Jeepers creepers!

ONE of the great joys of walking down a country lane is the sense of being between two living walls in the shape of hedges. If allowed to grow and not thrashed to within an inch of their lives—as happens all too often these days, sadly—these ancient structures bring delight all year round. From the first lamb’s tails on the hazels to the initial magical flush of fresh, lime-green leaves and delicate blossom, then richly coloured autumn fruit, there truly is nothing quite like an abundant British hedgerow.

All these qualities are enhanced by one type of rampant plant that adores hedges: the creepers, climbers, constrictors and entwiners that bestow festoons of monthly magnificence on their hosts. Their flowers, fruit and seeds provide sustenance for myriad animals large and small, as well as safe harbour among a tangled abundance of foliage.

Indeed, the fact that these gangly organisms have also long