If hobby gardeners plant a Benjes hedge strictly according to the original concept, the variety of species leaves a lot to be desired. It takes 50 to 120 years for a pile of dead wood to develop into a mini ecosystem in Benjes-style. If you don't want to wait that long, you can speed up the process with additional planting. This guide explains which plants will make your Benjes hedge a successful project.

Native plants are best suited for planting the Benjes hedge

Establish native wild fruit trees in a targeted manner - the best species and varieties

You can wait a few decades and be surprised which seeds settle as greenery in your Benjes hedge. Alternatively, plant wild fruit trees to speed up the process of becoming a species-rich natural wall with a privacy screen effect. If you plant the following species and varieties along the outer edges, small mammals, birds and insects will be found in droves in no time at all:

  • Serviceberry (Amelanchier lamarckii) with white flowers in April and juicy fruits in autumn
  • Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa), white flowers in April and May, black-blue berries in autumn
  • Cornelian cherry (Cornus mas), golden spring blooms followed by nutritious fruit in late summer

Black elder, also known as lilac berries, should not be missing from the Benjeshecke. The large shrub thrives in any normal garden soil and wears a lush dress of nectar-rich flowers. The black berries are a welcome feast for numerous bird species.

Stripes of wild perennials - decorative transition to the Benje hedge

Is the direct view of the scrub wall of a Benje hedge in its early stages not to your liking? Then beautify the appearance with a strip of wild perennials as a decorative transition. The sunny sides of the wall are primarily suitable for this creative design trick. We would like to recommend the following species for this purpose:

  • Mullein (Verbascum), e.g. B. the purple-pink variety 'Pink Pixi' from June to August; 150 to 220 cm
  • Wild teasel (Dipsacus sylvestris) with pink cylindrical flowers from July to August; 150 to 200 cm high
  • Hollyhock (Althaea rosea), e.g. B. the black flowering 'Nigra' from July to September; 200 to 250 cm high
  • Viper's Bugloss (Echium vulgare), crimson flower spikes from June to August; 40 to 80 cm high

One of the stateliest wild perennials comes with huge, yellow bowl-shaped flowers with a diameter of more than 10 cm. Elecampane (Inula helenium) thrives in dense clumps and reaches a height of 180 to 200 cm.

tips

Proper care of a Benjes hedge sometimes requires a drastic intervention in the greenery. So that floral invaders, such as birch or goldenrod, do not overgrow the lovingly created deadwood hedge, they must be pruned back regularly and radically.

Category:

Garden design