Hedge laying at Pounds Gardens
Plymouth City Councils’ Green Communities rangers have been working with rangers from the National Trust and Plymouth Sound National Marine Park to complete hedge laying work in Central Park!
Over the course of 2 days, the team managed to lay an impressive 60m of hedgerow!
Hedge laying is a traditional country skill and art form that has been used for hundreds of years to maintain healthy hedgerows in the UK. It involves partially cutting through the trunks of the trees, leaving two thirds of the bark attached, allowing the trees to still grow. They lie at an angle, close to the ground, this allows the hedge to become thicker and healthier than a standard trimmed hedge, creating a wonderful home for nesting birds, small mammals like hedgehogs, and insects like butterflies.
We'd like to say a big thank you to Devon Rural Skills Trust for teaching everyone on the team how to hedge lay and giving them the confidence to do it! Keep your eyes peeled for more rural skills benefitting Central Park this spring...
If you're interested in learning an ancient, rural skill yourself, visit Devon Rural Skills Trust website!
