Introduction
It is estimated that there are over 700,000km of hedgerows in the UK and that in the last 75 years, the UK has lost 50% of its hedgerows.1 In the patchwork quilt of the British countryside, hedgerows standout as rivers of green running between the fields. But, beyond their picturesque charm, they play a crucial role in shaping the landscape and sustaining ecosystems and the life and biodiversity of the countryside.
Here at Gamekeeper’s Cottage, we are lucky enough to have a total of approximately 60 meters of mature native hedging running along two sides of the property. In this post I’d like to discuss why the hedgerow is such an important part of the UK countryside and why we are actively planting more of the hedging plants they consist of in the Gamekeeper’s Cottage gardens.
The importance of hedgerows
Natural Havens for Wildlife
Hedgerows serve as vital lifelines for a myriad of flora and fauna, providing shelter, food, and nesting sites for countless species. From chirping songbirds to industrious insects and elusive mammals, these green corridors support a rich tapestry of biodiversity, fostering resilience and ecological balance. As I sit here in the Gamekeeper’s Cottage gardens on a sunny April afternoon, I can hear the songs of the blue tits, great tits, robins and chaffinches that have made our hedges their home and early this morning I watched as a fox squeezed through a gap in the hedge before having a wander around the gardens.
Not only does the hedgerow provide homes for wildlife, but they also act as safe routes for them as they move around the countryside, remaining hidden from predators amongst the leaves and branches.
Carbon sink and climate resilience
Beyond their role in supporting biodiversity, hedgerows contribute to mitigating climate change by sequestering carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Their dense vegetation acts as a natural carbon sink, locking away carbon in woody biomass and soil organic matter. Moreover, hedgerows help mitigate the impacts of extreme weather events, serving as windbreaks, erosion buffers, and flood barriers, thereby enhancing landscape resilience in the face of a changing climate.
Economic benefits and sustainable farming
In addition to their ecological value, hedgerows offer tangible economic benefits to farmers and landowners. They provide natural barriers for livestock, reducing the need for artificial fencing. Moreover, hedgerows contribute to soil conservation, water quality improvement, and pollination services, enhancing the productivity and sustainability of agricultural landscapes.
Cultural and historical significance
But hedgerows are not merely ecological or economical features, they are deeply woven into the cultural fabric of the UK’s rural landscape. They bear witness to centuries of human history, serving as living monuments to traditional land management practices and agricultural heritage. From ancient boundaries delineating feudal estates to the hedgerows painstakingly laid by generations of skilled craftsmen, these living artefacts embody a tangible link to our past.
Hedgerows under threat
As I mentioned at the start of this post, the UK has lost 50% of its hedgerows in the last 75 years, and in addition, what we do have left is being removed and mismanaged at an alarming rate. This decline in hedgerow abundance, has been driven by agricultural intensification, urbanization, and changes in land use practices. The removal and simplification of hedgerows have fragmented habitats, restricted wildlife movement, and contributed to the loss of biodiversity.
What are we doing to help?
Here at Gamekeeper’s Cottage, we appreciate how vital the hedgerows are to the nature that we are lucky enough to see in our garden. We are actively maintaining the existing hedges to ensure that they continue to provide the vital habitats for wildlife, but we have also gone one step further.
In the summer of 2023 we planted about a dozen native hedgerow plants in what we are calling the “gate hedge”. This is within the stables area of the property, where it borders onto the neighbouring fields. Additionally, over the winter of 2023/24 we planted 100 new bare root native hedging plants to form 20 meters of new hedgerow around the edges of the back garden.
I will cover the process of the planting these hedgerows and the plants that we have chosen to use in future posts, but we are hoping that as they develop and grow to maturity, they will provide more vital habitats for the local wildlife.