Planting a BN11 hedge mix and beetle banks is a fantastic way to enhance biodiversity, however the benefits can be multiplied by drilling conservation crops on either side of these new wildlife corridors.
Why It’s Important to Go Beyond Planting a Hedge
While native hedgerows provide excellent shelter for farmland wildlife, especially ground-nesting birds like the grey partridge, planting the right hedging mix is key. Species-rich hedges — such as those included in our BN11 Hedge Mix —create a more diverse habitat and food source. These mixes typically include native species, all of which play vital roles in supporting biodiversity.
However, a hedgerow alone, when surrounded by monoculture crops, offers limited food for chicks. To boost pollinator populations and ensure a sustainable insect food source, planting a nectar flower mixture or wildflower margin alongside the hedge can significantly enhance its ecological impact.
Similarly, winter bird food crops are critical when hedgerows become bare mid-winter. These additional plantings provide both food and essential cover, completing the habitat.
What Products Do We Recommend?
The ideal approach is to plant a nectar-producing mix on one side of your hedge and a feed/cover mix on the other. Bright Seeds offers a variety of mixtures that suit this purpose:
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Feed/Cover Mixes: Our popular Pheasant and Finch mix (CAHL2, AHL2, AB9) offers lasting winter cover with kale and sorghum, whilst also containing food sources including millet, linseed, and quinoa. Other high-performing options include Easy Grow Mix, Early Bird, and Save Our Song Bird—developed in collaboration with The Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust.
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Nectar Mixes: Our Nectar Flower Mix (CAHL1, AHL1, AB1) includes legumes and wildflowers that flower across an extended window, helping support pollinating insects.
Another more permanent option is to establish a wildflower margins consisting of traditional low impact grasses mixed with native wildflower species such as black medick, yarrow and ox-eye daisy. The key for establishing a successful wildflower margin is ensuring that you create a clean seed-bed prior to drilling to reduce weed competition. Then, once established, the plot should be cut and removed every autumn to help prevent the soil fertility from rising and to stop the grass species dominating over time.
These combinations align with proven conservation approaches and countryside stewardship schemes, such as those requiring BN11 hedge mix planting.
Are Mixtures Like These Becoming More Common?
It certainly is, this tactic is becoming a common sight across farms, which is pleasing considering the number of benefits that it carries.
The same system has been implemented by wild-bird shoots for many years, primarily because of the benefits to ground-nesting birds. But aside from wild-bird shoots aside, locating your conservation crops beside hedgerows and beetle banks makes sense from a farm habitat perspective.
The nectar mixes will boost the population of beneficial insects, thus improving the effectiveness of the beetle bank. Similarly, the winter bird food crops will complete the puzzle by providing food and cover for farmland wildlife.
Why Bright Seeds?
One of the key roles of native hedge plants in the UK is their ability to act as ecological corridors, linking larger habitat areas. By planting countryside stewardship-compliant mixes on either side of your hedgerows, you enhance these natural pathways, contributing to a more resilient and diverse farm environment—a true patchwork quilt of habitats.
At Bright Seeds, we provide expert advice tailored to your region and land type. From wildflower margins to our BN11 Hedge Mix, we offer complete solutions to help you buy native hedging plants online and get the most from your conservation efforts.
If you’d like to explore how to use hedge plants for biodiversity, or if you’re interested in our range of countryside stewardship and SFI (sustainable farming incentive) options, don’t hesitate to reach out to your regional advisor.