Hedge Planting

One area of our church premises that always seems to get forgotten is the garden behind the church hall.  It’s a difficult piece of ground, being on a steep hill, and we’ve never really known what to do with it.  Since the top of the slope borders the public footpath, there’s always been a feeling that this represents a threat from unwanted intruders and therefore we should make the area as unwelcoming as possible.  Indeed, in the past there has been considerable vandalism of the hall roof and downpipes by people accessing the back of the hall (but now we have a CCTV camera round there, this is less of a risk). 

For as long as I can remember, this garden has been left to the brambles, and has been used as a rubbish dump, both by local drinkers with empty bottles and cans, and for dumping hedge trimmings when we’ve tidied up the churchyard.  This has left it an unsightly mess which I’ve always thought of as a great waste of a modest piece of land that God has entrusted to us.  There must be something more positive we could do with it.  So I’ve decided to make some changes.

The first issue is to address fears about unwelcome intruders, and to reduce the rubbish.  To this end I have planted a prickly hedge round the border with the footpath.  The hedge consists of 50% hawthorn plants, 25% blackthorn and the rest a mixture of hazel, dog rose, field maple and oak.  The saplings currently look like a line of twigs, but given a couple of seasons and some careful trimming, they will form an impenetrable hedge which will certainly prevent access from the footpath and will, I hope, make it more difficult to throw empty bottles and cans over into the garden.  It will also give some cover and food to native wildlife (and once established should provide a ready supply of sloes to flavour our gin for Christmas)

The next step is to work out how best to use this piece of ground.  The soil is good in some places but stony in others.  Much of it is overshadowed by two large horse chestnut trees and all of it is infested with brambles, nettles and ivy.  It would take quite a lot of work to create a viable allotment up there.  Grassing it over would be an option if anyone could manage to take the mower up that slope.  A wildlife garden could probably be established with little work, and would require a minimum of maintenance once established.  But for this year I think I will be content to watch the hedge get established and keep the area free of litter.  If the current drought continues I’ll be up there with watering cans every week - if anyone would like to join me?...