Before barbed wire and cedar rail fences, hedgerows were managed as living fences. There is a balance which needs to be found between allowing shrubs to grow and keeping the hedge from becoming a line of trees, developing gaps and eventually becoming useless. Hedgelaying is a catch-all term used to describe the rejuvenation of a hedge from the base by cutting and ‘laying-over’ of the tree or shrub. In this two-day hands-on workshop you will learn the basics of hedgerow management through the concept of the hedgerow cycle and learn how to lay a hedge in the Midland (Bullock) style. Using hand tools- axe, billhook, and bow-saw- you will learn to pleach a hedgerow shrub, build the hedge and strengthen it with stakes and binding. We will also cover the theory and history of hedgelaying and the integration of managed hedgerows into your farm or other land-based system.

We will be working on a short section of mainly ash hedgerow at Wilde On Turtle Island in Warwick Township, Ontario by kind permission of the owners. We will also be transplanting shrubs from around the farm to build out the hedgerow. The workshop will take place from 9:30am-4:00pm each day.

Lunch and refreshments provided by Mount Wolfe Farm. Workshop participants are welcome to camp onsite at no extra charge. Campers can bring their own dinner, and the instructor will be in touch to discuss collaborative meal options eg organizing a group potluck.

About the instructor: Jim Jones has 15 years of experience in hedgerow ecology and management, first as an ecologist in UK and more recently as Manager of the Hedgerows in The Ontario Landscape project at The University of Waterloo. He currently runs hedgelaying training courses through the Ontario Land Skills Network and consults on Hedgerow projects with his partner in their business The Hedgerow Co.