The Essential Hedgerow - Page 4 - Wildlife Gardeners - North American Wildlife Gardening

12-31-2009, 09:23 AM
Hedgerowe Snag Aficionado Join Date: May 2009 Location: Chesapeake Bay, Maryland, USA	The Essential Hedgerow Note: Much has been written about non-native species used in gardening, many of which were introduced to North America as hedging plants. The unfortunate results of these introductions are evident and the argument against their use is clear. I advocate only... Click here to read the entire garden article

#30

By TheLorax on 02-06-2010, 01:43 PM

I have been away too long. I missed a wonderfully well written article that inspires me to remove a fence.

#31

By Hedgerowe on 02-07-2010, 12:37 PM

Quote:

What I mean to say is, if you look around at the characteristics of local plants you are likely to find something that is multi-purpose and that will fit in your hedgerow.

Hazelnut, I missed your comment of a couple of weeks ago. Sorry! I couldn't agree with you more. In a perfect world, we would all be able to live in a wildlife habitat filled with native species. When that is not the case (which is true for most of us), we can do some things that allow us to fulfill our cultural needs while providing for the needs of wildlife. The hedgerow can do that.

And TheLorax, to know that someone is considering replacing a fence with a hedgerow because of something I wrote is the highest compliment possible. Thank you! You have made my day.

#32

By hazelnut on 02-07-2010, 01:39 PM

Along one side of my property is an osage orange hedgerow planted in the 1830s. Originally it was strung with hogwire - now embedded in the trees. Its purpose then was to restrain free-ranging hogs. Needless to say it is getting to the point where it needs to be refurbished!

Many of the original trees are horizontal but still growing, and the spaces are being filled with invasive privet. Maybe some native magnolias -- like the 'cow - cumber' tree, some dogwoods, and some hollies will do the trick. Maybe some native roses to to provide me with some rose hips along with the birds.

#33

By dapjwy on 04-25-2010, 01:15 PM

I had to come back and share what I did today. It rained overnight and is cool, wet, and overcast today, so I decided to transplant some small elderberry shoots--I know they are notorious for wilting. I hoped today would be a good day for them to adjust to their new home. It is supposed to be rainy the next few days.

Along with two elderberry seedlings, I divided some of the blueberry bushes that the previous owner must have bought (more on that in another thread, perhaps), a serviceberry seedling, and a pagoda dogwood seedling, and a meadowsweet (Spirea alba, I think) that I had in a starter bed.

I'd like to add more, because most of the undergrowth there is/was Japanese honeysuckle. I want something to replace that bushy shrub height. The blueberry bushes seemed like a pretty good idea--if I could get some roots on one of the shoots/'trunks'. I managed to get about 3-4.

Having purchased a few more bareroot plants a while back, I was happy to get some things for free here--some of which the birds planted themselves in my garden plots. That way I can save more money for some native plant sales. ~smile~

Thanks again for the great article, Hedgerowe!

#34

By Hedgerowe on 04-30-2010, 12:45 PM

dap-ja-wa, how great that you have been busy expanding your edge habitat (with some help from your feathered friends, it sounds like!). Elderberry is a shrub that is on my lust-list

I am happy to report that all the members of my hedgerow seem to have survived one of the wettest winters on record here, even the groundseltree, which sat in a good 5" of water for months straight (so late to leaf out that I was certain she had drowned). I will be attending the native plant sale at Adkins Arboretum the weekend of May 8th, and hope to continue adding to the hedgerow. I'll take and post some of those photos that I promised to you so many months ago. It is good to have spring again after such an arduous winter!

#35

By dapjwy on 04-30-2010, 07:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hedgerowe

Hey! Hedgerowe!

Yes, lots of help from our feathered friends. I'm finding a lot of seedlings and will keep those that are native and pull the Japanese honeysuckle, multifloral rose, and the like. Over time, I feel the natives will have the edge.

I'm very excited about the hedgerow and now want to add Alnus incana (Grey or Speckled Alder). I have that wet area that I think will be perfect for it. I love those small "cones" on the edges of their branches.

Another plan is to create more 'edge' by replacing the row of forsythia with another hedgerow and maybe another area as well. These are long range plans...again, too bad I can't afford a lot more--some full grown, medium-sized, and young trees, shrubs, grasses, and forbs. Oh well, over time, I guess.

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