NogbadtheCool wrote:
On Oct 11, 8:23 pm, Dave Hill wrote:
On 10 Oct, 20:53, robert wrote:





In message , Janet Baraclough
writes
The message
from NogbadtheCool contains these words:
Hi all
Part of my fence around the garden is a row of ancient hawthorn, very
tall now and lovely with berries, but at the base they're old and
gappy. Anyone can stroll through.
Does anyone know if I chop them back to about head height will they re-
grow from the ground and make a nice impenetrable tangle, or will they
grow from head height again?
[...]
I seem to remember from a long time ago when I was still a sprog
seeing hawthorn notched with an axe (That is a wedge cut out low down)
which cut off the sap flow in a section of trunk and new growth
started out from the lowerLevel of the wound.
I give no garantee for this technique, but you could try a few this
winter and see what happens.
David Hill



Thanks all for suggestions, I think hedge laying is a bit beyond my
capabilities, I should have added it's only about 10 feet of hedge
because I chopped a hole through to accesas the garage and the council
chopped the other side down for a metal fence. Also the bottom
sections are very dead looking, all old wood and thick trunks.

I assume that the trunks are three or four inches in diameter. If so,
far too large and mature for what David Hill suggests; the name of the
technique escapes me, but if done correctly, on 'trunks' about one inch
diameter, it can produce a really fine impenetrable hedge.

If the trunks are three or four inches in diameter, the best that can be
done is cut them (with e.g. a bowsaw) about a foot from the ground. New
growth will appear --- which can then be trimmed and trained /
maintained as a hedge.

Best regards,

Jon C.

--
Jonathan Campbell www.jgcampbell.com BT48, UK.