Creating corridors and linking gardens
Planting hedges and hedgerows for gardens and nature
Winter is the perfect time to plant new and renovate old hedging.
A species-rich hedgerow will be home to many animals, especially birds, small mammals and insects. The hedgerows are the living corridors that link habitats for these animals, and as such are hugely important for biodiversity and the health of the countryside. If you are able to leave a hedgerow to grow for two to three years between cuts you will provide thousands of free meals for our resident and visiting birds that depend on the fruit and insects provided freely by an ordinary hedge.
If you have an old country hedge it might delineate the boundary of the property, often along an ancient ‘way’ which may have become a lane or road.
The hedge that is there may be as old or older than the house and may be of archaeological significance. Old maps and field plans will show the hedge patterns and can be a good place to start to know the ancient lay of the land and its hedgerows, and to understand why they might have been there originally, whether to filter wind or to slow down water flow, to show an old boundary or to keep in livestock.
A country hedge would traditionally be plashed or layed, by allowing the hedge to grow up to about eight foot and then split with a bill hook (or chainsaw) almost through the stem, just leaving enough to bend it at an angle, and from that cut the new growth will come. Hedge laying can also restore an old, sparse hedge by encouraging regrowth from the base. Most native species within a mixed hedgerow will respond well. A hedge needs to be a minimum of 2.5 metres high before it can be layed, because laying reduces the height by approximately half. Hedges are best layed between October and March. Grants may be available to lay old hedgerows and this ancient art has been having a bit of a come back in recent years with annual hedgelaying competitions across the counties, displaying the skills of hedgelaying or ligging as it is known in yorkshire, and the different styles of hedgerow dedicated to each county. With it has come a revival in the old language with beautiful words like a smeuse, (the regular passage of a small animal) a squiggle (to wriggle through a hole in hedge) and a carvet ( a Kentish term for a thick hedgerow).
And here is a short list of some other points to consider when tackling older hedgerows …
Protected trees
You might need permission from your local council to cut back or remove a hedge if you live in a conservation area or if trees in the hedge are protected by a tree preservation order. Check with your local council before you do any work. For more information see the Tree Preservation Orders and trees in conservation areas section of the planning practice guidance.
Birds
It’s against the law to disturb nesting wild birds. Before you start to cut a hedge, check there are no birds’ nests currently in use. Only trim hedges during the winter months when there is no danger that birds may be nesting, and try to leave hedgerows for at least three years between cuts to allow plenty of fruit to form to feed the overwintering birds. It is such a sad sight to see beautiful birds like Fieldfares arrive in the UK after a long flight from Russia being met with newly flayed hedges and no food..
Planning conditions
Some hedges must be kept under the terms of a planning permission. Check with your local council if you are thinking of moving a hedge.
Covenants
Some properties have legal covenants which lay down the size or type of hedge you can grow. Details should be in your deeds.
Personal safety
You will need specialist equipment or professional help to trim a hedge over 2.5 metres high.
Footnote: Dating old hedges:
Old Hedges can also be dated by counting the number of species in them. ‘Hooper’s Law’ gives us a way to estimate the age of a hedgerow, by counting the number of different species of tree and shrub in a 30 yard or metre stretch and taking it to equal to the age of the hedge in centuries.
This calculation helps protect ancient hedgerows through laws like The Hedgerows Regulations (1997; No. 1160) of the Department of the Environment, based on age and other factors.
This method is only a rule of thumb, so it should always be backed up by documentary evidence, and other factors taken into account. Caveats include the fact that hedgerows with elm and hedgerows in the north of England tend not to follow the rule as closely, and some hedges planted by farmers for stock control tend to be mono-species, hawthorn, blackthorn, and (in the southwest) hazel.
Useful Resources
National Hedge Laying Society - www.hedgelaying.org.uk
Robert Macfarlane’s book Landmarks for more old country terms
Kent based hedge plants are available in specialist mixes from Hopes Grove nursery
