Top-notch Garden Borders for Delicious Eating: Edible Hedge Plants
Get ready to spice up your garden with a mix of edible and wildlife-friendly delights! Ditch the boring, monotonous hedges and opt for a vibrant, chaos of tasty berries and nuts instead. Why settle for just one species when you can reap the rewards of cobnuts, sloes, wild plums, and crab apples in autumn?
Edible hedges are a Start-to-Finish Deal for Mother Nature. Not only do they offer shelter, but they also bloom with flowers for pollinators, celebrate leaves for caterpillars, and shower windfall fruit and nuts for birds and small mammals. By growing a diverse range of plants, you'll also attract a wide range of insects.
Here's our top picks for your edible, wildlife-friendly hedge:
The A-List Stars
Sloe Berry Slugger – Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa)
These dark fellas produce sloes that become mouth-wateringly sweet after the first frost. Fresh, they're sharp as a tack, but no worries, just toss 'em in a chutney, jam, or sloe gin and they'll thank you! Oh, and they're fabulous for wildlife, too!
Crab Apple Champ – Malus sylvestris
It's a tough love story with crab apples. They aren't usually munched raw due to their sour taste, but once transformed into crab apple jelly, they're as popular as your Aunt Mabel's fruitcake at Christmas!
Dog Rose Delights – Rosa canina
Dog roses are like the rebellious teenagers of the hedge world. They produce abundant rosehips in autumn that can impart a gentle rose flavor to teas, jams, and jellies. A true wild child!
Elderberry Extravaganza
A shy, mysterious beauty, elderberries attract pollinators with their spring blooms, and then feed over 40 bird species with their berries. Cook 'em up in fruit crumbles, pies, or sorbets, or steep the flowers for a refreshing cordial.
Nutty Nibblers – Hazel (Corylus avellana)
Whether you grow hazels or filberts, these nut jobs can be eaten green or left to mature on the tree for a treat in sweet and savory recipes. Best of all, they're a playground for squirrels and birds!
Damson Dynamo
Plant damsons for a tangy twist on your fruit dishes. Similar in appearance to plums but distinctly astringent, these ever-reliable hedgers can sweeten up your life with jams, sauces, and more.
Wild Pear Wonders – Pyrus pyraster
Taste the sweet side of the wild with the fruit of wild pears. Unlike crab apples, they're naturally sweet when ripe and ready to fall from the tree. The possibilities are endless with these nature-worthies!
Cherry Plum Charmer – Prunus cerasifera
'Nigra' variety cherries plums are beautiful additions to your hedge, thanks to their deep purple foliage and lovely spring blossom. Sweet or sour, these gems can be eaten fresh, used in jams, or sauces for an extra kick.
Blackberry Bramble
Once your hedge is established, you can let your inner thornlord shine by adding blackberries (Rubus fruticosus). No need to worry about the prickly nature of wild blackberries – grow thornless varieties like 'Adrienne' or 'Loch Ness' to make them even more inviting!
The Garden Gossip
• Fast-growing hedges for the impatient gardener• How to kill brambles in your hedge for the control freak• Solutions for planting an evergreen hedge for the winter warrior
So, roll up your sleeves and get ready to plant a garden that's as sweet as a berry pie and teeming with life! Embrace the chaos and watch your hedge become a symphony of flavor and harmony.
- A diverse range of plants in your garden, such as Sloe Berry Slugger, Crab Apple Champ, Dog Rose Delights, Elderberry Extravaganza, Nutty Nibblers, Damson Dynamo, Wild Pear Wonders, Cherry Plum Charmer, and Blackberry Bramble, not only beautify your food-and-drink and home-and-garden lifestyle but also provide a bountiful feast for various wildlife species.
- By growing edible hedges, you not only ensure a rich source of food for your recipes but also create a haven of shelter and nutrition for caterpillars, pollinators, birds, and small mammals, thus enriching your lifestyle and the surrounding wildlife community in a delightful and harmonious way.
