quaking aspen
Hedgerows are important habitat for birds, mammals and a wide variety of species, providing nesting places, food, and safety. That said, not all hedgerows are created equal.
Traditionally hedgerows were edges of fields allowed to fill in with ‘wild’ plants. Today, many hedgerows are comprised of a single plant species, usually an evergreen, designed as a visual or physical barrier. They are used to block wind, prevent deer from traversing property, and to hide things.
native shrubs create visual barrier
Several years ago, in response to a neighbor’s placement of trucks, equipment and piles of ‘stuff’ on our fence line, we decided to create a hedgerow to obscure the view.
The area is on a hot, dry slope in an open field. The length of the space is 400 feet and initially we decided to plant several rows of trees and shrubs. We installed Ponderosa pine, Russian olive and caragana. Luckily the Russian olive all died (it is now recognized as an invasive species). Most of the pine also died. The caragana struggled.
perimeter fencing aids plant establishment
Looking at our lack of progress we realized several things. We needed fencing to prevent the deer from eating everything and we needed irrigation if we expected plants to get established well.
We also reconsidered our species list and decided to use native plants and apple rootstocks to serve as both a wildlife habitat and a visual barrier. We put up 7 foot fencing, installed five rows of native shrubs (augering 12” x 3’ deep holes into clay soil with rocks) and added a drip system giving each plant a water source.
apple root stock for wildlife
Wow! What an improvement! With adequate water and protection the plants are growing quickly, birds are constantly feeding, and the view is being occluded. We are not pruning or hoping to attain any sort of formal look, rather hope to let plants grow and merge together.
Grass beneath the shrubs is an issue we have yet to conquer. Grasses deprive plants of moisture and nutrients but so far we have left them to help obscure the view.
grey alder and wax currant
We used a diverse selection of native shrub species to provide habitat for as much wildlife as possible. A combination of evergreen and deciduous shrubs were used. These include:
grey alder (Alnus incana)
serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia)
water birch (Betula occidentalis)
red-osier dogwood (Cornus sericea)
ocean spray (Holodiscus discolor)
rocky mountain juniper (Juniperus scopulorum)
ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa)
quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides)
american plum (Prunus americana)
common chokecherry (Prunus virginiana)
golden currant (Ribes aureum)
wax currant (Ribes cereum)
scouler’s willow (Salix scouleriana)
evergreen shrubs provide year-round habitat
The hedgerow provides life, color and interest throughout the seasons. In early spring queen bumblebees throng to the hedgerow filling the air with their loud buzzing. In late spring hummingbirds arrive and feed on flowers, juncos scurry under shrubs searching for seeds and places to nest, western and mountain bluebirds dart overhead collecting insects, and numerous sparrow species build nests in the bushes. In fall pine siskins collect ripening seeds and western tanagers eagerly devour berries. It is a living hedgerow full of vibrant life.
© 2015, Kathy Settevendemie. All rights reserved. This article is the property of Native Plants and Wildlife Gardens. We have received many requests to reprint our work. Our policy is that you are free to use a short excerpt which must give proper credit to the author, and must include a link back to the original post on our site. Please use the contact form above if you have any questions.
