Llanelli Naturalists Newsletter - No. 74 - July 2008
Kath Pryce

Last year (2007) we began planting the southern boundary of our Pwll garden with a native species hedge: previously it was lined by a tall privet hedge, which was removed to facilitate the neighbour’s house-building.  The species planted have included pot-grown whips grown from seed by KAP (Field Maple from Westonbirt and Beech from Pont Felin Gat) and seedlings of Oak and Holly rescued from other parts of the garden. Hazel grown from seed was supplied by Ruth & Mair Harry. IKM has given us numerous whips from seed/cuttings including Alder Buckthorn, Holly, Hazel, Hawthorn and Guelder Rose. We have also been given a supply of pot-grown Hazel raised from seed by a member of the West Wales Country Gardeners who is a retired London Parks superintendent who enjoys growing trees (rather than waste the seed!) and wants to give them a good home. This will prompt the planting of lots of Honeysuckle to encourage Dormice (who knows?).

Fortunately, the neighbours are fully supportive of a largely native species hedge, which is vital to its success (all the garden tv programmes and magazine articles encouraging the planting of native species hedges, blithely assume full agreement between neighbours which is not always the case!)