THE Ancient Britons planted hedges to keep their cattle in, but we plant hedges to keep them out. Thick and thorny plantings were sometimes part of the defence system of an Iron Age hill fort. Later on, hedges were used to define boundaries—not only to keep animals from trampling on their crops, but also to show where ownership begins and ends. They turn up in the Domesday Book and, a little later, were used to create deer parks, which were designed in such a way that, by careful hedging and ditching, deer could get in, but never get out again. And the Enclosure Acts were statements of ownership by the landlords and of dispossession for the peasantry. The history of hedges has much to answer for.
Agricultural hedges are always planted of one type, usually hawthorn or quickthorn. Countryside experts—the sort who live in Hampstead —tell us that you can discover the age of a hedge by counting how many different species you can find in a 30-yard stretch. Every species equals 100 years. But the formula is a load of humbug: birds bring other species much more quickly than that. First to arrive are elder and ivy. Then brambles, dog roses, ash, holly and sycamore join the party, certainly within 10 years of planting, probably within five. Keeping a hedge such as yew or beech immaculately clean and smooth is hard work: the task of maintenance begins as soon as you have planted it. And it never ends.
この記事は Country Life UK の February 21, 2024 版に掲載されています。
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この記事は Country Life UK の February 21, 2024 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
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