On 20 Aug 2003 16:48:28 -0700, (rob w) wrote:

We have at the bottom of our new garden a very old hawthorn hedge,
this is very thick and quite tall but the bottom 3 to 4 feet is bare
and quite open.
It would be very easy to crawl through. My question is can this hedge
be thickened up or should I remove and replant, I have heard of laying
it over but the bottom trunks are very thick and I’m not sure if
this will work.
Any thoughts / advise gratefully accepted.


I've seen pretty thick hawthorn trunks split and laid over along the
lanes round here, but I rather get the impression it's something
that's harder to do than it looks.
One of the guys was using a very unusual 'machete', with a sort of
raised section on the upper part of the blade - could this be the key
to a successful job?
I did try a spot of laying myself, and the results ( although they
worked, eventually ) looked pretty awful for a time. I think you have
to be quite brave about it.


Another option is to interplant. A 'proper' Hawthorn hedge ought to be
interwoven with a variety of species.
My own hedges contain a mix of Hawthorn, Holly, Yew, Box, Ash and
Chestnut ( the latter two I wouldn't advise planting voluntarily ).
Box is particularly good for filling out the lower regions of a hedge.

For extra interest, chuck in something unusual - like a Redcurrant.

Regards,



--
Stephen Howard - Woodwind repairs & period restorations
http://www.shwoodwind.co.uk
Emails to: showard{who is at}shwoodwind{dot}co{dot}uk