[stevie]

Anyone need any hedge laying doing, starting booking in work now for the coming winter, let me know. I am in Northamptonshire but will travel if not to far. 

[Rosemary]

Wish you were in Scotland.

[pegusus pig]

Wish you were in north wales, our hedges are a awful state and I'm not to sure what to do with them, they've not been touched for about 15 years!!    

[doganjo]

Perhaps Stevie could give some online advice to those he can't travel to?

[stevie]

Yeah I can give you some advice, dont lay the hedge between November and the end of February. Only lay the hedge if it has reached a signifacant height ie: 8 feet would be good.
Start by thining out the hedge from ground level up to about head hieght. Only thin out the ditch side, the side not in the field. Any unwanted branches that are protruding towards you lop off. Once you have got a good bit thinned approximatley half a chain (11 yards) you can start to lay. Start by cutting into the stem with a billhook about 35 degrees down into it. do not go all the way through as this will kill the hedge and it wont regrow. Always lay the hedge up hill. Once you have done your first cut lay this down at an angle 45 degrees, do this all the way along until you layed all the parts you have thinned. Then you you need stakes and binders these are cut from hazel. The stakes should be put in at every 18 inches and woven down through the layed hedge and knocked into the ground continue this all the way along. You can tidy up the face of the hedge once it has all been finished. The binders are a bit difficult to explain without showing you how to do it but this should help you to lay the hedge to reasonable standard.
Hope this helps any questions please contact me. 

[Rosemary]

Do you fancy a trip to Scotland? It's very nice.

[stevie]

Would love to, most of my family are from Galston AND Kilmarnock. Where are you in Scotrland? 

[pegusus pig]

Thanks for that Stevie, I'm a bit nervous of having a go at it, don't want to kill it off.   Its well over 8ft tall and about the same in width, growing out of stone walls (I'm in north wales) we have 24 acres split in to 7 Fields so quite alto to think about. i have considered getting a hedge cutter in but the ones local to here tend to massacre the hedges and think we would then be left with stumps growing about 6ft apart. What would be the best time to have a go at doing them? i think I'll have to get some one (professional) in to do them as I'm more likely to kill the lot off!!! do you ever come down to anglesey? 

[stevie]

Wish I did get down there more often. Your best time now would be to wait until November time now, but you could start tidying it up now but dont try and lay anything cos of the birds. There is aloittle saying " Thou shalt not lay a hedge when the birds are nesting ", ans please dont get someone to flail it it is sacralige!!!!!!!!!!!!! Have a go ourself and see how you get on. 

[Rosemary]

Alloa. The man with the flail will be about to decend. I will put him off.

[stevie]

Yeah bloody flails are the tool of the devil, quick and easy massacre. To appreciate the hedge you gotta lay it not destroy it. 

[Rosemary]

I'd like to get someone to lay it. If Stevie can't come North, is there a hedgelayers society or something, where I can find a local one?

[stevie]

There is the national hedge laying society. 

[Rosemary]

Website?

[rustyme]

http://www.hedgelaying.org.uk/
    

cheers

Russ