LITTLE GREEN SPACE BY PENNY BUNTING
- 48 minutes ago
- 4 min read
A mature hedgerow, blooming with blossoms in spring and laden with nuts and berries in autumn, is one of the delights of the British countryside.
Hedgerows are a fantastic habitat for all sorts of wildlife – but they are highly beneficial to us humans too. Hedges capture carbon to help tackle the climate crisis; they can also reduce soil erosion, and lessen the risk of flooding. As many hedging plants have prickly, thorny branches or leaves, they can deter unwanted intruders.
But perhaps the most appealing benefit of growing a native hedge is that many hedgerow plants bear edible nuts and fruits – for example sweet damsons, crunchy hazelnuts and crisp crab apples.
Here are three more suggestions for native plants to grow in an edible hedge. When foraging, remember that some berries are poisonous. So if you’re gathering wild food from the countryside, be sure that you know exactly what you are picking – and if unsure, leave berries and nuts for the wildlife.
Elderberry
Elderberry offers two feasts: Blossoms in spring and berries in autumn. The frothy white flowers can be used to make cordial, liqueur and sparkling wine.
In autumn, pick the clusters of berries when they have turned black, and use them to make wine, jellies, jams and syrup. Elderberry syrup has been used medicinally for hundreds of years – soothing coughs, colds and sore throats when mixed with hot water and a little honey. The berries are high in vitamin C, as well as being a good source of potassium and vitamins A and B; they are also reputed to be high in antioxidants and to strengthen the immune system.
To make elderberry syrup, remove the berries from the stalks, using a fork. When you have a kilogram of berries, put them in a large pan and add enough water to cover them. Simmer for about 20 minutes until the fruits are soft. Then strain off the juice and return this to the pan (the remaining pulp can be composted). Add 500g of sugar to the juice, and boil rapidly for about fifteen minutes, until the liquid has thickened. Pour into sterilised glass bottles and store in a cool dark place for up to four months.
It's important to note that raw elderberries contain toxins (as do all parts of the stalk, stem and leaf), so they need to be cooked before consuming.
Blackthorn
The dark purple fruits that blackthorn produces are called sloes. Eaten raw (not recommended!) sloes taste tart and bitter. But they can be turned into a delicious liqueur: sloe gin.
Sloe gin is easy to make. Gather 500g of sloes – it’s best to do this after the first frosts of autumn, but you can also pop them in a plastic bag in the freezer overnight. Wash the fruits thoroughly, then prick each fruit with a fork or a cocktail stick. Put them into a large, glass, lidded jar – a 2l Kilner jar is ideal – and add 250g sugar and a litre of gin.
Give the jar a good shake every day for a week. Then store it in a cool dark place for a couple of months, giving it another shake once a week. The liquid should turn dark red. When you’re ready to drink the liqueur, strain it through a fine sieve into sterilised glass bottles.
Blackberry
Blackberry plants – also known as brambles – can be grown to scramble through a native hedge. The UK’s native blackberry is called Rubus fruticosus. These plants are vigorous climbers, so space them out along your hedge, allowing at least five metres between each blackberry plant.
Blackberries are high in vitamin C, and can be eaten fresh or added to crumbles and pies (they go very well with apples). Or use them to make jams and jellies.
You can make blackberry purée by stewing blackberries in a little water and lemon juice, until soft, and then adding sugar to taste. Push this mixture through a sieve to remove pips and create a smooth sauce – this is delicious added to ice cream or Greek yoghurt. Or you can drizzle blackberry purée over cheesecake, or meringues and cream.
Hedges help
wildlife too!
Hedgerow plants aren’t just great for us. They’re also wonderful for wildlife, helping to feed and shelter all sorts of creatures – from bees and butterflies to birds and badgers.
According to the Tree Council, if you lined up the UK’s hedgerows end to end, they would be over 700,000km long! But, while this may sound impressive, it’s a far cry from how things were 75 years ago, when our hedgerows would have spanned twice that length.
A mature hedgerow can support thousands of species, and they act as wildlife corridors – allowing animals to travel safely from one area to another.
Birds nest in hedges, and thorny plants like blackthorn and hawthorn offer protection from predators. The fruits of many hedgerow trees and shrubs – elderberry for example – provide food for birds. Thrushes, fieldfares and redwings rely on hedgerow berries as a winter food source; and hedgehogs, foxes and mice will feed on berries too.
Hedging plants also help pollinators, producing nectar-rich blossoms in spring. Blackthorn blossoms emerge early in the year, before the leaves are out, and so are a good source of food for insects emerging from winter hibernation.
Hazel catkins, crab apple blossom, and the May flowers of hawthorn also attract bees and hoverflies. Hawthorn leaves are used by many butterfly and moth species, as a food source for the caterpillars. In fact, hawthorns are fantastic for biodiversity, supporting at least 300 different insect species.
Bramble, too, has many benefits for wildlife. The white and pink flowers begin to appear in May, providing nectar for pollinators – especially brimstone and speckled wood butterflies.
Bramble leaves are a useful food source for caterpillars, and blackberries are enjoyed by song thrushes and other birds. Bramble patches, with their tangles of thorny branches, are great places for creatures to hide in, offering prickly protection to dormice, hedgehogs and other small mammals.
Hedgerows are an important part of our natural and cultural heritage – so if you can, please plant one! Even a small hedgerow could help boost biodiversity in your garden or community.
Penny Bunting
