What is dead hedging?

Kate
5 days ago
2 min read

You might have noticed something new going on down at the south side of the Great Broad. A dead hedge has just been finished by staff and volunteers and - we hope you agree - it looks fabulous. Finished just in time for Halloween too! 🎃

Check out these before and after images:

above is an image of a footpath with trees and vegetation either side. Below is the same footpath with a dead hedge created to the left of the path from cut branches and logs.

What is a dead hedge?

A dead hedge is a stack of branches and cut wood which is supported into a conventional linear hedge shape by stakes positioned in the ground.. During the autumn and winter, we generate a lot of cut material as we complete our coppicing maintenance work around the Great Broad.

A dead hedge can provide a variety of environmental benefits including:

creating additional habitat for invertebrates and other small wildlife
supporting fungi and lichen which thrive in deadwood areas
using up cuttings in a useful way rather than burning or chipping them
providing a protective barrier from the wind
creating an access barrier to close off a particular area
forming a tactile and beautifully sculptural feature

While our staff and regular volunteers were busy creating this new feature, they certainly had a lot of positive comments about it. from visitors passing by. Thank you for your enthusiasm for our ongoing work here at Whitlingham!

Thanks also to groups from Aviva, John Lewis and the DWP who have generously supported this work during October with their volunteering hours.

How to make your own dead hedge

If you are interested in creating a dead hedge in your own garden space, here is how to do it:

Mark out where you want the dead hedge to be positioned
put stakes firmly in the ground to support the cut material - at a width of your choosing
fill the space between the stakes with your cut branches and foliage - largest pieces at the bottom
keep adding smaller and lighter branches until the structure is filled to the top of the stakes
if you wish, you can weave long, flexible cuttings between the stakes to help hold the contents in place
continue to add more cuttings on top as the hedge naturally compresses and decomposes over time

Did you notice we made our dead hedge into a pattern with cut logs in between thinner, greener sections of cuttings. The contrast offers different habitat options as well as looking striking as you pass by.

Check out other views of our new dead hedge in this gallery: