hedge laying

A hedge may be laid after being left to grow to some metres in height. The main upright stems, called pleachers, are half-cut through near ground level, bent over in the line of the hedge until they are near-horizontal, then fixed in position with vertical stakes, also in the line of the hedge. To reduce the width of the hedge the side branches of the pleachers (called brush) may be removed or woven into the hedge. The tops of the stakes may be bound together with interwoven rods, often of hazel, to add to the sideways strength of the hedge and to give it a neat finish



This definition is abridged from A – Z of tree terms: A companion to British arboriculture.
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