Paul Blissett Hedgelaying

30 years hedging in Bucks, Beds & Herts
Twelve miles of hedge laid since 2000
The first and largest hedgelaying website

December 2014

230 yards field hedge, hawthorn and blackthorn, Marsh Gibbon, Bucks, Midland Style

The farmer qualified for grant assistance under the Higher Level Stewardship Scheme which covered most of the cost of laying this hedge ( the January / February entry is a continuation of this hedge along the next field )
View before from start of hedge View after from start of hedge
Making a start Detail of this Midland Style hedge
About halfway... ...so about half remains.
Inside of hedge, where the farmer removed the old fence. A new fence will be put in afterwards. Start of hedge is just beyond the group of ash in the distance
 
The four images below show some points of detail. The first three show how you can leave protruding stubs from laid stems to keep other parts of the hedge in place.

The fourth picture shows a stem that was root laid - severed completely from the main stem and remaining attached just by one of the roots. This is a useful technique for gnarled old stems; it both keeps the hedge nice and low using a stem that would be very awkward or impossible (as here, as the front of the stem is dead) to lay conventionally and it creates a new plant too. If the roots are not already exposed as they were here, it is possible to dig to expose them and use the same technique though this can be very time consuming.
Example of root laying
 
Getting towards the end...... the images below show the view from either side of the hedge.
The farmer has made two large mounds of brush for burning View from inside the hedge. The piles of firewood are for the farmer.
 
The two pictures below show the end of the hedge before and after laying
End of hedge before.... ...and after.