The farm is criss-crossed by a network of hedges, most running along field boundaries, joining at various junctions and linking woodland to pasture in a vibrant web of wildlife corridors – not only here, but stretching onto adjoining farmland as well. Like a road map for biodiversity, this network forms a living ecosystem which, if managed carefully, can support and protect wild birds, particularly during the all-important breeding season.
From time to time, all farm hedges require maintenance and, occasionally, full renovation – which brings me to today’s story.
We have a very old boundary hedge, some 400 metres in length, with a ditch on our side indicating ownership. Because it runs in a reasonably straight line, I suspect it was planted after the medieval period (1200–1600) and relates more closely to the Enclosure period (1750–1850), although one can never be entirely certain.
The hedge is composed mainly of hawthorn, with some crab apple and the occasional self-seeded mature ash or oak. The hawthorn is now old and brittle, with very little growth at the base. As a result, it provides limited viable habitat. With this in mind, we have embarked on a substantial programme of restoration.
We have removed diseased and broken limbs and coppiced as much as we dare, leaving a skeletal framework of the former hedge. Into the gaps we have planted a mixture of hawthorn, blackthorn, hazel, field maple, dogwood and guelder rose. These are 40–60cm bare-root plants.
Bare-root stock is sensitive to cold and frost, so careful handling before planting is essential – protected from wind and kept from drying out. We make a narrow hole with a bar, insert the plant, and ensure the soil is firmly compressed around the roots to remove any air pockets. Before planting, the roots are dipped in mycorrhizal fungi, and bone meal is applied afterwards. The hedge is planted in a double row on staggered 45cm spacings.
Each plant is protected by a sustainable Tubex guard supported by a cane. These guards deter rabbits and squirrels while also creating a helpful microclimate for early growth.
Nurturing the plants during the early years is vital. Many hedges are planted with optimism, only to be neglected and eventually fail. Weed control, replacing losses, and periodic pruning to encourage growth at the base are the key disciplines.
Despite suffering from a bad bout of laryngitis, Leigh came out to help. As we have done – pretty much since 1979 – we are happiest outdoors, working together in the countryside that surrounds us.
I am nearly 67 now, so I may not see this hedge in its fully restored glory. But that is not the point. Stewardship is rarely about seeing the finished article. It lives somewhere deeper — in the heart and the soul — and in a vocation that is difficult to explain, but impossible to ignore.
If you would like to experience this landscape for yourself, our off-grid cabin overlooks the lake and woodland described above, while The Wild Collective offers wood-fired sauna sessions throughout the year.