Gardening with James Vaughan: Garden fun with a living maze

One project we started in our garden last winter was to start a living maze. The walls of the maze are made up of Hornbeam (Carpinus) hedging. The plan is to clip these hedging plants tightly so they form narrow straight lines. They have been planted about one foot apart and cover a total area of 144 square meters. We decided to plant a maze so our children would enjoy it in the years to come.
The Carpinus plants were planted about 12 inches apart and were about 18 inches tall when we planted them. Already they have grown around 6 inches and it has already received a trimming. Each year, with regular trimming, the Carpinus plants will eventually form a tight hedge. It is hoped that this will take no more than four years. We planted a Carpinus hedge in the garden our first winter in the house three years ago. It is now four feet high and a good eighteen inches wide. I trim it twice a year to keep it thick. I planted this hedge in a crescent shape- the idea being that it would break-up and weaken any oncoming wind. On one side of this hedge we planted our herbaceous borders. These are split into eight equal sized beds with a grass patch between each of them. The hedge has really helped in providing shelter to these herbaceous plants.

Wasps
While performing maintenance tasks in the maze I noticed wasps emerging from beneath the ground. It is most likely that they are building a nest in an old mouse nest. I never like to see wasps too close to the house because we have small children around. Wasps are known to sting, especially later in the summer.
Wasps are not considered great pollinators. So, I guess, the question arises- what do they eat? The true story with wasps and food is good and bad. In the spring they emerge from wherever it is that they over-wintered. This could be in the branch of a tree or deep in an evergreen hedge. Once they emerge they are hungry and search out food. Food for a wasp early in the season can be flies, caterpillars or beetle larvae. Many of these insects can be bad for the garden, so in that sense the wasps perform a good deed. It is not until later in the summer that wasps become a hazard. Later in the summer they are attracted to sugary things like soft drinks and fruit.
Wasp stings can be quite painful but are rarely dangerous. However, there is the risk that you may be allergic to wasp stings. If this is the case then you may be likely to suffer an anaphylactic shock. This can cause very serious health risk. I say this just to inform you that wasp stings do hurt, but for some people a wasp sting can be much more serious. Just keep an eye out for them in the garden- and try to avoid them.

Contact James by email: james.vaughan1020@gmail.com