The native deciduous hedge in the middle of our car park has been slowly growing for the last 14 years and the time was right for some management work to take place on it but rather than just prune it back we invited my Dad and his team of Hedge Layers in to come in and demonstrate this now infrequently used method of stock proofing a hedge line.
The hedge just prior to starting
Hedgerows help define the uniqueness of the British Countryside and are an important wildlife habitat. They require sympathetic management if we are to preserve them for future generations.
Whilst many regard hedgerows as a natural feature of our countryside, they are really a traditional form of field boundary and enclosure that only exist as a result of deliberate planting and subsequent maintenance. Hedges serve to keep stock in a pasture and out of crop fields. They also provide shade for stock, protection from the wind, guard against soil erosion and provide a valuable wildlife habitat and corridor, not just in the hedge itself but also any associated ditch or bank.
Looking good toward the end of day one
Hedgelaying in the traditional way of managing hedges throughout large parts of England and Wales and has been practiced for hundreds of years. Actively carried out during the winter months, it involves cutting nearly all the way through the base of the stems and laying hem over at an angle of about 35 degrees.
Not quite finished - just some trimming to do
Stakes and binders supporting the pleachers
The cut stems, called pleachers, are tucked tightly together and staked vertically and bound horizontally for strength using Hazel to produce a strong and aesthetically pleasing hedge.
The start of day two... still a lot of work to do
And by the end of the day!
It may look drastic but it has not been cut all the way through and will regrow
Stumps are left as clean and tidy as possible since this is where re-growth is most desired and eventually a new hedge will grow from the already established root system. In the meantime, the laid pleachers act as a living barrier as well as protecting the re-growth from browsing stock. Where the cycle of laying and trimming is repeated, hedges can thrive for hundreds of years.
Our hedge provided the team with a the slight challenge of a curve but we all agreed that the end result is superb and it seems possible that it is the first ever hedge to be laid on an RSPB reserve!
My Dad, Peter (looking the other way!) and his team -