How to Lay a Hedge: The Traditional Craft That Keeps It Alive

If you've ever walked past a hedge that looks like it's been woven rather than grown, you've seen hedge laying in action. It's an ancient practice, still going strong, and it remains one of the most effective ways to rejuvenate a tired, gappy hedgerow. Done well, a laid hedge thickens at the base, lives far longer than an unmanaged one, and becomes a fortress for nesting birds and small mammals.

The principle is simple. You take a living stem — called a pleacher — and cut most of the way through it near ground level, leaving a thin strip of bark and sapwood intact. That hinge keeps the stem alive while allowing you to bend it over at an angle. You repeat this along the hedge, weaving the pleachers between upright stakes driven into the ground, then bind the top with hazel or willow rods. The result is a dense, stock-proof barrier that will throw up fresh growth from the cut base for years to come.

Timing and Tools

Laying is a winter job, done between late October and early March, when the sap is down and the hedge is dormant. Avoid hard frosts — frozen wood splinters instead of bending. You'll need a sharp billhook or axe for cutting, a mallet for driving stakes, and a good pair of gloves. A pruning saw helps with thicker stems.

Not every hedge can be laid. Stems thicker than about 15cm are hard to bend without snapping, and some species — particularly those with brittle wood — don't respond well. Hawthorn, blackthorn, hazel, field maple, and ash are the classic laying species. If your hedge has grown into a line of trees, coppicing or gapping up with new whips may be the better route. It's also worth checking for nesting birds before you start; if you find an active nest, stop and come back next season.

Laying for Wildlife

A laid hedge is a wildlife powerhouse. The dense base becomes a tangle of cover where mice, voles, and wrens shelter. The cut stems produce fresh growth that flowers and fruits the following year, feeding pollinators and birds. Insects overwinter in the deadwood and leaf litter trapped in the structure. Because the hedge stays low and thick, it also casts less shade than a tall, leggy one, so the ground flora beneath it has a better chance.

If you're new to laying, start small. Lay a short section, or better still, find a local hedge-laying group or an experienced craftsperson willing to show you. The regional styles — Devon, Midland, Yorkshire, and others — each have their own character, and it's genuinely one of those skills where watching someone do it teaches you more in an hour than a book will in a week. Once you've laid your first stretch, you'll never look at a hedge the same way again.