My horsey newsgroup suggested this cross-post.

There are a few gaps / weak points in one of our hedges. It's a mixture of
allsorts; ash, alder, sycmore, thorny things. What can we plant that might grow
reasonably quickly and not get eaten by horses? On limestone, fairly exposed,
hilltop in S Gloucestershire. (I already have a list of things that are toxic
to horses, to filter against)

Thanks...SteveR

OldScrawn wrote:
My horsey newsgroup suggested this cross-post.

There are a few gaps / weak points in one of our hedges. It's a
mixture of allsorts; ash, alder, sycmore, thorny things. What can
we
plant that might grow reasonably quickly and not get eaten by
horses?
On limestone, fairly exposed, hilltop in S Gloucestershire. (I
already have a list of things that are toxic to horses, to filter
against)

It's really only hawthorn, I'd say. Blackthorn's a swine to work
with, and sends out suckers. They'll have a nibble, but it won't do
any harm to the horses. If the hedge itself is the stock barrier,
you'll need to put in some temporary bits of fence while the plants
bulk up, though. It sounds as though the whole hedge wants doing,
unless it's already backed up by a wire fence all the way along:
sycamore etc aren't particularly good for making stock-proof
barriers.

Mike.

In article ,
Mike Lyle wrote:
OldScrawn wrote:
My horsey newsgroup suggested this cross-post.

There are a few gaps / weak points in one of our hedges. It's a
mixture of allsorts; ash, alder, sycmore, thorny things. What can
we
plant that might grow reasonably quickly and not get eaten by
horses?
On limestone, fairly exposed, hilltop in S Gloucestershire. (I
already have a list of things that are toxic to horses, to filter
against)

It's really only hawthorn, I'd say. Blackthorn's a swine to work
with, and sends out suckers. They'll have a nibble, but it won't do
any harm to the horses. If the hedge itself is the stock barrier,
you'll need to put in some temporary bits of fence while the plants
bulk up, though. It sounds as though the whole hedge wants doing,
unless it's already backed up by a wire fence all the way along:
sycamore etc aren't particularly good for making stock-proof
barriers.

Pyrcantha is a very close relative of hawthorn, and can be treated
the same way. There is also berberis, but B. vulgaris takes a
little while to establish (and then grows quite fast). Roses can
also be used to fill in gaps.

And most horses aren't stupid enough to eat poisonous plants, which
is why it is a myth that yew is as dangerous as is made out.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In article , Nick Maclaren
writes

Pyrcantha is a very close relative of hawthorn,

Isn't 'very close' stretching it a bit? Agreed they're in the same sub-
family of Rosaceae, but that subfamily also includes amelanchier, apple,
pear, cotoneaster and Photinia

.... or has the taxonomy moved on a bit since then?

--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

In article ,
Kay wrote:
In article , Nick Maclaren
writes

Pyrcantha is a very close relative of hawthorn,

Isn't 'very close' stretching it a bit? Agreed they're in the same sub-
family of Rosaceae, but that subfamily also includes amelanchier, apple,
pear, cotoneaster and Photinia

... or has the taxonomy moved on a bit since then?

As I understand it, they are felt to be very closely allied genera.
So, curiously, are Cotoneaster and Craetagus.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Nick Maclaren wrote:
[...]
Pyrcantha is a very close relative of hawthorn, and can be treated
the same way. There is also berberis, but B. vulgaris takes a
little while to establish (and then grows quite fast). Roses can
also be used to fill in gaps.

And most horses aren't stupid enough to eat poisonous plants, which
is why it is a myth that yew is as dangerous as is made out.

Still an' all, it's not a risk anybody should take: if they _do_ eat
it, the stuff is extremely and very rapidly toxic. The HMSO _British
Poisonous Plants_ 1968 (1976) says, "Yew is one of the very few
poisonous plants which animals will eat voluntarily at all times of
the year, and it is not necessary for them to be hungry before they
do so." Alarmingly, it also says, "It has already been decided by the
courts that where yew overhangs a neighbour's boundary and injures
his stock, the owner of the yew is liable in damages."

Mike.

In article ,
Mike Lyle wrote:
Nick Maclaren wrote:
[...]
Pyrcantha is a very close relative of hawthorn, and can be treated
the same way. There is also berberis, but B. vulgaris takes a
little while to establish (and then grows quite fast). Roses can
also be used to fill in gaps.

And most horses aren't stupid enough to eat poisonous plants, which
is why it is a myth that yew is as dangerous as is made out.

Still an' all, it's not a risk anybody should take: if they _do_ eat
it, the stuff is extremely and very rapidly toxic. The HMSO _British
Poisonous Plants_ 1968 (1976) says, "Yew is one of the very few
poisonous plants which animals will eat voluntarily at all times of
the year, and it is not necessary for them to be hungry before they
do so." Alarmingly, it also says, "It has already been decided by the
courts that where yew overhangs a neighbour's boundary and injures
his stock, the owner of the yew is liable in damages."

The latter is true, because of the former myth.

They rarely eat it, even when hungry. What isn't known is why some
animals do, sometimes. I have seen yew trees (with low branches)
in fields where cattle, sheep and horses had grazed for centuries.
The trouble with yew is PRIMARILY that publications like that one
copy the myth from each other.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Nick Maclaren wrote:
In article ,
Mike Lyle wrote:
Nick Maclaren wrote:
[...]
Pyrcantha is a very close relative of hawthorn, and can be
treated
the same way. There is also berberis, but B. vulgaris takes a
little while to establish (and then grows quite fast). Roses can
also be used to fill in gaps.

And most horses aren't stupid enough to eat poisonous plants,
which
is why it is a myth that yew is as dangerous as is made out.

Still an' all, it's not a risk anybody should take: if they _do_
eat
it, the stuff is extremely and very rapidly toxic. The HMSO
_British
Poisonous Plants_ 1968 (1976) says, "Yew is one of the very few
poisonous plants which animals will eat voluntarily at all times
of
the year, and it is not necessary for them to be hungry before
they
do so." Alarmingly, it also says, "It has already been decided by
the
courts that where yew overhangs a neighbour's boundary and injures
his stock, the owner of the yew is liable in damages."

The latter is true, because of the former myth.

They rarely eat it, even when hungry. What isn't known is why some
animals do, sometimes. I have seen yew trees (with low branches)
in fields where cattle, sheep and horses had grazed for centuries.
The trouble with yew is PRIMARILY that publications like that one
copy the myth from each other.


OK, you risk it: I won't!

Mike.