Wildlife garden

Planting a native hedge: species, spacing and care

Plant a native hedge between November and March, with 3 to 5 plants per metre in a staggered double row, using a mix of species such as hawthorn, blackthorn, hornbeam, field maple, hazel, guelder rose and dog rose.

Updated on 10 October 2026

What to do

Choose four to six species that suit your soil: hornbeam also on wet clay, beech on well-drained soil, hawthorn and field maple almost anywhere.
Buy young bare-root plants of 60–100 cm: they are cheap and establish well when planted in winter.
Loosen the soil over a width of 50 cm and plant 3 to 5 plants per metre in a staggered double row, in groups of three to five of the same species.
Plant at least half a metre from the boundary, or on the boundary by agreement with the neighbours.
Cut the hedge back by about a third in the first spring: it will branch from the base and become dense.
Later, trim once a year outside the nesting season, or let parts grow freely so they can flower and carry berries.

Caution: Yew, spindle and wild privet are poisonous: don’t plant them within reach of young children or grazing animals.

Why it helps

A mixed native hedge flowers from March to June, carries berries from summer until deep into winter, and the thorns of hawthorn, blackthorn and dog rose protect the nests.
Native shrubs feed far more insects than cherry laurel, thuja or other exotics, and therefore more birds too.
A hedge breaks the wind, gives privacy and is a safe corridor for hedgehogs and other animals.

Which plants?

Hawthorn Crataegus monogyna Broadleaf tree · flowers May Native
Blackthorn Prunus spinosa Shrub · flowers March–April Native
Hornbeam Carpinus betulus Broadleaf tree · flowers April–May Native
Beech Fagus sylvatica Broadleaf tree · flowers April–May Native
Field maple Acer campestre Broadleaf tree · flowers May Native
Hazel Corylus avellana Shrub · flowers January–March Native
Guelder rose Viburnum opulus Shrub · flowers May–June Native
Common dogwood Cornus sanguinea Shrub · flowers May–June Native
Cornelian cherry Cornus mas Shrub · flowers February–March Native
Wild privet Ligustrum vulgare Shrub · flowers June–July NativePoisonous
Dog rose Rosa canina Shrub · flowers June Native
Sweet-briar Rosa rubiginosa Shrub · flowers June–July Native
Holly Ilex aquifolium Broadleaf tree · flowers May NativePoisonous
Yew Taxus baccata Conifer NativePoisonous
Alder buckthorn Frangula alnus Shrub · flowers May–August NativePoisonous
Spindle Euonymus europaeus Shrub · flowers May–June NativePoisonous

When?

November–March.

Garden jobs in January Garden jobs in February Garden jobs in March Garden jobs in November Garden jobs in December

Take up the challenge

Plant 3 native shrubs (October–December)
Plant 3 native trees or shrubs, such as hawthorn, hazel or guelder rose: planting season has begun.

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Did you know? An old hedge of hawthorn, blackthorn and dog rose can support hundreds of insect species: hawthorn alone is a food plant for dozens of species of moth.