Description
The honey hedge is downhill of the StellaLou Farm dwellings, hugging the east property line where there is a cutout for the neighbor’s dwelling, lawn, and septic field. It starts right by the asparagus and blueberry perennial plantings and swoops down south/southwest to the bamboo grove.
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While a main goal of this intervention was to provide beautiful separation between the StellaLou Farm spaces and our neighbors, the main benefactors are pollinators. The honey hedge does create delineation between spaces, two arcs of shrub plantings, but plant species were chosen more for ecosystem benefits than privacy. In addition to feeding the StellaLou honeybees and attracting more species of pollinators, the honey hedge is a wildlife corridor. Almost all of the species planted here are native and are mostly shrubs. We additionally have a few smaller trees filling out the farthest row. The great diversity of plant species welcomes a great diversity of pollinators.
Process and Timeline
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Planning (2016): Given the goals of the space, the location was already set. The shape was determined based on ease of movement, maintenance, and aesthetic. Flags were laid out in the desired curves for the plantings.
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Ground Prep (2016): A big load of mushroom compost was spread to visualize the shape and to mulch the area. A cutting of three rows with a single shank subsoiler parallel to the line of the plantings followed, to break up compacted soil and to improve drainage.
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Planting (2016): The design was completed on Sketchup of the plantings and the plants were ordered (Cold Stream Farm and ForestFarm.) The buttonbush and sumac was propagated here at StellaLou. I mulched a portion of the plantings with cardboard and straw. It became clear that I had to protect the tiny plants when I started noticing that they were being nibbled by, I believe, bunnies. These were then protected using spare hardware cloth and used tree tube sections.
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Observe: We continue to observe and maintain the hedge. First Season of the Hedge. Pollinators on the Sumac
What We Have Learned & What's Next...
A couple of the species are quite aggressive, and need to be cut back periodically, which is a concern that may prevent some folks for wanting to include them in their own pollinator hedgerow. We plan on using a coppicing technique on the Sumac and Black Locust planted here.
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This intervention is largely complete. Initially, there were plants that needed to be replaced, but they are all thriving at this point.
Maintenance of pruning, weeding, and weed whacking for access is minimal but required. Now that most plants are established, maintenance has lessened.
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Plant List
​Detailed list, with descriptions
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Black haw viburnum
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Hollyberry cotoneaster
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Nannyberry
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Smooth sumac
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Nanking cherry
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Ninebark
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Bearberry cotoneaster
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Japanese quince
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Buttonbush
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Black locust
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Washington hawthorn
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Witch hazel
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Wild plum
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Chaste tree
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Sweetshrub
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Shrubby st. john's wort