In article ,
Ragnar wrote:


Your post suggests that you may have a historic hedge, as it contains 'many
differnt species'. If this is the case then it would be wrong to mistreat
it.
To find out how old the hedge is, select a 30 yard length and count the
species of hedging plants (ignore herbaceous plants and climbers such as dog
rose and honeysuckle). The number of species indicates the age of the hedge
in centuries. If the answer seems unlikely try a different 30 yard length.
If you do indeed have a historic hedge then your local council may know
someone who can give advice on how best to conserve it.

It can be SERIOUSLY misleading. It is a fairly good rule for
farm hedges which were originally planted from a single species,
but often fails horribly for other types.

I counted no fewer than 9 'indicator' species in my neighbour's
hedge, which I happen to know was planted in 1930. The reason is
that the neighbouring gardens (including mine) had seed trees etc.
of many of the relevant species, and the base of the hedge had
often been kept clearish, thus allowing them to germinate.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.