best method is to fit a perforated seeper hose along the hedge line, and leave it in place throughout the growing season. These hoses are expensive, but last for many years if stored properly, and are useful for establishing hedges, groups of trees and shrubs, and for vegetable production. Only use on supervised sites where vandalism or theft is unlikely.
Wind
In very exposed situations, especially near the coast, it may be worth protecting the new hedge against the wind. Wind can cause the young plants to rock back and forth until they become loose in the ground, as well as damaging young tender foliage and causing excessive transpiration and drying of the soil.
Where hedge laying or coppicing have taken place nearby, and there is space alongside the new hedge, the brashings can be piled up along the windward side of the hedge, and left in position until the following winter. They should then be gathered up and burnt, and the grass beneath will quickly recover once grazed or mown.
A strip of grass at least a metre from the hedge, simply left to grow tall, will provide some sheltering effect from the wind. Planting a hedge into a cereal crop also provides shelter from the wind, as well as hiding the hedge from browsing animals.
Alternatively, some sort of fencing or windbreak material can be used. Stock netting can be erected, and then conifer brashings or other sturdy woody material fastened to it, to make a porous windbreak. Commercial windbreak materials are also available, which are erected like a strained fence, and should last for several seasons (see here for suppliers). On arable farms, large round bales may be available which can be lined up along the windward side of the new hedge.
Another approach is to plant a temporary hedge of wind- resistant species, and once these are providing a windbreak, plant the hedge or woodland corridor of the more desirable species in its lee. The temporary hedge should be removed as soon as the permanent species are established. If left too long, the permanent planting is likely to get ‘leggy’ and put out insufficient roots to provide stability when the shelter species are removed. Conifers are suitable, with Leyland cypress, Austrian pine and Corsican pine reliable in exposed and maritime areas, and Scot’s pine suitable for exposed sites except those by the sea. Conifers have the advantage that when felled, they do not resprout from the stump. Willows and some of the introduced poplars such as Populus robusta may also be suitable. Willows can easily be propagated from cuttings simply stuck in the ground, so a willow hedge is very cheap to produce.
Field margins
The treatment of the strip of ground, or field margin, adjacent to the hedge, has important effects on the establishment of the hedge, and on its developing wildlife value. Avoid routine cultivation of this strip, but either mow it to form a grass sward, or preferably sow it with a mixture of wildflowers and grasses. This type of mix is less vigorous than commercial strains of grass, and will compete less with the hedge for nutrients, and will require less frequent cutting. Its value for invertebrates and other organisms will be much higher than a mown grass sward. Suitable mixtures are available from suppliers of wildflower seeds.
Avoid any fertiliser application to the field margin or base of the hedge, as this will merely encourage grasses and vigorous ‘weedy’ species which will compete with the hedge, and delay the development of a more benign flora. For the same reason, avoid using any herbicides near the hedge after the initial establishment phase, except for spot treatment of individual weeds.
Insecticide use on the field margin and hedge will have a devastating effect on the wildlife value, as both the target species, plus other species such as birds that depend on them, will be lost from the hedge.
The width of the field margin will depend on the type of crop being grown, and on grants and other commercial factors. The diagram above illustrates the recommendation by the game Conservancy for field margins and ‘conservation headlands’, in which the outer margin of cereal crops are sprayed only with selective herbicide. This is the minimum margin which should be left. A wider margin can be made by mowing a grass strip, which should be the width of a tractor and mowing machine. A mown margin of this width is also useful for access, although it may encourage rabbit damage to young hedges.
Planting up gaps
Any plants that die in the first few seasons should be replaced as soon as possible with vigorous new plants. Any failures will leave weak points in the hedge, and two or more together which have died will leave a gap. Small gaps tend to become larger as people or animals push through, and gaps also create a draught which affects the plants to either side. Check the new hedge in spring as the buds burst, and replace any dead plants immediately if possible, so that the growing season is not lost. Mark the replacements and nurture them through the spring and summer with watering and weeding. If a few plants die during the early summer, it may be worth replacing with containerised plants. If a lot die, there is likely to be a problem either with the ground conditions, or with the planting stock, and major replanting the following autumn may be necessary.
Odd losses in a wildlife hedge are not significant, as neighbouring plants will quickly spread to fill gaps.
For information on planting gaps in old or neglected hedges, see Chapter 10 – Restoring a neglected hedge.
