A
couple of posts ago I was talking about the sloe bush, blackthorn, this
week is very much about it’s sister the May bush, hawthorn. I will talk about May blossom and haws in May and autumn but now is the last chance to work
with the May hedges before the sap has risen and the birds have nested.
This week is hedge laying week in the orchard.
Hedge
laying differs around the country and to suit the purpose of the hedge,
here at the orchard we are using Midland Bullock because it is the
local style and the hedge being laid is serving the correct purpose. A
Midland Bullock has a clean edge on one side and the brush (bushy tops
of the thorn bushes) pointing outwards on the other; the side with the
brush is the side where you keep your animals and the other side are
your plant crops, paths or roads. Doing this prevents animals eating the
new young shoots that will soon appear on the laid hedge.
Photographs of the first day
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| Gathering in the morning by the May hedge |
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| The experienced hedge layer gives a demonstration of how it's done |
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| A pony soon arrives and starts eating the brush pointing out towards the paddock, a good example why we use this style of hedge. |
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| A good stretch of hedge at end of the day |
To come in the next posts: hedge laying tools, making tea and coffee in the orchard, more laid hedge and orchard wildlife.
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