An illustrated look at a traditional technique - hedge laying - with volunteer gardener Bob Mansfield.
Hedge laying is a technique originally designed to produce a
hedge with is uniformly dense to stop livestock escaping from fields. If left to grow, hawthorn hedges grow into
small trees and shed lower branches, leaving gaps – even if regularly trimmed
the gaps still appear over time. Nowadays, stock fencing is used to control livestock – wire fencing
attached to posts, which is far quicker and cheaper than the labour intensive
process of hedge laying.
So why do it? For the
Trust there are a number of good reasons.
First, it looks better over time.
A well layed hedge forms a dense and uniform barrier which is much more
in keeping with a rural environment.
Second, as part of the Trust’s conservation policy, hedge laying
represents a traditional and complex craft which is considered to be worth
preserving – reviving and maintaining skills which have, to the most part,
disappeared.
The hedges which have been layed over a two year period can
be seen on the north side of Beningbrough gate. The photographs show the most recent hedge laying session from January
2012.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic-DsMzrM0yyEW0XQCb7etUZT7mr30BRD0Byt7LEs29eBpDXbq5SR8pfFsIAnsVvmbB2T_uKuzSXb_xXpTd9AcDs6TOSl-WctASb3GkWM1AVD5aA8Wd78oicnp5TfYe1Uzs0OSsS4Wp0o/s320/01Hedge+Before.jpg) |
The
hedge before staring work. These are 10
year old hawthorns which have grown, haphazardly, into a tangles mass with the
typical ‘gaps’ at the base. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhckO3eEBMOmey9UUWkTupRS4dUt0Uhyphenhyphen4tfeMdlAJ415ywvAL7vw7AbJ0luaFUcXAjGhmHdo_lbUiVA4lgR3ln3wjsDW5nzzvKJcyRpfOb7G_yWsa1uYdgul77Xy1pzmAvKEEn-ib6fvUQ/s320/02+Thinning+out.jpg) |
The first step is to cut back most of the side and top
growth – here Mark and Tom are busy taking out the unwanted material. Notice the stock fence in front of the hedge.
|
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhysVsWkmn7OA00Lt8VaNvtTX09n6VUCEpffcUiWBJFnQN1r-1sNY1UK1wxTgiLhfkSypIN4zJ6-5PKl8T3BlYYwuZsYeXzMe7g5Hx-pYn6Umo_mMf9rsk6gT04Vpcy5zaybColbLQxbgc/s320/03Thinned+out.jpg) |
The thinning finished, Mark moves to the front of the
section to start the laying.
|
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF0CZwkextgOZXGI4rB5PD6qChWB05-1AF7_NIo3JyKVNez9I6T_Dm7CPrJZzUw3UfP2BUg1mRqWBqQsf8JBqDlBnpHEPQWklarVmuR3vwTvqFcww5hvp6jMwwTPcWzeErqzP1bzohbvw/s320/04First+cut.jpg) |
The
first cut. A billhook (like a small axe)
is used to cut the base of the trunk at an angle |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_WGAFY8EkSS4Sl8St2Y-02BOS3mrda229Nb_6djFscxIu1R-p9Z5Hy8p4Sv2mF6lbPRiltSufPOND3ZUEUDmQqJotbtZ4a1YLav8xCbVbBQ2Ojgbm_YvH9WzUkBG0HQKJFpE-tkL3gS8/s320/05Over+she+goes.jpg) |
When
almost, but not quite cut through, the trunk is carefully pulled to the
horizontal (layed) – new shoots will emerge from the cut sections, filling the
gaps which would otherwise be left if the hawthorn were left untreated. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlpUzqkK6sMcFBvm1-47vQapSPJrcBnLQOYvjhUvkU_7nP_aRdd6AVkXFPFYcSuJhMsAjhjMRY8suWiXx4O5TlwJ-nCz5Gg98194qkK7AIwsEtkgSkQSu7Ojt86PXAiNSn8J3xOgWp2jk/s320/06Down+they+go.jpg) |
Partly
down the first section showing the ‘layed’ trunks. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC2uxcsLYvbHy_4j2UIczM8xBv5CCqWSuE3eJaIvPDX2d5x3QySTl6CM-EZ2wYNMrVjBfIYY2IoIP6_9FPW8wsNhU-4G8093Qti6klBEQKRttyOZwAyzvBqkF_soXFHMEM_VF0EddGPYo/s320/07Posts+in.jpg) |
In
go the posts to hold the layed branches in place. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfADagzMZB34ofhYw2_BRBbBo9MvGpvFkHtSFdlzl9iH26hpnh87gyy5Lo_J45q5fZwF7Uq8K8TucZlszVr_T3fEd5YLl0J2i6tVqzEsshSmgZ4_NLGu8S4EqaLCgNLGhrc3k-V75I5sQ/s320/08Weaving+in.jpg) |
As
the work progresses the branches are woven around the posts. |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNPMZDdXkjfXMblPfG6H6D-_b4Q7H4iF7Qs6bs6pcAfoL_G0mquP9uyoguOTqkzPYIQ6p1qEZ6Pky5OJPhRuzQTecVvUzEYdB9j6OVLnDaCIY79sMrCve9MNw8lhKp5mNZm8KJMRAwwN4/s320/09Binders+in.jpg) |
Finally,
‘binders’ are woven between the posts to keep the whole structure in
place. The binders are hazel branches
which are very supple. Over time, and as
the hedge grows, the posts and binders will rot away. | | | |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0_9xleuiyZ4Z28wkJJRtNWG24g3zn2D7TMh6kB-1nhB4QOlMKCLZcpDANYK-bltv5CoX8R0J4ZUYqbv_UTnShcTamt6Va2TEONcMv9KRlCXwCj67Z_pVrRIomTpX4mdWJYcv8PfH67og/s320/010Finished.jpg) |
Job
done – one well layed hedge being admired by head gardener Des Cotton. |
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