Hedgerows In Bloom.

                                                                        Hedgerows Are Blooming.

Our hedgerows are in full bloom with a mass of our native wild flowers. On my trip out to the countryside this weekend I could not help but notice all the different colours that were in the hedgerows at the present moment. There were the White flowers of the Blackberry ( Rubus fruitcosa. ) also known as the Bramble bush, Honeysuckle ( Lonicera. ) with their highly perfumed flowers in various shades of colours, White, Cream, Yellow and deep Purple. There was also our beautiful native wild Rose ( Rosa canina. ) the Dog Rose with it's Pink and White flowers. The flowers of the Elder Tree ( Sambucus. ) pretty lace like flower heads poking out through the hedgerow or standing tall above it. These are the main plants that could be seen but there are still other hedgerow plants in flower like the Foxglove, White and Pink Campion and I also spotted a Nettle Leaved Campanula growing in one place at the side of the road in a local hedgerow.

                                                                               The Bramble.

Bramble Bush.

Close Up Of Flower.

The Fruit.
( Blackberries. )

The Bramble Bush grows wild around our woodlands and in our hedgerows sending up its long arching canes that do not flower or set fruit in their first year. In their second year they produce flowers and fruit. The bush starts to flower in May and continues through to late summer. The fruits start to form July onwards and are at their best in late August and September. The flowers attract many bees and butterflies of which some are dependent on for their survival and hover flies. The fruit is also eaten by several species of birds particularly the Blackbird. The fruit is also eaten by a large number of mammals such as the Fox, Mice and others. The cane of the bush ( Bramble Stems ) when cut and dried, then split were used as a binding material for tying straw in basket work and was once used for making the traditional bee skips as used by many bee keepers in the past. The fruit also has many culinary uses such as making Blackberry Pie on its own or Blackberry and Apple. The fruit is also used for making jams, jelly and in the making of wine and brandy.

                                                                        Blackberry Brandy.

Here is a old recipe for making Blackberry Brandy.

Recipe.

1 Bottle of Brandy.
Enough blackberries to fill half a bottle.
A few Cloves 3 or 4.
Cinnamon to taste.
90 grams of Sugar.
1 Clean and sterilised glass bottle with a screw top.

The Method.

Crush the berries  lightly in a glass bowl.
Half fill your sterilised bottle with the crushed fruit.
Add the Cinnamon, cloves and sugar and fill with brandy.
Screw down the top tightly on bottle and leave for 3 or 4 months.
Shake the bottle everyday for the first 2 weeks and then once a month.
After 3 or 4 months or when clear strain into another bottle and enjoy.


                                                                             Honeysuckle.

The Honeysuckle ( Lonicera ) or sometimes also called Woodbine, is also an arching shrub or a twining vine in the family Caprifoliaceae. Most species are very sweetly scented and produce a sweet and edible nectar. The fruits are red, blue or black and are mildly poisonous so most fruits are only attractive to wildlife. There are 180 species of this plant worldwide with most of them being found in China, India, North America and Europe. The plant is valued in our gardens for its ability to quickly cover unsightly walls, fences and outbuildings and for its fragrance. Stick dressers look for Hazel, Holly and Ash that have been used by the honeysuckle to climb up because of the markings left by the plant, as it twists and climbs up the tree, always in a Clockwise Direction. The flowers attract butterflies, moths and other insects and the berries are loved by the birds. One moth in particular that is attracted to the flowers is the Humming Bird Hawk Moth, Macroglossum Stellatarum.

                  The Humming Bird
                          Hawkmoth.



                                                                     
                                                       

Honeysuckle.

Close up of flower.

                                                                                 Wild Rose.

The Dog Rose ( Rosa canina ) our native wild rose with its pink or white flowers is sprawling through our hedgerows filling them with colour. The plant may have got its common name the dog rose from its use during the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries when it was used to treat the bite from a rabid dog. The other explanation for its name is the term "dog'  which was used to describe something that was 'worthless; presumably by its comparison to cultivated roses. The plant is very high in certain antioxidants, the fruit is noted for its high vitamin C levels and was used to make Rose Hip Syrup and also tea and marmalade. Rose Hip Syrup is made from the hips that the plant produces after it has finished flowering and it was used extensively for the production of vitamin C during the war period. The fine hairs found inside the hips were very popular with children who would use them for making itching powder.






The Dog Rose found in many of our hedgerows.





                                           

Close up of flower.

Close up of flower.

Rose Hips.

                                                                             The Elder Tree.

The Elder ( Sambucus ) was once regarded as one of the most magically powerful of all plants with many myths and folklore attached to it. It is a broadleaved tree and it is deciduous. It will grow in almost any soil except sand and it is native to the British Isles and can be found growing in many gardens, hedgerows and woodlands. The elder has many uses, for food and drink. Elderflower cordial makes a lovely refreshing drink on a hot summers day, 'champagne' can also be made from its flowers. The berries are used to make a delicious rich red wine. The flowers are also used to make a skin cleanser and a eye lotion by the cosmetic industry.

Elder in flower.

It is thought that it got its name from the Anglo-saxon word 'aeld ' meaning fire because the stems, when hollowed out were used to blow air down them into the centre of a fire like bellows. There is a lot of folklore and magical references made about the tree. It was thought that if you burned elder wood you could see the devil in the smoke and flames. If you planted one near to your house it would ward of the devil and other evil spirits. It was also said that the Fairy people who love music and merrymaking love the sound produced by instruments made from elder wood. The wood from elder is used to make whistles, pipes, chanters and other musical instruments, due to the branches containing a soft pithy core that is easily removed to create a hollow pipe of a pale, hard, easily polished wood ( it also makes good pea shooters ). It is said that the best time to catch or see a fairy is under the tree on Midsummer's Eve, when the fairy King and Queen could be seen passing by. The elder has many medicinal uses, its leaves are believed to have mildy narcotic influences which is why in old folklore superstition you were advised never to fall asleep under an elder tree in case you never woke up again. The aroma exuded by the leaves will repel flies, bunches of leaves were hung in the doorways of homes, livestock barns, in dairies to stop the milk from turning and a sprig of leaves was often employed to keep flies away from a horses head by tying it to its harness. The berries, leaves and the bark were used in the Harris Tweed industry. All dyes used came from the elder.

Elder berries.

                                                                          The Dog Wood.
                                                                        ( Cornus florida. )

This was quite a surprise finding this beautiful shrub growing in one of our local hedgerows. It can not be seen from the road as it is on a private estate where I had been given permission to take some photos of it. This is not a native plant, of which there are about 30 - 60 species found around the world and most of them are found in North America, China, Japan and the Southeastern United States is particularly rich in native species. The name 'dog tree' entered the English vocabulary in around 1548 by 1614 it had been changed to 'dogwood' it was also called the Hounds Tree in some parts of the country. It is thought that it got its name from using the slender stems for making "dags' ( daggers, skewers and arrows ). Another name for this tree is the Whipple tree. A whippletree is part of the harness in horse-drawn carts it was used to link the draw pole of the cart to the harness of the horses in file, these items still bear the name of the tree from which they were made.

A Whippletree for a three horse team.

Like the Dogrose it is high in vitamin C but it was seldom used in medicine. The timber of dogwood was highly prized for making loom shuttles, tool handles, roller skates, longbows, heads of golf clubs and as fine inlays and the very first kinds of laminated tennis rackets were also made from the wood after it had been cut in to thin strips.

Full length is about 50 yds.

The Hedge.

Close up of the flower.