Friday 11 March 2011

Hedges

Rosa Rugosa Hedge
Twice we have tried to grow a beech hedge along a 25 metre bank on our boundary but the success rate has been well below 3%.  Whether the bank was too high, the weather too dry or what, I do not know, but beech is notoriously hard to plant on, so we've given up now and gone down a different route.

Yesterday I pulled up all of the 6 surviving beech trees and then reduced the height of the bank.  Overnight a good downpour soaked the bank and Rosie planted it up with Rosa rugosa.  Not strictly a wildlife hedge but, hopefully, a good crop of rose hips will be produced -  for Rosie's Rose Hip Syrup.

Laid Hedge 2008
Those six poor remaining beech trees I've transplanted into other hedges which have already been laid and/or planted up, with some additional Dog Rose (Rosa canina). Overall the hedges planted 3 years ago and those laid have a success rate of nearly 100% and needed very little gaping up.  The laid hedges are thickening out well and maybe in the future give us some firewood, bean poles and pea sticks.


So, fingers crossed, for third time lucky, with this beech hedge now cum Rosa rugosa hedge!  Hopefully the transferred beech will survive (I don't hold my breath) and, also, the Dog Rose grows.  And of course there are enough rose hips to make Rosie's Rose Hip Syrup - very good for colds. So I am told!

2 comments :

  1. I love rosa rugosa and even though not strictly native the wildlife love it too. It should do well, look lovely, smell gorgeous and hopefully taste great too.

    Good luck.

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  2. Thank you - it was after I had difficulty finding enough rosehips last year then read that Rosa rugosa would grow pretty much anywhere that we decided to give it a go.

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