January is the perfect time to start hedge laying, a centuries-old countryside craft that shapes our rural landscapes and supports biodiversity.
Left: FiPL funded hedge laying before Right: After
Hedge laying involves partially cutting and bending living stems of shrubs and small trees along a hedge line and weaving them horizontally to create a dense, living barrier. This traditional technique rejuvenates old hedges, encourages vigorous regrowth and maintains stock-proof boundaries.
There are many different styles of hedge laying throughout the British Isles, including Devon, Midlands and Welsh Border styles. There is even a North Somerset Style that is only practised within a very small area between Bristol and the Mendip Hills, where the old and mixed species hedges often sit on top of a low bank next to a ditch.
Hedgerows are an integral part of the Cranborne Chase National Landscape, especially within the Nadder valley and on the wooded downlands. The most common style we see is the South of England style that uses a line of stakes along the centre of the hedge, topped off with woven ‘binders’, typically hazel, to hold everything in place.
From the early days of agriculture, hedges were used to create effective barriers which contained livestock and kept wild, predatory animals out, benefitting from periodic management to maintain their function and ecological value.
A well-laid hedge provides shelter and food for birds, insects, and small mammals, as well as nesting sites and safe corridors for species to move between habitats. They also enhance a sense of place, as well as help to slow rainwater flow and reduce soil erosion.
You can find some excellent guidance and information here: Hedgelink – Working together for the UK’s hedgerows, National Hedgelaying Society and Hedging – Conservation Handbooks