Calling plant experts!

05jackd

Well-Known Member
Joined
8 January 2014
Messages
196
Visit site
We are going to Re-hedge our poor sadly bare boundary fence and so I have been researching plant species. Most of the hedge will be hawthorn based but also looking to add a bit of diversity and hopefully some tasty berries!

Paddocks are used for horses and sheep but I’m finding it a nightmare to get definitive answers on weather some trees are poisonous or not!

I believe these are okay:
Hawthorn
Crab apple
Dog rose
Birch
Rowan (Sorbus aucuparia)
Hazel
Willow
Field maple (Acer campastre)

But seem to have conflicting information on:
Wild Cherry (prunus Avium)
Snowberry
Alder (Alnus glutinosa)
Holly

Can anyone help?
Other suggestions I might have missed also welcome!!
 

Chuffy99

Well-Known Member
Joined
25 July 2015
Messages
416
Visit site
Wild cherry and holly ok, new forest ponies eat lots of holly in a hard winter, don’t know about alder but our ponies have always lived next door to a line of alders but snowberry is poisonous
 

Shay

Well-Known Member
Joined
17 August 2008
Messages
7,345
Visit site
I'd avoid Acer sp. They are indicated in cuasing atypical myopathy. Sycamore (Acer pseuodplantus) is most commonly blamed in the UK but if you are going to delibertately plant I'd avoid any Acers.

I thought all prunus sp were also toxic to horses which would rule out wild cherry? All the sites I can see on the net say its poisonous when wilted.

Some - but not all - holly is also toxic to horses so whilst it may well be true to new forest ponies eat holly I can only presume it is a non toxic variant. The toxicity is low and poisoning rare as they are not palatable. But again if you have a choice it would seem sensible to avoid the risk!

What about blackthorn? Non toxic, good hedgerow plant - and the bonus of your own sloes in season! The spines are pretty nasty - which makes it a good hedgerow plant as horses (and indeed humans!) do not willingly push through it.
 

05jackd

Well-Known Member
Joined
8 January 2014
Messages
196
Visit site
Thanks guys that’s really helpful. Some of the info on cherry seemed to suggest that dying leaves are poisonous but it’s not clear and possibly not in the uk?

Yes should have added beech as well!
 
Top