How to create a dead hedge

 Dead hedge created by Claire, The Garden Editor to define the sinuous shape of a new woodland planting.

Just a few months later and the new planting is settling in beautifully. 

Dead Hedges can be used as a windbreak or for creating gardens within gardens, as well as disguising unsightly areas such as a bin store or composting area. All the while, using up all your old pruning and providing a home and food to Insects, birds and small mammals.

Mark out your two parallel outlines approx. 30-50 cm apart on the ground using an old bag of flour (cheap and biodegradable). Try to avoid dog-legs when adding curves.  You can just brush away any areas that aren’t curving smoothly until you get it right.

The uprights should be spaced alternately in the two rows rather than directly opposite each other. The hedge will always end up wider than the parallel lines you have marked out so make it a bit narrower than you want the final hedge to be.

Use upright poles that are approx. 5-8 cm diameter at the top. The thinner end should be sharpened for driving into the ground. For our purposes the maximum height when sunk into the ground should be no more than 60-70cm from the soil surface. Any taller and the weight could cause the hedge to collapse.

When placing your uprights in the curved areas, put them closer together than you would when creating a straight line. This is to enable you to secure the bent filler material in place and avoid it looking jagged and clumsy.

Use your largest material at the base of the in-fill and work up to the finer textured material at the top. It is imperative that all in-fill branches are laid in the same direction and gradually built up in overlapping layers.

When you have completed each layer, weave in any shoots and side branches that are sticking out. These will then be held in place by the next layer etc. If any side shoots won’t weave in, they should be cut off and used in the next layer.

Finally, drill a few horizontal holes into the uprights facing west in the most sheltered areas. This will give valuable nesting holes for solitary bees.

You can refill the dead hedge each year, with your waste woody material on top, as the previous year’s material starts to rot down.

Note: Ensure all the arisings used in your dead hedge are safe for livestock.  Never use, Laurel, Ligustrum (Privet) or Yew etc when creating a dead hedge that could be accessed by grazing animals. Plants with thick shiny leaves like Laurel, Camellia and Rhododendron etc. do not rot down well and are not suitable.