Would you like to do something for animal welfare? You can easily integrate this into the garden design with a bird protection hedge.
If the hedge planting is pending, it is worth rethinking. Not only evergreen arborvitae are suitable for creating a privacy screen from the neighbors. How about a wild hedge instead, full of flowers and colourful. Your garden will soon come to life, because a bird protection hedge is an important habitat for numerous native animal species.
Why should I plant a bird protection hedge?
With a bird protection hedge you bring variety to the garden and do the environment a favor. These hedges are colorful and multifaceted. With its berries and fruits, the bird protection hedge is a colorful eye-catcher in the autumn garden. The birds gratefully accept the area and strengthen themselves for the approaching winter.
We have summarized the advantages of bird protection hedges below:
- Hide for Birds
- Food source for birds
- Winter Bird Sanctuary
- is also visited by small mammals such as squirrels and hedgehogs
- Protection for insects and larvae (food source for birds)
- Use as nesting site
- hardly any maintenance required
- multifaceted eye-catcher
Which plants are suitable for a bird protection hedge?
In principle, you can choose from all native shrubs that can provide a source of food for birds. On the other hand, common hedge plants such as cherry laurel or conifers are not suitable. These plants are purely protective and do not provide food.
The following plants can be integrated into a bird protection hedge:
| Plant species | Color flower / fruit | Location Claims |
|---|---|---|
| Cornelian | Yellow / Red | Sun to partial shade |
| Golden Currant | Yellow / Black | sun to shade |
| chokeberry | White / Black | Sun |
| Copper Rock Pear | White / Blue-Black | Sun to partial shade |
| Sloe | White / Blue | Sun to partial shade |
| Rowberry | Yellow / Orange | Sun to partial shade |
| Hike Rose | Pink / Red | Sun |
For birds, the mountain ash with its rowan berries is at the top of the list of favorites. More than 60 native birds are attracted to the fruit. Birds also prefer to feast on blood-red dogwood and elderberry.
If you pay attention to the ripening times of the plants when planting, a bird protection hedge can be created, which invites birds to nibble in the garden from summer on.
How is a bird protection hedge set up?
The best time to put your plan into action is October and November. Planting can also be done in February or March. However, there should be no frost. The rainy months usually ensure that the shrubs grow well.
Tip: Think in advance which plants should form the hedge and draw a corresponding planting plan. We will give you an example of this below.
Prepare the ground for the bird protection hedge
First the ground is prepared for planting. The substrate must be dug up and loosened in the desired area. Humus or horn shavings can be incorporated to improve soil quality.
If the soil is dense and loamy, adding sand can loosen it up. The permeability of the soil is important so that irrigation and rainwater can run off well and no waterlogging occurs.
Setting and caring for plants for the bird protection hedge
A separate planting hole is dug for each perennial. This should be twice the size of the root ball. When planting, the roots of the shrubs should be checked. Generously remove damaged plant parts. Some perennials are sold in so-called bale cloths. Since the material rots, the plants can be planted with the cloths in the ground.
After planting, press down the soil well and water the plants. Excessive watering should be avoided to avoid waterlogging. It is best to draw a watering channel around the shrubs so that the water can reach the plants in a targeted manner.
The bird protection hedge is watered regularly for about four weeks after planting. The soil should not dry out during this time.
Planting plan for bird protection hedges in detail
To get one if possibleTo create a dense hedge, the plants should be offset from each other. For tall shrubs, a planting distance of one meter is common. For smaller shrubs, 70 centimeters are sufficient. With a two-row hedge, a width of two meters should be calculated, after all, the plants should not crush each other.
You can customize the length. The following example is based on a length of ten meters. If you have a larger area available, you can string this planting plan together as you like.
Plant the back row as follows:
- Snowball (flowering period May to June)
- Cornelian cherry (flowering period February to March)
- Black elderberry (flowering period June to July)
- Single hawthorn (flowering period May to June)
- Copper Rock Pear (flowering April)
- Spindle tree (flowering period May to June)
The following plants are suitable for the front row of hedges:
- Golden Currant (flowering April to May)
- Pike rose (flowering period June to July)
- Honeysuckle (flowering period May to June)
- Barberry (flowering period May)
- Chokeberry (flowering period May)
- Ornamental quince (flowering period March to April)