Over two thousand years older than chain link. A living hedge not only keeps livestock fenced but also prevents soil erosion and water runoff. Living hedges are good wind blocks and snow collectors as well as habitat to birds, insects and small mammals. And they sequester carbon, rather than produce it, such as during the manufacture of chain link or plastic.
A hedge with summer foliage. Photo by Penny Mayes.www.geograph.org.uk
Maintaining A Hedge
检查一个对冲。修剪得太方太完美的树篱可能看起来很好,但限制了生物多样性,尽管定期整理是必要的。每年修剪可以除去花朵、浆果、昆虫和鸟类。在开始工作之前,你可以从左边较高的山楂树上了解一下树篱的高度。摄影:Penny Mayes。www.geograph.org.uk
How Hedges Grow
The stem of the tree or bush is partially cut at its base at an angle. The art is in knowing how much to cut through the stem while keeping life in the remaining connected piece but allowing the flexibility needed to bend the trunk 35 to 60 degrees without breaking. These remaining stems or trunks are now known as pleachers. The angled trunk stump is cut off straight to prevent disease and promote new vertical growth. Image:www.gerbeaud.com
How To Lay A Hedge
Hedge laying is always performed during the late fall or during winter months while “the sap is down”. The pleached trunk may not be brought down perfectly horizontal as sap only flows upward. Image: a hedgelaying competition in Penyffordd.penyffordd-district.blogspot.com
The trees must be at least 8 feet tall before a hedge can be laid and ideally about nine inches apart. The first step is to trim the underbrush so that the pleached stems will receive air and light, and new growth crops up from the cut trunks. After pleaching, additional stakes are driven into the hedge for added support. Drawing:www.hedges.educagri.fr
Intertwining the branches through the vertical posts and tree trunks ensures a cow- and sheep-proof barrier. In the olden days in Europe, every landowner knew how to lay a hedge. Image:www.maisonbotanique.com
In the UK and Ireland, hawthorn, blackthorn and hazel are popular trees for hedge laying. Diversity of species within the hedge is best for ensuring longevity and attracting biodiversity. In 1946 there werean estimated 500,000 miles of hedge in England. Since then, there has been a rapid loss of hedgerow, mainly due to changes in agricultural practices. Of late, the art of hedge laying is being revived as the benefits and beauty of the hedgerows are again finding favor.
Hedgerow surrounds a road at Duchy Home Farm. The Prince of Wales laid part of this hedge. This stand of trees was ten years old. Ancient laid hedges were created from the trees and shrubs that remained at the edges of a cleared field; more recently the trees and shrubs are planted intentionally. Image:www.duchyoriginals.com
铺好的山楂树篱摄影:马克和丽贝卡福特艺术雕塑。www.twocirclesdesign.co.uk
With summer foliage in Staffordshire. There are numerous different styles of laid hedge. See resources below. The style shown here lays the branches into the field or toward the livestock. Image:www.shropshirehedgelaying.co.uk
Many styles add a top binding (sometimes called hethers) which consists of weaving a bunch of long (3-4 meters), thin, pliable branches along the top of the stakes to keep the hedge connected and strong. Willow and hazel are good candidates for binders. Both stakes and binders will rot over time, but the hedge will be dense enough to support itself by then. ImageLwww.maison-deco.com
The bindings and posts add stability until the fence grows in. Image:gallery.nen.gov.uk
在树篱铺好之前,三月的一个星期五的早晨。forum.downsizer.net
Hedge laid by Saturday afternoon with a few helping hands.forum.downsizer.net
The same hedge in late summer of the same year.forum.downsizer.net
What you would eventually get if you never relaid your hedge. Photo by Robin Stott.www.geograph.org.uk
Derbyshire style with stakes only, no top bindings.www.peaktraditionalfencing.co.uk
Large unruly hedges can be brought under control creating more space and allowing in more light.www.peaktraditionalfencing.co.uk
This hedge was laid in the winter, and this is its first spring growth.www.peaktraditionalfencing.co.uk
Laid hedge at Elmley Castle. Photo by Philip Halling,www.geograph.org.uk
从地面长出的新植物使树篱恢复了活力。每隔20-50年就应该进行一次对冲的接力。这是德比郡风格的篱笆。David Stowell摄。www.geograph.org.uk
Laid hedge in Gloucestershire.ladymuckdigs.blogspot.com
北安普敦郡米德尔顿附近新铺设的传统树篱。Image:Picapica.
A newly laid hedge in Grendon, Northamptonshire. Image by R. Neil Marshman.en.wikipedia.org
A wide ancient hedge. “In southern England alone, perhaps as many as one-fifth of all surviving hedgerows date from Saxon times, a living link with the Dark Ages. Some even date back to Roman times.” Photo by Sam Abell.photography.nationalgeographic.com
An overgrown hedgerow interspersed with trees in Ireland. Image by Michael Fairchild.www.michaelfairchild.com
With periodic trimming to encourage regrowth and relaying every 15 to 50 years, a hedge can last indefinitely. This ancient hedgerow called Judith’s Hedge is in Monks Wood. Judith was the niece of William the Conqueror and owned Monks Wood (then known as Ewingswode) in 1086. The hedge itself is thought to be over 900 years old. Photo by Chris Gardiner.www.geolocation.ws
Caesar described the process of hedgelaying in 57 BC in his Gallic War afterencountering laid hedges at Nervii in Flanders.*
The leather gauntlets which were worn to lay hedge were called “dannocks”.
