In the past, farm hedges were managed by regular hand trimming, and then once they had started to thin and lose vigour, were allowed to grow up to a height of between 8-12’ before laying. In stock-raising or dairy-producing areas, prior to the introduction of barbed wire, this would have been done every 10-15 years in order to keep the hedges stockproof. Laying restored the vigour of the hedge plants, renewed the hedge as a stockproof barrier, and provided a crop of poles and firewood. The hedgerow harvest of fruits and berries in the interval before laying would also have been valued. With the mechanisation of agriculture and the reduction in farm labour after the Second World War, this rotation of trimming, growing on and laying was largely lost. By the 1960s, very few hedges were being laid and the skill of hedge laying was in danger of dying out.
By the end of the 20th century, hedge laying had undergone a revival, with skilled professional and amateur hedge layers in many parts of the country. However, with the high cost and time element involved with laying compared with the speed and ease of machine trimming, hedge laying is likely to remain the choice only for a very small percentage of hedges. The majority of hedges are likely to be trimmed almost indefinitely. As nearly all hedges against stock are also fenced, the need to lay in order to keep a hedge stockproof has also largely disappeared.
To successfully integrate annual or biennial trimming with occasional laying, the hedge must be brought into good condition for laying. The hedge should be left to grow on for at least five years, depending on the rate of growth. Where growth is very twisted and gnarled due to prolonged trimming, the hedge may need leaving for a longer period. Where growth is badly twisted and interlocked, or dense ‘bird’s nests’ dominate the top of the hedge, it may be necessary to first cut the hedge back quite hard to remove the tangled growth, and then allow new straighter stems to grow up for several years before laying. Brushing or siding up (p85) may be needed during the couple of seasons before laying.
