First section of hedge aka "living fence" got started this April. I did not have time or inclination to follow the instructions exactly, but we'll see what happens. I also haven't decided how elaborate to get with actual hedge laying. It is an art in many sections of Great Britain ( or is is England? I'm never sure what to call portions of that Island) but I gotta get the trees out of the ground first. I have found very little example, information, or sources for the recommended Hawthorne species here in the States, so this kind of an experiment.
Starting out with Osage Orange, also known as hedge apple. Wisconsin might be a bit far north from its native distribution, but who knows, it's getting warmer every year............
Here are a couple shots of the process. After leaving the seed heads out all winter to go through their normal breakdown, I slurried them with some water, then dribbled the slurry in my tilled trench. Hard to see in the photo, but there are hundreds of seeds in this mush. So now after covering, we hope for a good stand of sprouts, and thin if necessary. We've had some good spring rains, so hopefully I will be able to post photos of new seedlings next post.
This is about 80 yards of planting. I have quite a stretch that I plan to hedge, so if results are good, I'll be asking friends and relative for more hedge apples this fall also.
