High Gourmet Hedge Kit - length 8/12m (26/39ft)

We're offering you this tall edible fruit Hedge Kit, comprising four different fruit bushes, which will allow you to create a hedge measuring 8 to 12 meters (26 to 39 feet) long depending on the planting density. You will find Hazelnut and German Medlar, as well as an Alder-leaved Shadbush and a male Cornelian Cherry selected for their interesting fruiting. Plant them in autumn in any rich and deep, not too dry garden soil, unless the soil is clearly limestone. Good harvests can be expected after 4 years of cultivation, from June to October-November.

The Kit consists of:

- 1 x Common Hazelnut (Corylus avellana): a fast-growing bushy shrub, reaching 5 m (16 ft) in height by 4 m (13 ft) in spread, with deciduous foliage. The hazelnuts surrounded by green and indented bracts turn brown when ripe. Grouped in 1 to 4, they measure 2 cm (1in) in diameter. They can be harvested from late August on plants aged 3-4 years.

- 1 x German Medlar (Mespilus germanica): a deciduous shrub of medium growth with a wide habit, reaching 3 m (10 ft) in height and 4 m (13 ft) in spread. Its branches sometimes have a few large scattered thorns, and its large dark green leaves turn orange in autumn. It flowers in late May. The fruits, called medlars, measure 3 cm (1in) in diameter. Their reddish-brown skin hides a creamy, sweet flesh once over-ripe. They can be harvested after the first frosts, starting in October depending on the region.

- 1 x Saskatoon Berry Amelanchier alnifolia: a rather slow-growing deciduous shrub with a bushy habit, reaching 3 m (10 ft) in height and 2 m (7 ft) in spread. Its spring white flowering is followed by clusters of dark fruits with a complex and nutrient-rich taste that can be harvested from June to August and consumed in multiple ways. This Amelanchier quickly bears fruit around the age of 3-4 years. A single plant is sufficient to obtain a harvest ranging from 3 kg up to 7-8 kg of fruit depending on soil fertility, but it is often recommended to plant two shrubs to optimise fruit formation.

- 1 x Cornus mas (Cornelian Cherry) Schönbrunner Gourmet Dirndl' : an Austrian variety with large fruits. A deciduous shrub with an upright habit, reaching 4 m (13 ft) in height and 3 m (10 ft) in spread. Beautiful yellow flowers bloom on bare branches in February-March. The flowers visited by the first bees of the season give way to edible pear-shaped berries 3 cm (1in) long. They ripen and turn red from late August to September. Although this variety is self-fertile, it is advisable to plant at least two specimens to obtain satisfactory fruiting.

These small trees create a rural and welcoming atmosphere for small wildlife, decorative from spring to autumn, and interesting for the gourmet gardener. They can be planted at the boundary of a rural property, creating a pleasant transition to the countryside.

Plant these shrubs in full sun or partial shade, in well-prepared, preferably non-calcareous soil, mixing them and spacing them 2 m (7 ft) apart to cover 8 linear meters within 5 years. You can space them 3 m (10 ft) apart to form a 12-m (39 ft)-long hedge, but it will only become dense after 7 to 9 years. It is best to avoid pruning this natural hedge to avoid compromising flowering and fruiting. If you need to intervene, avoid doing so during nesting season. Proceed on a case-by-case basis, shortening the branches of shrubs that become too large. Water abundantly at planting and regularly until the end of the first summer if it does not rain. To save on watering, apply a mulch at the base of your shrubs.