Here's To Hawthorne

Hawthorn hedges have so much more to offer wildlife says Val

- Val Bourne

GARDENERS often ask me how they can have a more wildlife-friendly garden. One of the easiest ways is to plant a hedge, but it has to be the right hedge. My village contains lots of Portuguese laurel hedging (Prunus lusitanica), probably chosen because it forms a dense screen. It needs cutting at least three times a year, which would put me off, but more importantly it offers very little to insects although vine weevil and leaf-mining moths enjoy munching through the shiny evergreen foliage.