I don’t know if they are, but hedgerows I think that are of a certain age should be listed the same old buildings. Great video thanks for sharing.

@Ultimatewildlifegardens-ng7mw

18 күн бұрын

Hello Pip & thanks for the comment. In the UK old hedges do have a degree of protection BUT like many things relating to wild life the planning system frequently hugely underestimates the importance of native hedges and accepts hopelessly inadequate "mitigation" , (e.g. planting a line of native hedge plants and a hedgehog box.....don't get me started!!!), and disruption of vital wildlife corridors. I could easily write a whole book on this but you get the drift of my feelings!!!!!!! Essentially a mature hedge is a hugely complex ecosyste/mini woodland in its own right & this is so often either not understood or ignored, Suffice to say that it takes many decades, (or even centuries), for this hedge ecosystem to become fully established. Best wishes, Chris

Just finished reading a very informative book called Hedges by Robert Wolton I would recommend this to the hedge community.

Thank you for providing your knowledge to us! Very informative video

@Ultimatewildlifegardens-ng7mw

16 күн бұрын

I am pleased that you found it useful & thanks for getting in touch. Best wishes, Chris

Great video - cheers!

@Ultimatewildlifegardens-ng7mw

4 ай бұрын

Thanks - it is appreciated. Chris

Very interesting Chris and lots of useful information. I have a native hedge, along the back of my garden, a mixture recommended by the rspb. I wanted prickles and spikes for security. I`m letting one of each species grow into a tree and cutting half of the rest every other year. The only problem is it doesn`t give any privacy during the winter. So I`m adding holly and ivy. It hasn`t produced much fruit yet, apart from rosehips, but It is used a lot by the little birds to hide and perch in.

@Ultimatewildlifegardens-ng7mw

5 ай бұрын

You are obviously doing an excellent job and I love to hear about the great things that you are doing in your garden. The full benefits, including fruits, will come in time. Great work Isabel. Best wishes, Chris

Wonderful!

@Ultimatewildlifegardens-ng7mw

Ай бұрын

Many thanks! Chris

Brilliant informative video. Thank you do much for making it!

@Ultimatewildlifegardens-ng7mw

3 ай бұрын

Thanks very much Rich. My video skills have much room for improvement but I try! Best wishes, Chris

Great work sir. Have rewilded my own half acre of garden. The tide is definitely turning, seeing more and more nature friendly gardens and rewilding projects cropping up. Gives me hope!

@Ultimatewildlifegardens-ng7mw

4 ай бұрын

Thanks for the comment Simon & very much appreciate your work which gives ME hope too. Best wishes Chris

@goldplatedbear2693

3 ай бұрын

Jesus gives me hope aswell

Thanks for making this video. I'm in the states but we have a great need for hedgerows for wildlife. Red dogwood and American plum are very beneficial here. They are adapted to fire and are rejuvinated by prescribed burns. 🌱

@Ultimatewildlifegardens-ng7mw

3 ай бұрын

Really pleased to hear from you and your beneficial hedge plants. Best wishes, Chris

A very informative video. Thanks.

@Ultimatewildlifegardens-ng7mw

3 ай бұрын

Thanks. Best wishes, Chris

Lots of new hedges going up in my part of the world. I presume mostly under the BN11 countryside stewardship scheme. Scheme dictates no more than 70% of a single species and 6 plants per metre in a staggered double row. I did about 140 meters of BN11 this year........ 60% hawthorn, with Hazel, Buckthorn, Common Buckthorn, Guelder Rose, Crab Apple, Wild Pear, Field Rose, Sweet Briar, Dog Rose, a couple of seedling oaks and 9 Hornbeam i got given thrown in for good measure. That leaves another 280meters for the next two winters. I also participated in Norfolk Councils million trees scheme with 125 hedge plants in another area and 20 trees (all native) on another part of the farm.

@Ultimatewildlifegardens-ng7mw

2 ай бұрын

This is really good to hear Guy.....it does my old heart good! Best wishes, Chris

A highly informative video, thank you. Subscribed

@Ultimatewildlifegardens-ng7mw

18 күн бұрын

Thanks for the sub! I really appreciate it. Best wishes, Chris

I planted a hedge like this in my garden (just a normal size garden). The only problem was I have to cut it back a lot more than I would like because it grows to much in my garden and over into my neighbours! But a least there are plenty of leafs to invertebrates to eat and I have noticed a large increase wildlife!

