Planting a country hedge that flowers from February to November

A well-chosen hedge feeds bees from February to November and shelters birds. It only needs trimming every three to five years. Plant it between mid-November and the end of February, as young bare-root plants, with at least five native species. In Wallonia (Belgium), it can even earn you €5 to €9 per metre.

Which species for flowers from February to November?

Natagora advises at least five different species. Ideally, 75 % of them give fruit, pollen or nectar. Choose natives. They feed the local wildlife and cope with the soil and climate. Forget thuja and conifers in a row.

The table follows the order of flowering. The months come from a list by the Canton of Geneva, drawn from the reference Swiss flora. The list warns that dates differ by region.

The values for wildlife and the warnings come from the Agridea sheet, the Swiss agricultural advisory organisation. For ivy, from the British Woodland Trust.

If you have children, put the privet and the spindle further from the vegetable garden, or replace them. Note also that the Walloon list does not mark the spindle as insect-pollinated, despite its nectar. It therefore does not count towards the two thirds required for the grant.

Trimmed hedge or free-growing hedge: which plan?

Look at the space you have and the time you want to spend on it. Natagora distinguishes two hedges.

The Walloon grant has stricter rules. No more than 70 cm between two plants in the same row. Between rows, from 70 cm to 1.50 m.

An example for 20 metres

With two rows and one plant every 70 cm, you need about 29 plants per row, so 58 plants. This composition respects the Walloon rules. It has eight species and none goes above half:

• 12 common hawthorns;
• 10 blackthorns;
• 8 hazels;
• 6 dogwoods, cornelian cherry on chalky soil, common dogwood otherwise;
• 6 guelder roses;
• 6 elders;
• 5 dog roses;
• 5 privets.

Annex 1 of the vademecum marks all eight species as insect-pollinated. With two rows, the grant is €7 per metre. That makes €140 for these 20 metres.

The distance from the neighbour

In Belgium, article 3.133 of the Civil Code has been in force since 1 September 2021. It sets 50 cm for shrubs and hedges, and 2 m for a tree at least 2 m tall. The distance is measured from the middle of the trunk. If your free-growing hedge is to grow above 2 m, keep a 2 m margin to be safe, or agree in writing with your neighbour. In France, the principle is the same. 50 cm up to 2 m high, 2 m beyond, unless your town hall has a local rule.

When and how to plant?

Natagora gives the window. From mid-November to the end of February, out of frost and out of waterlogged soil. The plant is dormant and copes better with transplanting. The old saying says it too. "On Saint Catherine's day, every tree takes root", on 25 November. Take young bare-root plants. They take better.

Wherever you are, plant when your hedge is dormant, on a day when the soil does not stick to the spade. If your plants arrive on a frosty day, heel them in. Cover the roots with loose, moist soil, in a large pot or a sheltered corner.

One or two years later, Natagora advises cutting back hard. You cut the plants to 10 or 20 cm from the ground, so the hedge is dense at the base. Not needed if your plants are already bushy. Keep the mulch for two or three years. It avoids competition from grass and clearly speeds up growth.

After that, trim between November and February. Never from April to mid-August, when birds nest. For a grant-aided hedge in Wallonia (Belgium), the ban runs from 1 April to 31 July.

Grants for planting

In Wallonia (Belgium)

The Walloon Region subsidises living hedges, including for private individuals. The amounts come from the Wallonia page updated on 3 November 2026.

If a specialist firm plants, the amounts are multiplied by 1.5, without exceeding 80 % of the invoice. The November 2024 vademecum sets the main conditions:

• at least 20 m of hedge in a residential zone, 100 m elsewhere;
• at least three species, none above 50 % of the plants;
• two thirds of the plants chosen from the insect-pollinated species of annex 1;
• no mineral fertiliser or treatment within one metre of the plant, no plastic mulch;
• maintain the hedge for 30 years, with at least 80 % of plants taking.

The application is made online, at the latest 6 months after planting. Invoices must be less than two years old. You can ask for an opinion before planting. It is optional, but it remains the surest way to check that your project is eligible.

In France

The Pacte en faveur de la haie (Hedge Pact), presented on 29 September 2023, aims for 50,000 km of new hedges by 2030. France has about 750,000 km and loses on average 20,000 km a year. The pact names farmers, associations, hunters, regions and local authorities as partners. For a garden hedge, the texts we read mention no national grant. Ask your town hall or your regional nature park.

A hedge does not remove aphids

So do not plant a hedge to get fewer aphids. Plant it for its sure effects. It feeds insects from February to November and shelters nests in its thorns. Hedgehogs and frogs spend the winter in its dead leaves. It also cuts the wind off the vegetable garden. Against aphids, sow flowers among your vegetables. The main guide A living vegetable garden explains why distance matters. For the hedgehog that will come to shelter there, read Welcoming hedgehogs.

One last idea. The raspberry is on the Walloon list of insect-pollinated species. For Belgium and northern France, the app's catalogue has it planted from 1 November to 15 December. Or from 1 March to 15 April. Add it to your vegetable garden to know when to plant it where you live.

FAQ

How many plants for 10 metres of hedge?

For a free-growing hedge, at 80 cm apart, count about 13 plants per row, so 26 over two rows. For the Walloon grant, at 70 cm at most, allow 15 plants per row.

Can you plant in March?

Natagora sets the end of the period at the end of February. Later, the plant restarts and suffers more from transplanting. If you plant late, keep the basin moist for a week.

Should you plant a tree in the hedge?

In a big garden, Natagora advises a standard tree every 10 m, like wild cherry or pedunculate oak. Then think of the 2 m distance from the neighbour's boundary.

Is there such a thing as a native evergreen hedge?

Few. Natagora cites only holly and yew. Hornbeam, beech and oak keep their dry leaves for a good part of winter and make a screen. The Walloon vademecum rules out yew, toxic to livestock and to humans.

Photo: Marathon, Geograph, Wikimedia Commons, licence CC BY-SA 2.0

Sources

1. Natagora, Réseau Nature, Fiches jardin naturel : La haie sauvage et la plantation (mise à jour 11/2021)
2. Wallonie, Demander une subvention pour la plantation d'une haie vive, d'un taillis linéaire, d'un verger et d'alignement d'arbres (page mise à jour le 03/11/2026)
3. Wallonie, Yes We Plant, Vademecum : plantation d'une haie vive, d'un taillis linéaire, d'un verger et d'un alignement d'arbres (version 11/2024, annexe 1 : essences et espèces entomophiles)
4. République et canton de Genève, Office cantonal de l'agriculture et de la nature, Liste des arbustes à planter lors de la création d'une haie basse (mois de floraison tirés de Flora Helvetica, mise à jour janvier 2019)
5. AGRIDEA, Buissons et arbres indigènes de nos haies (valeur écologique et particularités de chaque espèce, novembre 2015)
6. Woodland Trust, Ivy (floraison de septembre à novembre)
7. Union des Villes et Communes de Wallonie, Distances de plantation : article 3.133 du Code civil (1er septembre 2021)
8. Service-public.fr, Plantation de végétaux (haies, arbres, bambous) : distances avec le voisin (vérifié le 12 décembre 2025)
9. Banque des Territoires, Le gouvernement présente un pacte pour planter 50 000 km de nouvelles haies d'ici 2030 (29 septembre 2023)
10. Albrecht M. et al., The effectiveness of flower strips and hedgerows on pest control, pollination services and crop yield: a quantitative synthesis, Ecology Letters, 2020