Hedges, hedgerows, maintenance, trimming and laying

Hedges around a property create a beautiful, interesting and environmentally sound boundary. We are happy to assist you in the selection and planting of your new hedge, bearing in mind your neighbourhood environment and required final height and density. We also maintain hedges, including high hedges, and remove overgrown or unwanted hedges.

Leylandii can make a very good hedge, if maintained annually. See the pictures to the left that show a large leylandii hedge. However, they quite often simply outgrow their locations, turning into large trees. We can remove these and plant alternatives in their place. Recent changes to the law mean that ASBOs can be issued for nuisance hedges so neighbours can force the removal of such hedges. Done properly, an overgrown hedge can be restored or replaced with a haven for wildlife that will enhance your property. We would be pleased to plan and create your hedges, and to maintain them in the future.

Hedgerows are an important and well-loved feature of the British countryside, as well as being a valuable wildlife habitat. Neglect, rather than removal, is now the greatest threat to hedgerows, and many hedges need laying to encourage new growth from the base

Hedgelaying is an ancient countryside craft, creating a dense hedge that primarily was intended to form a barrier to prevent livestock escaping. This involves allowing a hedge to grown to a reasonable height, then pleaching, laying and weaving the hedge to create a neat, thick and impenetrable living barrier. If hedges are not laid, the end result will be a line of trees with gaps in between

Nowadays, a hedgerow created from native British hedging plants, such as Hawthorne and Blackthorn and other thorny species, create a barrier against intruders as well as food and shelter for wildlife. Native plants are the greatest assets to birds in the garden. A hedge of Leylandii is an empty larder compared with the bursting possibilities of hazel, beech, holly, hawthorn and field maple. We are happy to help you in designing and planting your hedgerow taking into account any environmental, traditional or security ideas that you may have. We are also happy to help you in maintaining or laying any existing hedge. Hedges can be interspersed with wild honeysuckle, whose berries provide food for warblers, thrushes and bullfinches.

We create the traditional south of England style hedges during our hedgelaying. This style creates a dense bullock proof (and person proof) hedge, using stakes and binding. Ideally the hedge to be laid will be mature enough to create a dense barrier immediately after laying, but we can inspect your hedge and advise. Grants may be available under the landscape conservation grants scheme for hedge planting and traditional hedgerow management, assuming grant criteria are met. We are keen to help you with any grant application.