I AM a great believer in every animal on the holding needs to earn it’s keep and I am sure many of you think the same but are you asking this question every time you plant a tree or shrub?

What benefits does it add to the home and garden? Planting a hedge or trees is something we should all have on the ‘to do list’, especially at this time of year.

Not only are they a natural boundary for your garden giving year round interest and colour, they are of fundamental importance in attracting and retaining wildlife to your garden. Providing shelter, nesting areas, protection and food for a variety of species including insects, red squirrels, hedgehogs and birds.

Putting some thought into your planting schemes will increase natural habitats and protecting existing ones.

Red squirrels have seen their numbers decline due to the loss of suitable woodland habitat and the spread of the American grey squirrel. In large seeded broadleaved and mixed woodland, grey squirrels have an advantage over the red squirrels as they are able to digest acorns and seeds before they are ripe and gain more nutritional benefit.

Grey squirrels also spread Squirrelpox and are known to raid the food caches of red squirrels.

All of this amounts to more competition for the smaller red squirrels ultimately resulting in reduced breeding. However the red squirrels have found success in conifer and small seeded forests where the greys have difficulties in finding food as the large seed trees are sparse.

Planting the right mix of woodland will help retain and encourage red squirrels to an area. We all invest time and money into making bird boxes, buying bird feeders and seeds so why not spread the cost a little and create an even better environment.

A mixture of plants, trees and shrubs in the garden will create a wonderful habitat for birds and insects. At different times of the year, each plant will have its use. Take hawthorn for example: hawthorn will provide shelter for insects and nesting areas for birds.

The birds will feed on the insects, the insects will feed on the flowers. The berries will provide a valuable source of food for the birds throughout autumn and winter.

The cycle is continuous and completely natural. When planting your hedgerow or trees it is right to put wildlife first but make sure you plant enough to go round - we all like to treat ourselves too!

There is a wide range of edible fruit and flowers that can be grown or found in hedgerows and woodland.

Crab apples, elder, hawthorn, blackthorn/sloe, wild rose/dog rose, damsons, blackberry, wild raspberry are a few but arm yourselves with a good reference book before you go off foraging.

The numerous recipes available include those for jellies, candied petals, wine, liqueur, cider, jam, crumbles, salads, fruit stews, cordials - the list is pretty endless.

Plant a mix of native and non-native species but native trees, shrubs and plants are particularly beneficial. It is also a good idea when planting a hedge to select a few individual trees and allow them to fully grow.

As a word of caution be wary of buying stock that is grown outside the UK, they often do not survive some of our harsher climates and are sometimes confused with seasons.

A good retailer will stock plants and trees grown from seed within the UK using British seeds. Have a look around to see what grows well in your area and fits in with your local countryside surroundings.

But remember to be adventurous when it comes to planting a hedge or trees and don’t fall short on time invested in planning and preparation, they will yield for years.

I have put together a few groupings to get you started.

General Stewardship: 40 Hawthorn, mix of 20 Crab Apple and Hazel, 20 Blackthorn, 20 Wild Roses for a hedge of 100 plants Wildlife Hedge: 25 Hawthorn, 25 Blackthorn, 10 Buckthorn, 20 Wild Roses, mix of 20 Crab Apple and Hazel for a hedge of 100 plants. Native Mixed Hedge: 50 Hawthorn, 30 Blackthorn, 10 Crab Apple, 10 Wild Rose for a hedge of 100 plants A suitable selection of trees and shrubs to plant that are good for red squirrels even when the greys are present and suitable for an overall general habitat are Dog Rose, Larch, Holly, Cherry, Hawthorn, Scots Pine, Ash, Birch, Field Maple, Lime, Rowan, Sycamore, Whitebeam, Willow.