Hedges

[ideasguy]

You probably pass through my home town of Dromore to get to Banbridge Martin.

I went on Google before posting my first message to verify that such a tool as a billhook actually existed, or if it was a local name for the tool here. To my surprise they are sold to this day by Spear & Jackson!
I looked again (on the internet) after your posting, and the tools my dad used were similar at the "business" end, but had a long handle. I knew he had two types of hedging weaponry, so I thought a bit and remembered that he called it a slasher.  Never find that nowadays I thought, but a quick search gave me this
http://shop.btcv.org.uk/shop/level3/18/stock/247

Irish Slasher - a heavy duty slasher, best for hedgelaying, cutting thicket, and general purpose use. 

Yip, that's the one

[Eric Hardy]

That front hedge is certainly formidable ........ What width is it, approx?

I am only guessing George, but about 5 feet wide. Plenty of room for birds’ nests!

I recall it was beneficial in snowfall.  Instead of the snow laying heavily on an otherwise flat top, and thereby forcing the branches apart and maybe snapping them, the slope allows the majority of the snow to fall off.
Was that the reasoning for you Eric?

No, Laurie, I had no thoughts of snow. Years ago it was flat on the top and I used to have an awful job trimming it from a top of a short ladder. Then I bought myself a long armed Stihl hedge trimmer. I discovered that it was quite heavy but on sloping areas I could rest it on the hedge as I cut. It seemed a good idea to reshape the hedge. It looked awful for a while but it soon greened over but once done it was so much easier to cope with. I read of the benefits of doing it AFTER I had done it

Anyone ever tried layering a hedge? I have and it is not easy.

It seems like a bygone age, Eric, but there were two brothers ran the farm which is about ¼ mile from us across the common. They kept all their hedges beautifully layered. And I used to go riding down a narrow lane into the valley and be able to see wonderful views. We used to get fresh eggs from them regularly too. Now the brothers are dead. The farm house and barns have been converted and gentrified. The hedges have grown to such a height that the views are hidden more often than not and about once in about three years a tractor drives along and mutilates them.

[ideasguy]

The farm house and barns have been converted and gentrified

Gentrified - now theres a good word! Meaningful and self explanatory

...a tractor drives along and mutilates them.

Yes, that's how its done along the main roads and motorways over here.
Any branches of trees encroaching get the same treatment. Mutilated is exactly the right word (yet again ) to describe it. So much for the pruning techniques explained in gardening books, to make clean cuts, avoiding splitting, and how to treat the wounds after pruning.
BUT, have you ever seen a hedge killed by such drastic actions?

...but about 5 feet wide. Plenty of room for birds’ nests!

I asked the question to give our visitors an idea of the proportions a mature hedge can make.
The old cliche is so right... they grow on you

[Eric Hardy]

I asked the question to give our visitors an idea of the proportions a mature hedge can make.

How about this for a mature hedge. This is the INSIDE of an ancient yew hedge at Blickling Hall in Norfolk, taken about 12 years ago.

[ideasguy]

 
What on earth were you doing in there Eric (tee hee)

I'm sure its a lovely haven for wildlife. Observation: No weeds in there . As my hedges mature, they become invaded by Ivy and brambles   Once the Ivy gets going, I'm in big trouble. It kills hedges. I suspect that's the cause of the gaps in the hawthorn hedges, leading to the need for layering.
 
Does Yew regenerate when cut back to the trunk of that bare wood Eric?

[Martin Froggatt]

You probably pass through my home town of Dromore to get to Banbridge Martin.

Yes, normally skirt round Dromore on the A1 if visiting/staying in Banbridge first.

Martin

[ideasguy]

If you have time, call in and see the garden next time you are passing Martin.

[Eric Hardy]

Does Yew regenerate when cut back to the trunk of that bare wood Eric?

My experience is that yew regenerates very easily. I doubt whether it would inside this hedge which was very dark indeed. The light came from my flash.