I have planted a hedge down one side of the meadow, which I hope will create a bit of shelter from the wind that whistles down the valley. The plants chosen will all also provide nesting places for birds and flowers and berries, which will provide food for birds and insects.
The basis of the hedge is made up of 135 Hawthorn plants. I have mixed in 10 Blackthorns, 10 Crab Apple, 10 Alder Buckthorn, 10 Guelder Rose and 4 Hazels.
The Alder Buckthorn were chosen as they are the food plant for the caterpillars of Brimstone butterflies. Brimstones occur in England and occasionally they are seen north of the border. However, because there is very little Alder Buckthorn up here they cannot go on to breed. It is a bit of a long shot, but you never know, one day in the future a visiting Brimstone may find the perfect spot to lay her eggs on our hedge!!
Nearer the road we have planted 100 Beech saplings, which will create a more formal hedge at the entrance.
It took me four days to plant the hedge. I hadn't realised how stony the ground is there. For some reason, I thought the soil in the flatter area of the valley would be much easier digging!
More recently we have spent time clearing up fallen branches, old wire fencing and the remains of a mattress. We have also cut back the lower branches of some of the trees to make cutting the area much easier in the future and to encourage wild flowers to grow.
Spot the difference!
A couple of weeks ago I was dismayed to discover that cows in the neighbouring field had taken a liking to our hedge and they had managed to remove the tree tubes and spirals from more than half of the plants and then stripped the leaves off them. Luckily the farmer next door has put up a fence a few feet inside his field, so I hope the cows won't reach the hedge again. I have replaced the tubes and stakes for much of the hedge, but about 20 plants have been pulled out. I am keeping an eye on those that were stripped and hoping that new leaves will soon appear.
I am really looking forward to seeing the hedge develop over the next few years, assuming the cattle don't get to it again!!
Those are realy heavy work, but i can already visualize the area in the future. I can spot the difference on those trees. I smiled at what the cows did to the newly planted trees, i cannot plant here too outside my hoya enclosure because the chickens, cats, and our orphan goat will destroy them. They do that always.
ReplyDeleteI see this is an old post. It can be so discouraging when cows take over like that. Here deer, elk and moose eat everything.
ReplyDeleteThe farmer next door has put up a fence and I have bought some protective tubes, so my hedge is growing slowly! The deer have had the odd nibble, but they are not as bad as the cattle!!
DeleteI hope your hedge continues to grow. Are you living here full time now?
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