Having done a fair bit of hedge-laying this season, it has been great to do some hedge planting as well. I was approached by the Barlavington Estate at the end of February to look at a number of areas on their ground to be either planted from new, or ‘gapped-up’. In total, it was around 600 metres of either new or restored hedgerow.

At the beginning of March, we began planting in earnest having collected the hedge transplants, or ‘whips’ from a local nursery. For the most part the ground was fairly easy to dig, although I did manage to break a steel-shafted spade at one site!

At Coates, near Fittleworth, we put in 220 metres of new hedgerow alongside an old coach road which is being restored by the Estate. The coach road is also a public footpath and so the new hedgerow will make a very attractive feature in years to come, as well as being excellent wildlife habitat. The Estate has also had rabbit fencing installed around the new planting to ensure that the hedge gets away to the best possible start.

It’s an absolute pleasure to be involved in hedgerow management, whether it be hedge-laying or planting. Hedgerows are such a vital part of our rural landscape in the UK, and particularly here in the South. We often take them for granted, but they provide enormous benefit on many levels: They are wildlife corridors that provide shelter and food for countless species of birds, mammals and invertebrates; they provide shelter for crops and livestock; they can help prevent soil erosion and help to mitigate against floodwaters; and they provide tremendous amenity value for us all.

I look forward to watching these new hedgerows grow over the next few years, and I am hoping to be invited back in a decade or so to lay them – especially the one alongside the drove road.