In 2022 we cleared a portion of woods on our property and in 2023 we started a wildflower field to help support my husband’s honey bees. The wildflowers were on the sunny level to slightly sloping portion of the field and below it was a partly shady hillside under a canopy of tall trees. I eventually wanted to plant the hillside with shrubs to help control erosion and give some privacy from the road.
After reading Doug Tallamy’s “Bringing Nature Home” and “Nature’s Best Hope” my idea was to plant native shrubs that would help support wildlife. Because it was a large area I envisioned planting the shrubs over the course of a few years to help manage costs.
In December of 2023 I saw that the Cheshire County Conservation District was offering grants for native planting projects. Eureka! If my grant application was accepted the funds would help me purchase many more shrubs and get my project off to a great start!
The cleared hedgerow site, Photo Credit: Eileen Casey
Planning
I contacted the CCCD to see if my idea would be something that was likely to be supported and staff were helpful to answer my questions. The application was straight forward and helped me develop my idea of what I wanted as an end result.
In researching for the project, I liked the idea of a hedgerow - a dense border of diverse shrubs that would support wildlife. It was suggested that a minimum of a dozen varieties would be beneficial. Books on natives such as “The Northeast Native Plant Primer” and “Native Plants for New England Gardens” and “100 Plants to Feed the Birds” gave me lots of ideas! The plants had to be tough - they would be living on a hillside in part shade in some rocky New England soil.
My goal was to plant a diverse group of shrubs that would bloom over a long period providing nectar for pollinators, develop fruits/nuts that fed the birds and have some evergreen plants that would provide shelter for wildlife. The bonus was that most of the shrubs had ornamental flowers and great fall color that made them attractive to people too!
Luckily, there are several local nurseries that sell native plants. I was already familiar with Nasami Farms in Whately, Massachusetts and having a membership to the Native Plant Trust gave me a 10% discount, a win-win!
After I had heard that my grant application was approved I contacted Nasami with my plant list to ensure the plants were available and to reserve them. I knew that Nasami often sells out popular varieties early in the season. My next job was figuring out how to get the plants home as Nasami does not deliver!
Fortunately, a friend with a pick up graciously agreed to help me when the plants were ready in early May and all 54 plants made it home safely!
Plants gathered for planting, Photo Credit: Eileen Casey
Meet the Selection
I chose several plants that were evergreen to provide year-round cover/color and nectar when flowering including: Rhododendron maximum (great rhododendron), Kalmia latifloia (Broadleaf evergreen), Ilex glabra (inkberry).
Great rhododendron, Photo Credit: Eileen Casey
Nectar and berry producing plants included: Amelanchier canadensis (Canadian serviceberry), Aronia arbutifolia (Red chokeberry), Swida amomum (Silky dogwood), Physocarpus opulifolius (Ninebark) and Viburnum dentatum (Arrowwood Viburnum).
Arrowwood Viburnum, Photo Credit: Eileen Casey
Rounding out the group was Ceanothus americanus (New Jersey Tea), Corylus americana (American hazelnut), Juniperus communis (Common juniper) and Myrica gale (Sweet gale).
Because I was planting among some large trees I choose moderate size 2-gallon specimens that would not require extensive holes to be dug. Fortunately, my husband was willing to help with the digging.
For the project I purchased a shovel called the “Rootslayer” to help with the rocky, root-y soil and I can say that my husband would definitely do a testimonial for it as it lived up to its name!
Root Slayer Shovel, Photo Credit: Eileen Casey
Planting
Because of the number of shrubs, I tackled the planting over the course of several days. Most of the plants were quite healthy and happy but a few looked stressed, possibly from uneven watering at the nursery?
One inkberry promptly lost all of its leaves a few days after bringing it home! However, the stems remained green and the roots looked healthy so I’m hoping that it will pull through.
To try and get the plants off to a good start I’ve found that after digging the hole for the plant I fill it with water and allow it to drain before planting- this is helpful to ensure that the roots have plenty of moisture deep down into the soil.
I also made small berms around the shrubs when backfilling the soil to help slow down any run off and help direct water to the plant while it gets established. Some of the plants needed the roots to be teased out a bit before planting. After planting they all got another good drink and a layer of wood chips to help them settle into their new home.
Roots of plants before and after loosening, Photo Credit: Eileen Casey
Update I- Late May
In the week or two that followed we had several soaking rains and the plants seemed to settle in well. The mountain laurels actually had some blooms that opened. Even the viburnum and nannyberry are managing to put out a few flowers already! But I do see that the deer have already found the tasty new treats and have graciously pruned some of the shrubs - I will definitely need to get some repellent spray or granules to discourage them from doing too much damage.
Silky dogwood in bloom, Photo Credit: Eileen Casey
Update II– Late August
We have been lucky at the site as we have had pretty consistent rain this summer. My rain gauge showed about 1 inch of rain each week so minimal supplemental watering had to be done. The down side was that the frequent rains washed away any deer repellant I applied pretty quickly.
Most of the shrubs are holding up well even though they have been pruned quite a bit by the deer. One poor ninebark seemed to be a tasty favorite! I finally resorted to using a blueberry bush netting over that 1 shrub to prevent further damage and to give it time to recover.
The end of summer sale at Nasami resulted in a few more plants added to the mix - Sibbaldiopsis tridentate, or three toothed cinquefoil, a small flowering ground cover. (Totally justified as one shrub appears to have died, so I had to buy more plants! LOL).
Completed hedgerow, Photo Credit: Eileen Casey
Conclusion
Overall, this project has been great and something that I would not have been able to accomplish so quickly without CCCD’s support. The grant allowed me to purchase the shrubs in one bulk order.
The application process at first glance seemed a bit overwhelming, however once I started it was super helpful to guide me through the process and helped me focus on what I was trying to accomplish. The drawings and plant list kept me focused on the plan. Feedback from the CCCD staff about plant choices gave me confidence that my choices were appropriate and would do well.
I know that the hedgerow is a bit of a longer timeframe project. Unlike a pollinator or rain garden that is planted with perennials that gives almost instant gratification, most of the shrubs will take 3-5 years to fully establish and flourish and it may in fact be 5-7 years before they grow to the picture that I imagine in my head of a gorgeous, lush shrub border. My hope is that the planting thrives and helps sustain wildlife for many years after I am gone. As Doug Tallamy says, "We are nature’s best hope"!
Thank you for your support CCCD!
Eileen smiles in front of project holding Conservation Opportunity Fund Banner,
Photo Credit: Eileen Casey
Learn more about the Conservation Opportunity Fund, here! The 2025 grant round is now open and applications are due February 1st!