Trees & Shrubs That Are Good For Hedging
山楂,黑刺黑荆,榛子,榆树,白蜡树,野枫,山毛榉,李子,海棠花,冬青,报春花,甜栗子,山毛榉,角束,白束,野生女贞,纺锤,香脂叶无花果,王氏香脂,野山芹,白鹤嘴和紫薇。
Native is best for wildlife diversity.
For more species see:www.hedgerows.co.uk
Bulk trees for sale in UK:www.lowimpact.org
Books About Laying Hedges
Hedges and Hedgelaying: A Guide to Planting, Management and Conservationby Murray Maclean
Hedge Laying Resources
National Hedgelaying Society
The English Hedgerow Trust:www.hedgerows.co.uk
HedgeLink:www.hedgelink.org.uk
Study:Hedgerows enhance beneficial insects on farms in California’s Central Valley
Read about the different styles of hedges:www.hedgelayer.freeserve.co.uk
“The shrinkage in the flora is due to a combination of clean-farming, woodlot grazing, and good roads. Each of these necessary changes of course requires a larger reduction in the acreage available for wild plants, but none of them requires, or benefits by, the erasure of species from whole farms, townships, or counties. There are idle spots on every farm, and every highway is bordered by an idle strip as long as it is; keep cow, plow, and mower out of these idle spots, and the full native flora, plus dozens of interesting stowaways from foreign parts, could be part of the normal environment of every citizen.”
Aldo Leopold,A Sand County Almanac
george otieno oumasays
we are small communities doing permaculture in kenya and we also need somebody to help put our project in web site and we preschool for orphan which doing permaculture and the communities in odienya kenya please let as know your programs
祝福乔治·奥蒂诺·奥玛
Dave K.says
I’m curious to know why in most cases all the plants are only going in one direction. wouldn’t it make sense to alternate the directions to result in a cross-hatch weave pattern?
Andysays
If the hedge is on a slope the stems pointing down hill will die. You always lay up hill.
Joshua Bsays
From a purely implementation standpoint, crosslaying would get very frustrating trying to fight all that woody material. You’d end up with brush on top of the piec you’re trying to cut and it would be a nightmare
Keirensays
Great question.
Maybe gaps in the trees would create a few too many open areas, if they were cross hatched?
I have never laid a hedge so do not have first hand knowledge. I am sure someone with experience would be better suited to answer your question. Hopefully an experienced hedge layer will post an answer!
Donald Becksays
Enjoyed British/Scotch/Irish hedgerows and how to build them very much. I live in somewhat dry California and am wondering just what trees/bushes might work best for me.
Donald
Patrick Michael Hayessays
Donald, did you get a reply to your inquiry? I too in in CA and revisiting hedgerows. I found tht my surname is a reference to the people who live near the hedges, Hays, Hayes, Haight and the like.
Anonymoussays
Reply to Donald Beck
I live in Walnut Creek, CA and have 4 hawthorne trees ca. 60 yrs old and a new one coming up. Three are watered, two aren’t. They tolerate the dry summer quite well and you get so many berries in the fall that you can accumulate them quickly. But they are VERY slow growers.
Patrick Michael Hayessays
Thanks, I am in Lafayette and was thinking the hawthorne would be a good candidate. Exploring others too.
Russel Alportsays
如果你的形象被盗没有立即删除我将被迫采取法律行动。
Keirensays
Mr.Alport,
很抱歉你这么生气。我总是试图正确地确定图片来源,但有时很难找到原始来源。许多人/公司很喜欢他们网站的链接,因为有潜在的商机。
Please tell me which image is yours and I will immediately take it off or correct the image credit to link to you. I am clueless as to which is yours.
Thank you, Keiren
Russel Alportsays
Hello Keiren, having reviewed the photo I can see that you have given credit to the owners. I apologize for any concern I may of caused.
Russell
Tony Hintonsays
Having just read the comments following the article I have to say it’s a pity Mr Alport’s apology wasn’t as strong as his original threat.
Bonniesays
Agree!
Leesays
I’m surprised to see primroses, figwort, balm, campions, cranesbills & vetches listed as suitable for hedging…..???
Anonymoussays
Hello Russel Alport,
你是个废物。
I am sorry,
Anon
Alisonsays
Very helpful site, great to have so many pictures to refer to to – we are about to lay a mixed native hedge planted 8 years ago and it’s good to see the variety of trunk sizes. Many thanks.
Tree Surgeons Abbotsfordsays
I just read your article on hedge laying and I wanted to thank you for sharing this with the world. It’s really good!