@Ultimatewildlifegardens-ng7mw

15 күн бұрын

Hi & thanks for getting in touch. Yes I do sympathise but YOU are doing the right thing & helping wildlife as far as you can which is brilliant. Do keep up the good work and know that you are making a difference. Best wishes, Chris

Wonderful video . Wish I’d thought of planting Elm in my mixed hedge , brilliant idea

@Ultimatewildlifegardens-ng7mw

18 күн бұрын

Hi Tom. Another suggestion is to add in things like wild hop, honeysuckle & old man's beard. They all add to the native diversity. (Thanks for the compliment but I do know that I need to improve my videos.......I will try to get better but I am fairly new to it!). Best wishes, Chris

@tomsanderson9622

18 күн бұрын

@@Ultimatewildlifegardens-ng7mw yes , I’ve put those in and they work fantastically well . I’ve just put in a pond too , which is very exciting to see what turns up - I’m only putting native plants and oxygenators ( apart from a couple of Lillies )

Love your video. Subrscribed. Got a load of bare root hawthorn, raspberry, rambling rose, pyracantha, wild cherry, rugosa and canina. Now i am looking to get rowan and holly. I am so excited to see the tranformation. Great content and useful resource☆☆☆ ♡

@Ultimatewildlifegardens-ng7mw

Ай бұрын

Thanks Jasmine....I really appreciate it. Chris

This is exactly the type of vid I seek to inspire work around my own place, thanks for the list of species! The most fun is changing the mix of plants, and seeing what naturally comes up. I have hilly land and a combination of small earthworks among mowed areas, wild areas and hedges seems to be good for all the reasons you mentioned and more. Quick dead hedging has benefits too, packed w/ fallen leaves it prevents soil erosion and can be easily removed later (dug out and soil taken back up) or its a good start to a long term living hedge.

@Ultimatewildlifegardens-ng7mw

2 ай бұрын

Hi & thanks very much for your comments. May I reciprocate, (without any bullshit!), that it is hearing of your excellent work that gives me the inspiration to do what I do so I am grateful to you. Best wishes, Chris

If you leave the hedge to grow and mature for a few years before cutting back, it will allow it to build up a good strong root stock. So, when you cut it back, it will flush back with much more vigour and, therefore, grow back quicker, thicker, and denser, and will soon be back to its previous height. Also, fantastic video its so important that people are made aware of their ill practices not just concering hedging but wider practices that are catastrophicly detrimental to our wildlife.

@Ultimatewildlifegardens-ng7mw

2 ай бұрын

Thanks Isaac for your comments and yes you make an excellent point. Do keep in touch. Best wishes, Chris

Really enjoyed this. We have a 180' x 35' garden and since we've owned it (3 years) we have set about making it wildlife friendly, including 3 areas of new wildlife friendly hedging. In the next few weeks I will be starting on a 4th area, a 40' long section that currently has a hedge of Mexican Orange, this will be mainly Hawthorn with a few other species. Great advice on your video and very inspirational.

@Ultimatewildlifegardens-ng7mw

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for the message. It is great work that you are doing and it is YOU who inspire me! Best wishes, Chris

Thanks for the video, it is very helpful. I am planning to plant a native hedge on my land and I had no idea about some of the species You were talking about. Now I will surely add them to the hedge. Thou I was wondering - Is it better to plant the same species in larger groups or to scatter them in some random patterns?

@Ultimatewildlifegardens-ng7mw

4 ай бұрын

Thanks very much for getting in touch. I would stick to the 60/70% of hawthorne or blackthorne and ideally put in the other species in one's or two's scattered along but I do not think that it matters greatly. Main thing is well done for your efforts. Best wishes, Chris

@Prunus_avium

4 ай бұрын

@@Ultimatewildlifegardens-ng7mw Thanks a lot for an advice! I will do just like You said.

Excellent video. I've been fortunate to have been born without the tidyness gene.

@Ultimatewildlifegardens-ng7mw

Ай бұрын

You and me both! Let's spread the word & sit back!!!! Best wishes, Chris

@TheWoodlandOrchard

Ай бұрын

@@Ultimatewildlifegardens-ng7mw 😁

Thank you for your informative video. We planted a mixed native hedge in December in the front garden and are hoping to do the same in our back garden. Am I right in thinking to leave the hedge for a few years before pruning back?

