The Myth of Hedge Balls

I love the things of fall--my favorite season. The chill in the air, the colorful foliage, the harvest; apples, squash and pumpkins. The golden sunsets, the Indian summers and the squawk of the blue jay, the squirrel rustling in the leaves and burying the nuts he will soon forget. And, next to the American Bittersweet--my favorite fall plant (See, Bittersweet Woods, Canada Free Press)--I love the ugly, curious and wonderfully wrinkled yellow-green oddity known as the “hedge ball” a/k/a “hedge apple”. 

By Bob on 2023 09 02

We call them Osage orange. Poisonous. Makes good fence posts, they say the posts will grow & that's why you see them in rows. But the wood makes great bbq smoke.

By bill smith on 2023 09 04

Hedge wood is great for your fireplace or wood stove. Hedge burns very hot much like oak wood. Hedge trees are usually not straight enough to use for anything except fence posts and fire wood. A hedge post is highly resistant to rotting and lasts MANY years in the ground. Squirrels do eat hedge balls, so when hunting squirrels and you see a half eaten hedge ball, there are squirrels nearby.

By Barbi on 2023 09 06

I love your very descriptive writing style! Interesting to here where they grew and what they were for. I had never seen these until just a few years ago in Washington. My friend pulled the car over and the four of us old ladies tried climbing the hill by the side of the road. Not too far up was a tree with all these strange balls. They were all over the ground like apples fallen from a tree. She called them Osage Oranges, and she said they would keep the spiders out of your house. So I brought them home and put them in a wicker basket. I never did know if it worked. I have never heard anyone else who knew about them until I read your article. Thank you for the wonderful description of autumn!

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