Fall 1999 Table of Contents

Create a hedgerow and watch your bird activity increase
By Brett Johnson

A great way to attract birds to a backyard, and to pack in the largest number of small trees and shrubs into a relatively small area, is to create a hedgerow.

Used in Europe for centuries to border farms, the hedgerow is the ancestor of both the modern shrub border and the suburban hedge. Like a shrub border, the hedgerow usually consists of a mixture of shrubs and small trees. Its primary purpose is not ornamental, however, but more closely resembles that of the modern hedge. It can be used as a windbreak, to create garden rooms or simply lend a sense of privacy, and even to help keep large animals out of the garden. Since the hedgerow is usually made up of a variety of plants, it is generally much better habitat for wildlife than a conventional hedge would be.

Traditional English hedgerows were composed of plants such as hedge maple, hazel and hawthorn. Luckily, each of these has a Washington native counterpart that will work just as well. In fact, many of our native trees and shrubs can be planted close together to make a thick, virtually impenetrable hedge. Many of these plants also produce seeds, berries, nuts, and nectar-rich flowers that provide food for birds and other critters at various times in the year.

Techniques historically used to create these living fences can be adapted to the garden today. Plants should be placed relatively close together for quick establishment. Fast-growing shrubs such as thimbleberry (Rubus parviflorus), salmonberry (R. spectabilis) and blackcap raspberry (R. leucodermis), among others, can be planted among slower growing shrubs and trees, and cut back as the slower growing shrubs mature.

Limbs growing out away from the hedge can simply be woven back into the hedge, creating a thick tangle of interwoven branches. This is preferable to the shearing done to most hedges, since shearing produces an unnaturally dense twiggy growth birds often find difficult to penetrate. In contrast, a woven hedgerow often has spaces between the branches, allowing birds to fly in and out. The woven branches are also much more difficult for larger animals to push through.

Strong-wooded small trees such as maples give strength to a hedgerow. Washington state has two small native maples (growing to 25 feet or more) that would work well: Vine maple (Acer circinatum) will be happier in shady, moist woodland settings, while Douglas’ maple (A. glabrum douglasii) prefers drier, sunnier sites. For a smaller hedgerow, to be kept around 10 feet, oceanspray (Holodiscus discolor) would be preferable to maples. The flexible but tough stems will help hold the hedgerow together. Able to adapt to most soils and light regimes, oceanspray’s creamy spikes of flowers in July dry on the bush to create winter hiding spots for small invertebrates such as spiders and insects, which in turn provide winter food for birds.

Long branched shrubs such as beaked hazel (Corylus cornuta), to 25 feet in sun or shade, may also be used to knit the hedgerow together. The arching branches are perfect for weaving back into the hedge. For a smaller hedge, snowberry (Symphorocarpos albus) will weave itself through other shrubs, but may occasionally need to be thinned. Vines such as orange honeysuckle (Lonicera ciliosa), trailing blackberry (Rubus ursinus) and Western clematis (Clematis ligusticifolia) serve the same purpose.

When large animals or people threaten to compromise a hedge, thorny shrubs are often used to keep out unwanted guests. Blackhaw (Crataegus suksdorfii), with its one-inch spines, is an obvious choice for bright shade or sun. For shadier areas, many gooseberries, such as the black gooseberry (Ribes divaricatum), would work on a smaller scale. Roses such as the baldhip (Rosa gymnocarpa) or nootka rose (R. nootkana) might also work, though the latter also prefers more sun. Other good choices can be found in the bramble family. Blackcap raspberry will make a hedge of its own given the chance, and the nasty little prickles of the trailing blackberry can be woven through the other shrubs for an effect all out of proportion to the size of the prickles.

The suburban hedge is generally made from a single species of evergreen shrub, but a hedgerow traditionally includes a mixture of evergreen and deciduous plants. Since the majority of our native evergreen shrubs, such as Salal (Gaultheria shallon), Oregon grape (Mahonia nervosa) and sword fern (Polystichum munitum), are all fairly low-growing, they can knit the base of the hedgerow together. The addition of taller evergreens such as tall Oregon grape (Mahonia aquifolium) in shade or chinquapin (Castonopsis chrysophylla) and California wax myrtle (Myrica californica) in sun will provide winter cover for birds, and may help deter pesky deer from trying to jump over the hedgerow.

Since it generally will be at least three feet wide and, unless carefully pruned, will generally reach 10 feet or more, a hedgerow may not be a good idea for a small garden. But for those with the room, a hedgerow can serve a multitude of purposes, including creation of excellent bird habitat. For information on native plants for your specific area, contact your local chapter of the Washington Native Plant Society.

* Brett Johnson is the owner of Green Man Gardens and co-author of several short books on gardening for wildlife in Western Washington published by Wild Words.

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