@Ultimatewildlifegardens-ng7mw

3 ай бұрын

Thanks for getting in touch Emma Jane. My opinion is that it is a good idea to prune it when it gets about 3 feet high to make it bushy. If you leave it too long it will not be so bushy at the bottom and so less good for nesting/deterring predators. Then it is excellent to let it grow up and produce the flowers/fruis/berries and cut in a rotation every few years. I hope that this helps. Such good work that you are doing! Best wishes, Chris

@emmajayne2373

3 ай бұрын

@@Ultimatewildlifegardens-ng7mw Thank you for your speedy reply. You've been very helpful.

Thank you for your work! We need to rewild our planet on a large scale or we will all die very soon.

@Ultimatewildlifegardens-ng7mw

4 ай бұрын

Yes we cannot "sit back" we need more urgency. Thanks for your comment. Chris

You're a legend, thanks boss!

@Ultimatewildlifegardens-ng7mw

Ай бұрын

No problem! but you guys that spread the word are the real legends. Best wishes, Chris

Excellent information.

@Ultimatewildlifegardens-ng7mw

Ай бұрын

Thanks for watching! Best wishes, Chris

Sir, I am from the US, but I am going to plant a hedge this year using my natives (as you suggested). The thing you have changed my mind about is putting down the anti-weed/grass matting. I didn't think about there being a negative to that, but as you mentioned, it isn't natural. When planting the hedge, would you plant two or more species of the same and then switch to the next? Thanks!

@Ultimatewildlifegardens-ng7mw

2 ай бұрын

Hi & thanks for getting in touch. Yes you are making an excellent choice in not putting down the matting. As you know the bottom of the hedge is also an inportant potential habitat. I tend to scatter the species at random because some will probably not survive and the survivors will find spaces that happen to suit them. It is excellent work that you are doing. The ecological principles are universal and really pleased to "meet" a USA subscriber to our common aims. Best wishes, Chris

Very interesting video - how sad to hear that the ancient hedgrerow you feature is under threat from a proposed new housing estate. As Britain's population soars to 70 million and beyond, it is perhaps a sad inevitability. I could say more but don't wish to stray into politics! Incidentally, isn't there a chance that the hedge has legal protection from being destroyed? We have a hedge opposite our house which I am currently relaying and contemplating restocking and your video has helped inform those choices. Thanks again.

@Ultimatewildlifegardens-ng7mw

3 ай бұрын

Thanks for contacting me Rob. The hedges do get some pretection but if the development should be granted then at least some will be destroyed for visibility splays etc. Needless to say I WILL be fighting it along with many others! Excellent to hear about your hedge. Best wishes. Chris

@robcodsall

3 ай бұрын

@@Ultimatewildlifegardens-ng7mw Hi Chris, many thanks for the reply. I will keep my fingers crossed that you succeed in preventing development in what looks like unspoilt open countryside and particularly if it threatens ancient hedgerows and wildlife havens which you clearly care a great deal about. Thanks again for this and your other videos, I admire your passion and knowledge of the subject. All the best, Rob.

If I want to add some more variety into a blackthorn hedge, in a sandy exposed corner of Jersey, what would you recommend? We can get intense sun in summer, wind and rain in winter but not too cold. We have a holly and a big lilac, I really want to encourage more bird and bugs. Many thanks 😊

@Ultimatewildlifegardens-ng7mw

3 ай бұрын

Hi Sarah & thanks for getting in touch. Your blackthorn hedge is a great start. The beauty of using native species is that they are generally excellent "doers", (i.e. tough and resilient), so most if not all of the species which I mention will probably be fine but see what is doing well in your area to be absolutely sure. I know that you already have a prickly hedge but a few hawthorn would be great. (Quadruple "whammy" with excellent nesting/cover, flowers, fruits and foliage for cterpillars etc). Hazel will be excellent for nuts for small mammals which will help your predators as well. Perhaps some wild rose or wild hop to scramble through & further aid the diversity. More plant diversity= more animals as you know. I hope that this helps & do keep in touch. Best wishes, Chris

@sarahhilton8631

3 ай бұрын

Thanks so much for replying so quickly Chris, appreciate it. I've bought a twisted Hazel because I love them, do I need to buy a "normal" Hazel? Love hops, they are beautiful, I'll go and have a look for a rose and a hop. If you're ever in Jersey, pop by and say hi at Maison des Landes 😊

