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Ive got a 50 metre fence running north to south that Id like to plant up as a hedge. Im on an exposed site so plants need to be hardy. Id like the hedge to be as edible as possible[nuts, berries etc], native species and wildlife freindly. Any suggestions as to what might be appropriate? Im in the North West of England and all other hedges on my plot are hawthorn, holly, elder, pyracantha and brambles.

blackthorn (for sloes) wild pear dog rose(hips) crab apple
and non food - field maple

as well as the ones you have already


Perrie Hale Forest Nursery is a good website - a nursery selling these plants - but they are aiming at Devon species... largely the same I imagine? might be of some help

Hazel is a good one which grows fast too.

Thanks - I had a look at the nursery website. I cant believe how much cheaper he specialist nurseries are in comparison to 'garden centres'.
I hadnt thought of blackthorn - what else can I use sloes for except gin [I hate the stuff!]
I have been thinking about planting hazel for a while. Any idea how long it takes for a crop?
Also I will be planting along a stock fence [ which will go up next week] - how far away should I plant up?

Rainy wrote:I hadnt thought of blackthorn - what else can I use sloes for except gin [I hate the stuff!]

I made great sloe jam once.

what do they actually taste like? they look like plums - are they anything like them and can they be eaten raw?
If they can be made into jam thats good because from jam they can then go in cakes, biscuits etc ...mmmmmmmmmm

Uncooked they are gritty and sour! Cooked they are okay, especially good for jellys, preserves and of course sloe gin!

totally inedible raw - they have a dry quality - i.e they suck all the moisture out of your mouth!, the taste is a bit plum-like yes.
You could consider damsons for your hedge - good for jams and jellies too, and used in savoury dishes as well .

Can damsons be eaten raw? I was hoping to have some foods that my children can eat straight from the hedge.
Could I plant a few berry bushes amonst the hedge i.e. blackcurrants or would they take over at the expense of the other palnts?
Also does any one make anything with rosehips and can anyone recommend a rose that has the big juicy hips that look like small apples?

I meant blackberries not currants !!!

depends if you want a traditional hedge or if you are aiming for planting along the fence with edible things.
if the latter then i would strongly recommend loganberry - you can even get a thornless variety. they are compact and can be tied back against the fence - and can be eaten straight from the plant, but are also good for cooking and jam etc.
if you want a more traditional hedge then you will be struggling to come up with things to eat straight from the plant, and bramble (blackberry) tends to exclude other plants.

Damsons are sour.

goumi (Eleaganus multiflora)
sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides)
ramanas rose (Rosa rugosa)
barberry (Berberis vulgaris)
Hawthorn -strain w/ best tasting berries (Crataegus arnoldiana)
Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus)

How about an espalier trained apple or two? we had a great talk at our smallholders meeting last night from a chap who has spent all his working life on an Orchard and was a big fan of 'old fashioned' varieties, he recommended Sunset as an eater and Grenadier as a cooker, but he reckoned that one called Fortune was the best possible eater. You can also make sloe Brandy in the same manner as Gin if that helps make your mind up!

kind thoughts
Deb

This is a really helpful thread. It's helped me to plan my own edible hedge - thanks.

Can someone also enlighten my ignorance, please? All the suppliers I'm looking at supply either "seedlings" or "transplants". Both are the same sizes. At the risk of sounding really thick, what's the difference between them? And would one fruit sooner than the other?

Many thanks go out to anyone who can stop my head scratching