Speynes Mere - visit 1

Yesterday SHG started on the Speynes Mere hedge. This was the first of three scheduled visits to this Surrey Wildlife reserve. It is a maiden hedge comprised almost entirely of Hawthorne and approximately 12 - 15 years old - although I am getting shy of giving the age of a hedge based on recent findings from samples taken at Leigh - see last weeks post.

 As you can see from the photo below there was a surprising variation in the thicknes of the stems. Most were manageable with hand tools but there were a number of heavy 5 to 6 inch diameter stems better handled with a chainsaw. On the other hand there was a lot of spindly growth, some of which may have been self-seeded.

 There were, I think, sixteen cutters on site and by lunch time we had got a good section of the hedge down, staked and bound. The only real problem was that the hedge was shaded on one side and had therefore concentrated its growth on the opposite side, causing an imbalance that needed correction by the removal of some side growth and secondary pleaching where necessary.

 On what turned out to be a very pleasant sunny day we produced a nice section of hedge allowing the public views of the lake from the footpath.