Hedges in our landscape – recommended link
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The Ranger has long been aware of an excellent online essay by professional hedgelayer Paul Blissett. In fact, elements from it have entered into Naturenet and other things The Ranger has worked on – such as interpretation for the Isle of Wight Hedgelaying Competition. Entitled Hedges In Our Landscape this accessible page covers the history of hedges as well as the origins of the craft of hedgelaying; an overview of regional styles; advice on which sort of stakes and heathers to use (and indeed what they are, if you are wondering) and much more. It’s a great whistle-stop tour around the subject of hedgerows, and even comes with some very informative pictures. To whet your appetite, here are a few excerpts:
…Caesar described the process of hedgelaying in detail in 57BC in his Gallic War when he encountered laid hedges in the territory of the Nervii in Flanders… …Richard the First issued an edict that hedges should not exceed 4 foot 6 inches tall both to allow free range to the royal deer and so that he could chase them on horseback… …One plant which should normally be cut out of a hedge is elder since it grows faster than all other hedgerow plants and crowds them out. It is also very brittle and useless in any hedge intended to provide a stockproof barrier… …A recent arrival is the motorway style which dispenses with heathering and, with a post and rail fence on the field side behind it, does not need to be stockproof…
Now go on, go and read it.
Thankyou I enjoyed the document