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Traditional hedge laying in Ramsgate and Thanet: timing, species and the grant

Done correctly on a hawthorn boundary hedge on Thanet's chalk, a laid hedge is stock-proof and wildlife-rich for decades before it needs doing again. For qualifying rural boundary hedgerows, the BN5 Countryside Stewardship item pays £13.52 per metre laid, according to the GOV.UK page.

Hedgelaying (also written hedge-laying) is one of the oldest forms of land management in Britain. It converts a gap-ridden, overgrown boundary hedge into a stock-proof, wildlife-rich living fence by partially cutting through each stem at the base, bending it over at a low angle and weaving it between upright stakes. The cut stem, still attached at the base and still drawing sap, continues to grow from the laid position. New vertical shoots push up from the stools and stakes within weeks of the winter laying, and within three growing seasons the hedge presents a dense, low, impenetrable face. In Thanet, where the native chalk-land hedgerows are dominated by hawthorn, blackthorn and hazel, the technique applies directly and the five species that lay best are all native to this stretch of coast.

Is the hedge ready to lay? The readiness test

Not every hedge can be laid. The technique requires stems that are pliable enough to bend over at a shallow angle without snapping cleanly through, and thick enough at the base to stay anchored after laying. A hedge that has been machine-trimmed every year for its entire life will have produced a dense canopy of short, twig-like growth rather than the long, whippy leaders that laying requires. Conversely, a hedge that has been completely neglected for decades may have stools so thick and brittle that splitting them requires a chainsaw and the risk of snapping is high throughout.

The practical readiness range for South of England style laying is stools of roughly 3‑8 cm diameter at the base, from a hedge that has been left to grow without cutting for many years. At that stage, hawthorn and blackthorn stems are tall and still flexible enough to bend over low without snapping. Hazel and field maple at the same age are even more pliable. Stems over 10 cm at the base are workable but require more care and more skill to split correctly, which is reflected in the price. A hedge of only a few years of growth is usually too young: the stools are thin and the hedge has not produced enough length to create a substantial laid structure at the finished height.

A quick field test: grasp a representative stem near the base and try to flex it gently by 20‑30 degrees. If it flexes without cracking the bark and springs back cleanly, it is ready. If it snaps with a sharp crack or the bark slips immediately, it is too old and dry. That is the more common problem on boundary hedges that have been left for a very long time.

Which species lay well in Kent and Thanet

Hedgelaying depends on the stem being strong enough to hold its position when laid but flexible enough to bend without snapping. Five native species that meet both requirements on Thanet's chalk soil are:

Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) is the backbone of traditional Kent hedgelaying. It is a dominant species in traditional field boundaries on chalk, it produces strong, thorny stools that anchor well after laying, and it breaks new vertical shoots vigorously from the laid stems in the first spring. The thorns that make hawthorn difficult to work by hand are the same feature that makes a laid hawthorn hedge impenetrable to stock and provides nesting cover for birds. Of the native species, hawthorn is the most reliably workable and gives the most rewarding result. The hawthorn renovation guide covers the renovation-by-cutting alternative for cases where the hedge is not suitable for laying.

Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) lays well but presents a practical challenge: its spines are longer and harder than hawthorn's, and it suckers aggressively from the root system after laying. Those suckers are a feature as much as a nuisance, producing a dense thicket of new growth between the laid stems, but they need managing or they colonise surrounding ground rapidly. Blackthorn and hawthorn are frequently mixed in the same hedge, which is a traditional native mix. See the hawthorn vs blackthorn comparison for the fuller species guide.

Hazel (Corylus avellana) is the most pliable of the five species and the easiest to work quickly, which is why a predominantly hazel hedge is the quickest to work. Hazel stools bend cleanly to very low angles and break new growth readily after laying. The limitation is that a hazel-only laid hedge is less stock-proof than one dominated by hawthorn or blackthorn: hazel does not have the thorns that create the physical barrier, so it is better suited to non-livestock boundaries or used as a component in a mixed native hedge.

Field maple (Acer campestre) is native to Thanet chalk and a reliable laying species, with good pliability and strong regrowth. It rarely dominates a laid section, but it appears regularly as a component in mixed native boundaries. See the field maple guide for the species' general management on this soil type.

Dogwood (Cornus sanguinea) lays well and provides the winter stem colour that makes a laid dogwood section visually striking from November to February. Like hazel, it lacks thorns and is best used as a component rather than the main structural species. The cornus guide covers the coppicing and management decisions that apply to dogwood in a mixed hedge.

Species that do not lay include leylandii, thuja, cherry laurel, privet, griselinia, escallonia and most conifers and evergreen shrubs. Their stem structure is either too brittle (conifers snap cleanly), too flexible without adequate strength (griselinia), or produces growth that is unsuited to the layering technique. These species are managed by cutting alone.

