put a little bustle in your hedgerow

Beauty.

A constant state

of change.

A natural setting.

An environment where “critters” can thrive.

All this can be realized in hedgerows, a natural alternative to artificially constructed borders and boundaries.

Jean Bach, with the Camano Wildlife Habitat Project steering committee, said hedgerows are a great landscaping feature because they can amend soil instabilities, reduce lawn size and create outdoor “living rooms.”

And, if a person is interested, hedgerows can go a long way toward certification as a backyard habitat because they provide corridors of travel rather than barriers.

Bach said hedgerows are not to be confused with what she calls “soldiers” — a uniform single row of a single species.

Instead, hedgerows are very deep (10-12 feet) and include layers of diverse plantings that vary in color, shape, size, foliage and even the season in which they bloom.

In addition to attracting a variety of birds and wildlife, the diversity of a hedgerow also means it is less prone to disease; if one of the species in a hedgerow contracts a disease, it isn’t likely to have negative effects on the others.

Bach advocates for using natural, rather than invasive, species in hedgerows. Many orchards and nurseries have a native plant section, she said.

She said one tactic for planting a hedgerow is choosing three or five or seven plants, always an odd number, and repeating them in clusters.

Also, pay attention to height layers.

For example, a person might choose two different ground covers, one or two short varieties, one or two of medium height, and finish with an uppermost layer, perhaps a conifer.

Hedgerows, Bach said, can be tailored to the property — deep, tall hedgerows for imposing spaces and narrower, shorter hedgerows for plots with less room.

Oftentimes, she said, a great first step is to simply tell a nursery or plant farm worker what you’re trying to accomplish, what the conditions are (sunny, shady, wet and/or dry) and what type of soil the plants will be in. This is enough information for the experts to begin selecting plants that will work well.

Giving thought to color and seasons doesn’t hurt either, Bach said.

Once a hedgerow has been planted and cultivated, maintenance is relatively simple, especially if native plants are properly matched with a property’s exposure and soil conditions.

It is, after all, as nature intended.

Staff Reporter Jeremiah O’Hagan: 629-8066 ext. 125 or ohagan@scnews. com.