Why native shrubs earn their place

A hedgerow or thicket of native shrubs is one of the most generous things you can plant. It gives food, shelter and nesting places to wildlife, and it asks very little in return. Hawthorn, hazel and blackthorn are three of the best. Between them they support dozens of caterpillar species, provide berries and nuts for birds and small mammals, and create the dense, thorny cover that makes a safe nursery. The cheapest and most reliable way to establish them is with bare-root whips, planted between autumn and early spring while the plants are dormant.

Hawthorn: the backbone of the hedgerow

Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) is the classic British hedge plant, and for good reason. In May it foams with creamy blossom, a valuable early source of nectar and pollen for bees, hoverflies and beetles. By autumn the branches are heavy with red haws, which feed blackbirds, song thrushes, redwings, fieldfares and waxwings well into winter. Hawthorn is also a larval host for many moths, including the hawthorn moth, lackey, ermine and small eggar, and those caterpillars are exactly what blue tits, great tits and other garden birds need to raise their chicks.

Its dense, thorny growth makes excellent nesting cover for blackbirds, dunnocks, robins and chaffinches. Small mammals such as bank voles and wood mice use the base of a hawthorn hedge as a highway and a larder. Hawthorn tolerates a wide range of soils, from clay to chalk, and will grow in sun or light shade. Plant 60–90cm whips at 30–45cm intervals in a double, staggered row for a stock-proof hedge, or 1.5–2 metres apart for a looser wildlife thicket.

Hazel: catkins, nuts and coppice structure

Hazel (Corylus avellana) brings a different kind of value. Its long yellow catkins open in January and February, often when little else is flowering, and provide early pollen for bees. In autumn, the nuts are a rich food source for native wildlife. Dormice, red squirrels, wood mice, voles and jays all take hazelnuts, and the discarded shells are a familiar sign of a busy hedgerow. Hazel is also a host for moths such as the nut-tree tussock and the December moth, and its leaves feed many other caterpillars.

Left alone, hazel becomes a multi-stemmed shrub with a rounded, leafy crown that offers good nesting cover for warblers and other small birds. Coppicing it on a seven- to ten-year rotation — cutting the stems close to the ground in winter — keeps it young and vigorous, and creates a mosaic of light and shade that benefits ground flora, insects and small mammals. Hazel prefers a moisture-retentive but free-draining soil and does well on woodland edges and in mixed hedges. Space whips 1.5–2 metres apart if you want a nut-bearing thicket.

Blackthorn: early blossom and impenetrable cover

Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) is the first shrub to flower in many hedgerows, producing white blossom on bare, black stems in March and April. It is a vital early nectar source for bees and other pollinators. In autumn, the blue-black sloes are eaten by thrushes, redwings and fieldfares, and they can be gathered after the first frost for sloe gin. Blackthorn is the larval host plant of the brown hairstreak butterfly, a declining species in much of Britain, as well as moths including the lackey and the magpie moth.

Its greatest gift to wildlife is its impenetrable nature. Blackthorn suckers freely, forming a dense, thorny thicket that is almost impossible for predators to push through. This makes it a favourite nesting site for whitethroats, blackbirds and dunnocks, and a safe refuge for hedgehogs, mice and voles. Plant it where you want a barrier or a secure wildlife corner, at 1.5–2 metres apart, or mix it into a hedge at 10–20 per cent of the total. It is tolerant of most soils, including heavy clay, but it suckers, so keep it away from delicate borders and paths.

Planting bare-root whips: timing and technique

Bare-root whips are young shrubs lifted from the nursery field while dormant. They are cheaper than container-grown plants, establish faster and are available from November to March. Order from a supplier that grows British native provenance stock, and plant as soon as the ground is workable but not frozen or waterlogged. If you cannot plant immediately, heel the whips into a spare patch of soil or a pot of damp compost so the roots do not dry out.

• Prepare the ground: clear a metre-wide circle of grass and weeds, especially couch grass and bramble, before planting.
• Plant at the right depth: dig a hole wide enough to spread the roots. The old soil mark on the stem should sit at ground level — not buried, not exposed.
• Firm and water: backfill, firm gently with your heel, and water well to settle the soil around the roots.
• Mulch: spread 5–8cm of bark chip or compost around the plant, keeping it clear of the stem.
• Protect: fit rabbit guards or a small mesh cage where rabbits, deer or voles are a problem.
• Spacing: 30–45cm in a double, staggered row for a hedge; 1.5–2 metres for a thicket; 3 metres for a woodland edge.

Aftercare and a hedge that lasts

The first two summers are the making of a new hedge. Water the whips in dry spells, and keep the ground around them free of weeds, which compete for moisture and light. A yearly mulch will suppress weeds and feed the soil. If you are growing a formal hedge, cut the whips back by about a third after planting to encourage bushy growth from the base. For individual shrubs, leave them to find their shape.

Once established, trim hedges in late winter, preferably on a two- or three-year rotation rather than every year. Avoid cutting between March and August, when birds are nesting, and leave a section to grow taller and bear more flowers and berries. Coppice hazel in winter on a seven- to ten-year cycle. With a little patience, a mix of hawthorn, hazel and blackthorn will become a living larder and a safe haven — a strip of countryside that works for wildlife every day of the year.