Native Blackthorn Hedge Pack

Mixed Native Hedging, Blackthorn Based 

This Blackthorn based mixed native hedging pack is a bundle of 50 plants, ideal for sheep farms. It is approved for Countryside Stewardship grants (e.g. BN11: Planting New Hedges).
You can order the same plants individually from their respective pages, but you will save money on the same size plants by buying the hedge pack.
We will choose the plants that go into the hedge mix from the following list, occasionally the pack may change between the time of ordering and the time of despatch: we cannot accept requests for specific plants to be used in your pack.
If you want to be certain of having a particular plant in your hedge mix, please order it separately.

• 50% Blackthorn
• 10% each of 5 other native species (chosen by us): Hawthorn, Crab Apple, Dog Rose, Common Dogwood or Red Dogwood, Field Maple, Guelder Rose, Hazel, Spindle, Sweet Briar Rose or Wayfaring Tree.

This pack is made up of tough native plants that will grow almost anywhere. It is perfect for supporting wildlife and increasing bio diversity. More than half the plants in each bundle will be thorny.
You can save even more money with our economy packs of 250 native hedging whips (contains 4 species only).

If you are planting a hedge to contain horses or cows, rather than sheep, we recommend our stock-friendly mix which is blackthorn free.

Conservation hedge packs are only delivered bareroot, during winter (November - March).
The plants in this pack will be 60-80cm tall when we deliver them. All our hedge plants are measured by their height in centimetres above the ground (the roots aren't measured).
For most projects, we recommend using the smaller, 60-80cm size hedge pack. Use the larger plants if you are in a hurry to get a mature hedge.

View our selection of hedging packs or see our full range of hedging options.

Please note: when you receive our mixed hedging packs, they will not be already mixed and will be bunched by plant species. Please remember to mix them for best results.

Spacing a Blackthorn Mixed hedge:

You can plant native hedging at 3 plants per metre, 33cm apart.

However, to qualify for the BN11: Planting New Hedges Grant, you must plant at 6 plants per metre in a staggered double row, with 33cm between each plant along the row and 40cm between the rows.

Each pack of 50 plants will make 16m of single row, or 8m of double row hedge.

Elderflower is excellent for wildlife, and it is fine to plant right at the very end of a hedge row where it can grow away from its neighbour. We don't include it in hedge mixes because it's too aggressive.

Growing Native hedges:
Blackthorn hedging will grow well in pretty much any conditions. Decent soil drainage is preferable, but these plants will cope with occasional waterlogging. These plants are happy in partial shade.

Prepare your site before planting:
The native hedge plants in this mix are very tough. The only essential preparation is to kill the weeds in a strip a metre wide along the planting site: improving the soil should not be necessary. If your soil is exceptionally poor and dry, then digging in some well rotted manure and/or compost is worthwhile.

Watch our video on how to plant a country hedge for full details.
Remember to water establishing plants during dry weather for at least a year after planting.

Hedge Planting Accessories:
Prepare your site for planting by killing the weeds and grass.
You can buy a hedge planting pack with sheets of mulch fabric and pegs to hold it down.
If you are planting in an area with rabbit and/or deer, you will need to use a plastic spiral guard for each plant, supported by a bamboo cane.
If your soil quality is poor, we recommend using mycorrhizal "friendly fungi" on the roots of new trees and shrubs.
You can also improve your soil with bonemeal organic fertiliser and Growmore.