What a busy month!

Following on from the awful weather and how wet it has been, the break in the weather has meant that we can get cracking on jobs that can only really be done in the dry – one in particular was a large hedge laying job in a village in South Oxfordshire.

So what is hedge laying? Basically before the onset of barbed wire, hedge laying was the most popular form of keeping livestock in and unwanted visitors out. During the war years, its use declined due to the invention of barbed wire, the need to remove hedges due to larger machines for food production and the automation of farming.

Thankfully, hedge laying is coming back in full strength. Only this season I have seen several miles in both Oxfordshire and Berkshire – some very nice jobs too (but not as good as ours of course!)

This particular job was a bit unusual due to the age and general mess of the hedge – but thats the beauty of hedge laying – you can make a beautiful creation out of a right old pile of rubbish – it just takes a bit longer and a bit more skill!

The client wanted to keep the character of the area, so did not want a fence, so hedge laying was the obvious choice really. The long term plan is to plant a slower growing hedge like Yew on the inside to give privacy, but the hedge laying will provide the security and character required.

When you start the process of laying, the last thing you want is the customer coming up and watching – the whole thing is pretty brutal and lots of rubbish is cut out before you get a good hedge to lay – clients usually freak out at this point as it looks as though you have gone mental. It’s only when the stakes and binders are all tied together, then the trimming and shaping can begin, forming the base of the hedge.

As this is a living hedge, in the spring, shoots will grow quickly, forming a very dense base – ideal for wildlife and birds to nest in.

Anyway, the customer finally saw the finished hedge and was totally delighted with the results, taking pictures and emailing to her friends….maybe more work to come next year!

If you have a hedge that looks a bit of a mess, give us a call and we can establish if it is suitable to lay – giving you a unique feature in your garden – call Newbury 01635 247192 now.

 

Here are a few pictures – before, during and after