Out with SHG on Saturday working on 50 odd meters of hedge along a footpath near Beare Green. Situated at the bottom of a sloping field and under the shade of some large Oaks on the other side of the path in a neglected hazel coppice with standards. A sleet shower mid-morning brought a winter feel to the day.
The hedge had been planted and was made up of Hawthorn and Hazel with some Field Maple, willow sp. and Blackthorn. Growth had been compromised by the amount of shade and perhaps the damp cold soil conditions, so that the stems of Hawthorn and Hazel were tall, stretching for the light, but the Hawthorn lacked side growth. Other than the willow - which had not been planted - the other species had hardly grown at all, stunted by unsuitable soil conditions and the nearby Oaks.
Left the camera in the car so didn't take any 'before' shots but here are some of the finished job.
A sweep round the corner to soften the start. The hedge being rather thin, the challenge was to get some body into it, and to aid this we set the height somewhat lower than the usual 4 feet. With the exception of competition work there is no fixed height for binders in the South of England style and these should be set to reflect the amount of material in the hedge, its location and purpose.
The stakeline went OK for once..
This is not the full length of the hedge but gives a view along about two thirds.
No comments:
Post a Comment