@Ultimatewildlifegardens-ng7mw

3 ай бұрын

Hi Sarah. Yes I inherited a contorted hazel from my mother-in-law & they are interesting and would say that they are of some value to wildlife but nothing like as good as a native hazel (more growth/flowers/nuts) so ideal if you can find the space. Same with any other species that you buy that they are best genuine native especially the rose & hop. Lovely of you to suggest a visit if I am in Jersey which is such a kind offer but after many years of being "on the road", (as a garden designer), I am something of a hermit/recluse but hope that one day our paths may cross. Do keep me in touch with your wildlife work and always happy to help. Chris P.S. I do sometimes rant/show very strong views - as a viewer is that a positive or negative trait? I do try to keep it reined in but not sure how forthright I should be as I don't wish to p***s viewers off too much!!!

@sarahhilton8631

3 ай бұрын

Haha swear away, I'm not bothered. You could rename yourself the sweary gardener then at least people are prepared 😁 Right so my weekend activity is buying hedges and hazels and hops, marvellous. We are out in the wilds so nobody around, I am a cat recluse but working in hospitality 😁

@Ultimatewildlifegardens-ng7mw

3 ай бұрын

I am tempted to do that!!!! It would get some attention @@sarahhilton8631

Are these hedges, including yours, the type that get laid down and interwoven? And if so, at what point do you start that process? Thanks for your video. I'm hoping to get a house with land later this year and if that happens I'm looking into starting a hedgerow. This is in Oregon in the US where these things aren't the norm.

@Ultimatewildlifegardens-ng7mw

20 күн бұрын

Hi Tracy and thanks for getting in touch. The hedge should not need laying for many years, (if at all). It is sometimes used for very old hedges which are no longer stock-proof and so need thickening at the bottom. The hedge plants, (shrubs), can be cut periodically to keep them bushy or just left for the wildlife to enjoy the flowers, nuts, berries etc. I hope that this helps and very pleased to be in touch with you in Oregon. I also hope that you get your land for the sake of the wildlife! Best wishes. Chris

@tracy419

20 күн бұрын

@@Ultimatewildlifegardens-ng7mw thanks Chris, I really appreciate you getting back to me on this. It looks like I've misunderstood the hedgerow making process to begin with . I had the thought you grew the bushes and trees and that the laying process was an integral part of it . But now it looks like it's just to fill in the gaps. So for instance, if a tree or a bush or two doesn't make it and an opening appears I might lay down one or two nearby it to cover up the gap? I've been watching a lot of these hedgerow videos and none of them really touched on that portion of it, so I appreciate you saying that. Thanks again!

@Ultimatewildlifegardens-ng7mw

20 күн бұрын

@@tracy419 Really pleased to help if I can.....you know where I am! Chris

Show me the wildlife!

@Ultimatewildlifegardens-ng7mw

2 ай бұрын

Hi Ian. Thanks for posting a comment in reference to the hedges video. I read and endeavour to reply to as many as I can. I note your comment but I think that we are perhaps approaching the topic from different perspectives. Firstly by "wildlife" I am referring to all forms of life including, (& especially), plants which are the starting point for all other forms of wildlife. I included quite a few photographic references to many of the plants that I spoke about but admit not many included animals. This video was shot in January with a temperature of minus 2 degrees C so animal life is not highly visible! I could use many library shots but the video was essentially all about the plants, i.e. wildlife, and the value would, I feel, not have been greatly increased with the inclusion of many "stock" pictures/videos. Best wishes, Chris

It sickens me that humans are so thoughtless and greedy. Never giving a thought to what is being destroyed.

@Ultimatewildlifegardens-ng7mw

5 ай бұрын

I do agree with you Pat but what gives me hope is your reaction. We are like-minded so we are far from alone. Thanks for the comment - I do appreciate it. Best wishes. Chris

@ramblingimbecile2295

2 ай бұрын

It's a lack of knowledge. People just haven't been made aware of what happens when you strip plant life from an area. It really is onky recently that people are starting to understand permaculture and how we can revive the land and prevent the damage caused by past human activity. I've always struggled with a waterlogged garden and I've been unable to get any really good advice on how to fix it until I discovered permaculture and planted very heavily with dogwood and hawthorn. These are just at the back of the borders and act as protection from heavy rain