Hedgelands [US Edition]: A wild wander around Britain's greatest habitat

by Christopher Hart, Jonathan Thomson (With)

Overview

Longlisted for the James Cropper Wainwright Prize 2024 for Nature Writing

"Delightful . . . Hedgelands is a merry exposition on the history and biology of these unique ecosystems, and a very good argument as to why we should re-engage with the hedge."—The Wall Street Journal

"Hart’s passion for the potential that resides here is intoxicating. Occasionally an environmental solution comes along that is so breathtakingly simple you can’t believe that not everyone is already doing it."—Sunday Times

"[A] joyously readable book— it riffs along like breeze in the hedgerow."—John Lewis-Stempel in Country Life

On this joyous journey around the wild edges of Britain, celebrated author Christopher Hart takes us through the life, ecology and history of the humble countryside hedge and how it is inextricably woven into our language, landscape and culture.

Hedges – or hedgerows – have long been an integral part of the British landscape. An ancient, human-made boundary, hedgerows have become a critically important haven for wildlife and are now being recognised as one of the greatest ‘edge’ habitats on Earth.

Britain boasts 400,000 kilometres of hedgerows, but has lost 50 per cent of them since the Second World War and their slow deterioration today is becoming a huge threat to the ecosystem.

In Hedgelands, Christopher Hart shares the history of the hedge, highlighting the hawthorn and hazel of ancient hedgerows, and reveals its abundance of wildlife, from the elusive dunnock to the iconic nightingale, the industrious hedgehog to the miniscule harvest mouse.

He demonstrates how this true environmental hero and powerful climate ally can help rebuild species-rich, resilient havens for birds, mammals and insects. Hedges play a vital role in mature woodland, grassland and even wetland, all of which can offer us much-needed ecological diversity and carbon sequestration.

Through rewilding a patch of land in southwest England, Christopher shows us how easy, joyful and rewarding it is to restore even the smallest stretch of hedge. Whether you live in the country or the city, Hedgelands shares how simple actions can make a huge difference to the future of our precious hedges – and environment.

“What’s good for us is good for nature, and what’s good for nature is good for us. And nowhere is this more true than in the bustling, flourishing, flowering, fruiting and altogether glorious native British hedge.”—Christopher Hart

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781915294470
Publisher:	Chelsea Green Publishing UK
Publication date:	04/18/2024
Edition description:	US Edition
Pages:	208
Sales rank:	403,172
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Christopher Hart has written ten novels published to date, both literary and historical, including Lost Children and Rescue Me, while his historical fiction, written under the pen name of William Napier, includes Julia, the best-selling Attila trilogy and the Last Crusaders trilogy. His work has been praised in both The Times Literary Supplement and the Sunday Sport. He has also published numerous short stories, essays and reviews, and has been a freelance journalist since the 1990s, for The Sunday Times, Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph and others. He lives in Wiltshire, where he is rewilding seven acres and a hedge.

Editorial Reviews

‘Hedgerows are linear forests. Christopher Hart shows us these jewels in the heart of the English countryside and how biodiversity makes them hum with a richness the planet needs. If we pay attention, the nightingales will sing for us, again and again.’

Diana Beresford-Kroeger, author of To Speak for the Trees

‘A glorious anthem to the hedge! The sleeping giant that is waiting to be nurtured back to life-giving health. This wonderful book fires the imagination and will change the way you look at a hedge forever. And never was there a more urgent time to restore our degraded hedges into the lifelines they should be – for our beleaguered wildlife and for ourselves. Endlessly fascinating and teeming with ‘Wow!’s. A must read for anyone who wants to help restore ecological health to our countryside.’

Keggie Carew, author of Beastly

‘A hugely enjoyable ramble down the tangled green lanes of the beleaguered British countryside. Christopher Hart’s investigations shine a new light on the humble hedgerow, in which all manner of solutions to our environmental problems can be found.’

Lee Schofield, author of Wild Fell

‘This is a soaring love song to the hedge – not the straight-shorn sanitised garden hedges but the ancient hedgerows that heave with life. Hart is an enthusiastic guide to these beautiful, underestimated ecological niches, which not only provide habitats for birds, invertebrates and plants but are also carbon banks and food stores, and even supply ingredients for cocktails.’ 

Andrea Wulf, author of Magnificent Rebels

‘We now know that if laid end to end, English hedges would stretch ten times around the earth. In Hedgelands, Christopher Hart has put his arms around the whole extraordinary network. He inspires us to see that the hedgerow is a national treasure even more important than we realised.’ 

Mark Cocker, author and naturalist 

‘Hedgelands is brilliant – fascinating, inspiring, important and extremely timely. It has taken my love and appreciation of our precious hedges to another level. Please buy it, read it and share it with everyone you know who has enough space to plant a hedge!’

Brigit Strawbridge Howard, author of Dancing with Bees

‘A wonderful history of the threads that stitch the British countryside together, Hedgelands provides a detailed description of the wonder of hedges and the vast array of species and benefits they provide for us.’

Jake Fiennes, author of Land Healer

‘A lovely book on a really important subject. Passionate, personal and important. You won’t ever look at a hedgerow in the same way again.’

Roger Morgan-Grenville, author of The Return of the Grey Partridge

‘This deeply enjoyable book makes me want to go live in a mighty conservation hedge – or at least create one. Hart has delved deep into fascinating hedge etymology and history, and brings the joy of restoring a hedge to life. As an insect lover, I welcomed the stories of renewal, and abundance of insects and other wildlife. May many more hedges be created.’

Vicki Hird, author of Rebugging the Planet

‘A passionate celebration and exploration of our wonderful hedgerows. You’ll be swept along by Hart’s intoxicating enthusiasm.’

Dave Goulson, author of Silent Earth

‘At the Soil Association, we have long advocated for the reinstatement and proper care of that multifaceted boon to nature and farming, the hedgerow. With Christopher Hart’s wonderful Hedgelands by your side, any farmer, conservationist or interested layperson will understand so much more about this extraordinary resource, and how to appreciate and care for it.’

Helen Browning, chief executive, Soil Association

‘Hedgelands is a marvellous walk through a traditional European agroforestry system, complete with information on benefits to biodiversity, wild foods, carbon, climate resilience and more. Highly recommended.’

Eric Toensmeier, author of The Carbon Farming Solution

‘We all love hedgerows, and we’re all appalled that so many have been destroyed over the last century. But Hedgelands highlights another threat to these valuable linear oases – many of them are very poorly managed. For though they resemble a woodland edge, these are not natural habitats: they are man-made and have to be managed sensitively if they are to provide a good home for our birds and bees, hedgehogs and weeds. In this fascinating and insightful book, Christopher Hart brings to life the rich natural and cultural history of the hedge and makes a compelling case that they may indeed, as he says, be "Britain’s greatest habitat".'

Dr Charlie Gardner, Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology

"Delightful . . . Hedgelands is a merry exposition on the history and biology of these unique ecosystems, and a very good argument as to why we should re-engage with the hedge."

The Wall Street Journal

From the Publisher