Category Archives: Hedgelaying
Flail cutting – the environmental damage it causes
One of the most damaging post-war developments in hedgerow preservation was the increase in mechanised cutting of hedges, in particular using the flail. Here is a picture of a blackthorn hedge that has recently been flailed (picture by Donato Cinicolo). … Continue reading →
Filed under Hedgelaying, Hedges and Biodiversity, Rural Britain
Isle of Wight hedgelaying
Interesting the things you stumble across on the internet. I’ve just been finding out about the Isle of Wight hedgelaying group via their nice website, which includes the explanation on this page of the local style of hedgelaying, which I’ve … Continue reading →
Filed under Hedgelaying
Hedgelaying styles – Midland, Yorkshire etc
Donato Cinicolo, a hedgelayer who gave me loads of help on the book, lent me these pictures of different hedgelaying styles to use , though in the end we are using some different ones. I like these though, there is … Continue reading →
Filed under Hedgelaying
Coppice, Lay or Mow?
There’s an interesting online vote at MyFarm about how to manage a hedgerow on the Wimpole Estate, and in particular whether to coppice it, lay it or mow it – there’s also a video of Simon, the Wimpole Forester, talking … Continue reading →
Filed under Everyday Hedges, Hedgelaying, Hedges and Biodiversity, Rural Britain
Tagged as coppicing, Hedgelaying
Cornish hedges
In Cornwall, a “hedge” is a stone-faced earth bank, with or without vegetation. It is the bank itself that is referred to as the hedge rather than the plants, although many do have a low, dense row of shrubs, which … Continue reading →
Filed under Everyday Hedges, Hedgelaying, Historical Hedges
Tagged as Cornish hedges, Cornwall, rural hedges
The Battle of the Bocage
The hedgerows of Normandy were serious barriers to Allied troops following the D-Day landings in 1944 . In the Cotentin area, there was intense German resistance in difficult terrain of small fields and orchards. This conflict became known as the … Continue reading →
Filed under Hedgelaying, Historical Hedges
Hedges – a good practice guide
The English Hedgerow Trust has a useful Good Practice Guide on their website here. It has advice on best ways to trim a hedge, how to rejuvenate gappy hedges or hedges that have been damaged by clumsy flail cutting. One … Continue reading →
Filed under Hedgelaying, Hedges and Biodiversity
Tagged as biodiversity, Hedgelaying, Hedgerows, Hedges
Why you shouldn’t cut a hedge in the wrong season
The hedgelaying season lasts from October to March – outside of these months there is a danger of disturbing nesting birds and trampling new plant growth, so the Wildlife & Countryside Act, farming schemes and EU regulations restrict the period … Continue reading →
Filed under Everyday Hedges, Hedgelaying, Hedges and Biodiversity
Tagged as birds and hedges, Garden hedge, Hedgelaying
How to lay a pleacher
I like this series of pictures (from the Cotley Hunt hedgelaying competition) because it gives a clear idea of how pleaching (or plashing) works. The first step is to use the axe and then the billhook, to chop part of … Continue reading →
Ancient Hedges
At the hedgelaying competition someone asked me when the first hedges were made in history. It’s hard to give a definitive answer to this – there is evidence of British field patterns that go back at least to the Bronze … Continue reading →
