Hedge laid

After much hard effort we have succesfully laid a section of old hedge.  This is what it looked like a few days ago.

 

 

First there was some more elder to remove. Elder's big leaves and sappy growth cause gaps in the hedge if it is left.

 

While doing this a lot of barbed wire was encountered, cut out and coiled for disposal, along with an old bedstead and other bits of hardware.

 

And then the lower branches of the hawthorns were cut back to enable the stems to be laid almost flat.  An early start was made this Sunday morning.

  

 

We were now totally committed having decimated what was left of the hedge. 

The ivy was pulled off the remaining trees.

 

 

and raked up from the ground.

 

Some new hawthorns and hazels were planted in the gaps.

 

 

Sharpened stakes of hazel were brought down from the coppice coupe, and hammered into the ground along the top of the hedge bank.

 

 

 Then we cut out the big stems of hawthorn and half-severed the remainder (now called 'pleachers) so they could be bent over and woven between the stakes.

 

 

 

The elder and ivy were dragged to the fire site and burned.

 

 

 

And our laid hedge is now waiting the finishing touches.