Plants cows don't eat

bob skunkhouse

Hi,

I want to plant a border between my lawn and a field with cattle in it. Are there any nice ground covering plants that cattle won’t eat? Maybe a combination of flowering plants/bushes such as rose bush and heathers.
It's more for aesthetic purposes, there's a barbed/sheep wire fence there at the moment and what I’m looking for, is something that wont entice the cattle from sticking their necks up and over the wire, thus damaging it.

Also, I'd like to plant a hedge of native(ish) plants such as beech/blackthorn/whitethorn/whin/holly. Is there any problem mixing these and also, will cows try to eat young beech hedging(assume they'll give the prickly ones a miss)?

Thanks....

tommy2bad

Probably best to put a second fence about 3 feet out from the planting till it matures.
Single line of electric fence hip hight will do.
Cattle will graze under it so your not loosing grazing ground, just stopping them reaching the growing tips of the new planting.

lottpaul

There are very few plants that cows will not "sample" at least and the sampling can damage everything, even plants they wouldn't normally eat. The reason for this is that cows dont bite the tips of plants - they twist and pull using their tongue, so they will tug your young plants out of the ground.

Tommys suggestion of an electric fence is excellent if its possible. If not you will need some sort of solid fencing to deter Daisy and her sisters until your plants establish.
Anything with thorns, prickles etc are your only certain bet but even they might be vulnerable.

bbam

A row of thorney pyracantha should keep them at bay.. Savage stuff and with berries its nice too..