I have a 'thing' about hedges and bemoaned the fact that when we moved here twenty-five years ago, the field margins were very bare. Many years ago hedgerows had been grubbed out to make larger arable fields, and roadside verges continued to be 'scalped' every winter.
Since then, I'm very happy to say our lovely local farmers have replanted miles of mixed hedging which have matured well. My latest gripe is that they often severely trim them into neat box-shapes with almost more bald stem than top. I sent a plea to them through our local magazine to allow more top-growth and especially to cultivate some full-grown trees from saplings within the hedges. We shall see if that happens.
Meanwhile, since the farmer who owns the fields opposite stopped his radical scalping, the verge has sprouted field maples and several prolific-fruiting crab-apple trees, what's more he has agreed to allow them to grow. Yippee! So not only will we look out on beautiful apple-blossom in the spring but I get to pick the fruit for crab-apple jelly in the autumn too.