The South of England laying method: six steps

The South of England style is the standard technique for Kent and the broader south-east. It differs from Midland and Welsh styles principally in the angle at which the pleachers (the bent main stems) are laid, around 35 to 45 degrees from the horizontal, and in the use of a single row of vertical stakes with a woven binding (the binder or heathering) running along the top. The sequence runs as follows:

1. Clear the base. Remove all dead wood, bramble and any stems that are too thin (below finger-thickness) or too thick (over 10‑12 cm) to lay cleanly. Thin stems become upright stakes if they are straight enough; thicker ones are cut and removed. On a neglected hedge, clearance can take a large share of the total time.
2. Drive the stakes. Sharpened hazel or ash stakes (traditionally cut from the same hedge or sourced locally) are driven into the ground at regular intervals along the line of the hedge, deep enough to hold firm. They need to be vertical and firmly bedded before the pleachers go in beside them. In Thanet's chalk subsoil, driving stakes is harder than in clay or loam: a club hammer and iron spike to pre-open the hole is a common approach.
3. Make the pleaching cut. At the base of each main stem, the layer makes a long, slanting cut with a billhook or chainsaw, angling into the wood to roughly two-thirds of the diameter. The cut must leave enough heartwood attached to carry sap and structural strength to the laid stem, whilst allowing it to hinge over without snapping. Getting this cut right is the central skill of hedgelaying: too shallow and the stem snaps when bent; too deep and it dies after laying. On older hawthorn the wood is dense and hard, so a sharp billhook and deliberate cutting angle are essential.
4. Lay the pleachers. Each pleached stem is bent away from the cut and laid at the target angle (35 to 45 degrees from the horizontal) along the line of the hedge, resting against the stakes. They are woven between the stakes and packed tightly together to create a continuous surface. The direction of lay runs consistently along the hedge from one end to the other, with the direction of lay chosen to suit the site.
5. Insert the binders. The binders are long, flexible stems (hazel or willow, if available) twisted along the top of the laid pleachers in a tight spiral, woven around each stake to hold the pleachers in position and prevent them lifting as they regrow.
6. Top the stakes. The tops of the stakes are cut to a uniform height just above the binder line. This prevents splitting from frost and gives the hedge its finished, dressed appearance. A well-executed section finishes low: lower than the original overstood hedge but denser and structurally stronger.

Costs and the BN5 grant

Hedge laying is skilled, slow work, so a laid hedge is priced by the length of hedge and the condition of the material. Younger, pliable stems are quicker to lay than older, harder stools. The things that change the price are the age and thickness of the stems, how much clearance is needed first, access to the hedge, and whether stakes and binders are included. Ask for a fixed-price quote and ask whether materials are in it.

The BN5 Countryside Stewardship capital item pays £13.52 per metre of boundary hedgerow laid, according to the GOV.UK page. The payment rate is for the total length laid, not each side of the boundary. It applies where you have management control of both sides of a hedgerow of at least 20 metres, less than 5 metres wide, made up of at least 80% native shrubs, and the work must be done while the hedge is dormant. Urban garden hedges are not typically eligible. The current rate, conditions and availability are published on the GOV.UK page for BN5, so check there before you plan around it.

After laying: what to expect in the first three years

The first winter and spring after laying are the most critical. The laid pleachers need to stay in position while their severed bases callus over and the new vertical shoots push up from the stools. First-year growth varies with the season: Thanet is one of the drier parts of England (Manston averages around 615mm of rain a year), so a dry spring can slow the initial shoot push. In a normal first season the new vertical growth from the stools should be visible above the binder line by midsummer.

Year one (laying winter to end of first summer): The hedge looks sparse and low. This is expected and correct: the structure is establishing, not growing. Do not cut it. Remove any dead material and replace any stakes that have worked loose in spring, particularly where Thanet chalk has heaved them with late frosts.

Year two: Vertical growth from the stools and from buds along the laid pleachers has produced a noticeably denser hedge face. The hedge still needs no cutting; a single light pass with a billhook to remove any crossing or outward-growing leaders is sufficient if the growth is very vigorous.

Years three to five: The hedge reaches a dense, stock-proof structure and can be managed by annual or biennial machine trimming from this point. The laid pleachers are fully integrated into the hedge structure and the new growth has thickened sufficiently to fill any gaps between stems. From this point, a well-laid hawthorn or blackthorn hedge on Thanet chalk needs little more than a single trim a year to hold its shape until the next laying cycle, which is a couple of decades away. Time that trim outside the 1 March to 31 August guidance window, or check for nests first.

Sources: GOV.UK, BN5: Hedgerow laying (gov.uk/countryside-stewardship-grants/hedgerow-laying-bn5), including payment rate, eligibility and pleacher angle; RSPB and GOV.UK nesting guidance; Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 s.1; Met Office Manston 1991-2020 climate averages.