Words from the Hedge: A Hedgelayer's View of the Countryside

Words from the Hedge is a passionate evocation of the history, beauty and importance of our hedgerows by a craftsman who has been laying hedges for almost three decades and has the scars to prove it.

Hedges are as old as civilisation and as emblematic of the British countryside as chalk streams, hay meadows and oak trees. But unlike woodland and rivers, farmland hedges remain on the periphery of the public consciousness, often going unnoticed and almost always underappreciated. Wielding his pen as deftly he does a billhook, professional hedgelayer Richard Negus takes us on a journey that reveals these ribbons of thorn and barb are so much more than mere decoration or boundary markers. They are essential for much-needed wildlife recovery. If we don’t get our hedges right, there is little hope for species like the almost-extinct turtledove.

And yet, no hedge is truly 'wild'; each one is a testament to generations of human skill and labour, requiring ongoing maintenance to survive and thrive. But there is a problem: we need more hedgelayers, and this is something Negus is trying to solve.

Introducing a lively band of fellow countrymen and countrywomen along the way, Negus explores everything from the practical complexities of modern farming and land ownership to the challenges faced by conservationists. Written with vigour and humour, as well as rare insight and honesty, Words from the Hedge is a timely exploration of how we can use hedges to make the British countryside a place where nature has a home.

1145892286
Words from the Hedge: A Hedgelayer's View of the Countryside

Words from the Hedge is a passionate evocation of the history, beauty and importance of our hedgerows by a craftsman who has been laying hedges for almost three decades and has the scars to prove it.

Hedges are as old as civilisation and as emblematic of the British countryside as chalk streams, hay meadows and oak trees. But unlike woodland and rivers, farmland hedges remain on the periphery of the public consciousness, often going unnoticed and almost always underappreciated. Wielding his pen as deftly he does a billhook, professional hedgelayer Richard Negus takes us on a journey that reveals these ribbons of thorn and barb are so much more than mere decoration or boundary markers. They are essential for much-needed wildlife recovery. If we don’t get our hedges right, there is little hope for species like the almost-extinct turtledove.

And yet, no hedge is truly 'wild'; each one is a testament to generations of human skill and labour, requiring ongoing maintenance to survive and thrive. But there is a problem: we need more hedgelayers, and this is something Negus is trying to solve.

Introducing a lively band of fellow countrymen and countrywomen along the way, Negus explores everything from the practical complexities of modern farming and land ownership to the challenges faced by conservationists. Written with vigour and humour, as well as rare insight and honesty, Words from the Hedge is a timely exploration of how we can use hedges to make the British countryside a place where nature has a home.

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Words from the Hedge: A Hedgelayer's View of the Countryside

Words from the Hedge: A Hedgelayer's View of the Countryside

by Richard Negus
Words from the Hedge: A Hedgelayer's View of the Countryside

Words from the Hedge: A Hedgelayer's View of the Countryside

by Richard Negus

eBook

$15.99 

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Overview

Words from the Hedge is a passionate evocation of the history, beauty and importance of our hedgerows by a craftsman who has been laying hedges for almost three decades and has the scars to prove it.

Hedges are as old as civilisation and as emblematic of the British countryside as chalk streams, hay meadows and oak trees. But unlike woodland and rivers, farmland hedges remain on the periphery of the public consciousness, often going unnoticed and almost always underappreciated. Wielding his pen as deftly he does a billhook, professional hedgelayer Richard Negus takes us on a journey that reveals these ribbons of thorn and barb are so much more than mere decoration or boundary markers. They are essential for much-needed wildlife recovery. If we don’t get our hedges right, there is little hope for species like the almost-extinct turtledove.

And yet, no hedge is truly 'wild'; each one is a testament to generations of human skill and labour, requiring ongoing maintenance to survive and thrive. But there is a problem: we need more hedgelayers, and this is something Negus is trying to solve.

Introducing a lively band of fellow countrymen and countrywomen along the way, Negus explores everything from the practical complexities of modern farming and land ownership to the challenges faced by conservationists. Written with vigour and humour, as well as rare insight and honesty, Words from the Hedge is a timely exploration of how we can use hedges to make the British countryside a place where nature has a home.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781789652048
Publisher: Unbound
Publication date: 05/01/2025
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
File size: 1 MB

About the Author

Richard Negus is a professional hedgelayer and conservationist. His writing champions the people, the wildlife and the landscape of his native Suffolk countryside. He writes for The Telegraph, The Critic, Unherd, The Suffolk Magazine and Country Life and appears each month on BBC Radio Suffolk with his ‘Letter From the Country’. Richard tweets @TrooperSnooks, writes a blog called ‘Words From the Hedge' and co-hosts the CountrySlide podcast.


Richard Negus is a professional hedgelayer and conservationist. His writing champions the people, the wildlife and the landscape of his native Suffolk countryside. He writes for The Telegraph, The Critic, Unherd, The Suffolk Magazine and Country Life and appears each month on BBC Radio Suffolk with his ‘Letter From the Country’. Richard tweets @TrooperSnooks, writes a blog called ‘Words From the Hedge' and co-hosts the CountrySlide podcast.

Table of Contents

Foreword

Prologue

1 Terroir, the country I know

2 Practical Conservationists

3 Plan then Plant

4 Silent Jim

5 Flea Barn

6 Bucolic

7 Deadly Darren

8 Flailing About

9 Enemies?

10 Regrowth

End Piece I: Conservation hedgelaying and how you can do it

End Piece II: Some favoured plants for East Anglian hedge

A Note on Sources

Acknowledgements

Index

Supporters

A Note on the Author

A Note on the Type

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