Make Simple, Beautiful Garden Fences and Trellises - Organic Gardening - MOTHER EARTH NEWS Video Make Simple, Beautiful Garden Fences and Trellises Have fun with sticks — transform them into useful, attractive wattle and wickets for a garden fence or trellis. By Barbara Pleasant Homemade garden trellises provide a perfect place to grow vining plants. The same woven twigs used to make wattle fences can be used to create rings that stabilize and beautify garden towers. Photo courtesy DAVID CAVAGNARO Print Email Whether you call them suckers, water sprouts or stump twigs, chances are you have a pretty low opinion of the long, skinny branches that grow from tree stumps or inhabit ditches and fencerows. But wait — instead of resenting woody whips that insist on regrowing year after year, why not turn them into an asset? Armed with an active imagination and a lopping pruner, you can transform green sticks into pretty trellises, fence panels and plant supports. These simple structures are easy to make, cost practically nothing, and give your garden a handcrafted look.

Indeed, once you get the hang of making things with bent and woven wood, you might find yourself wanting to grow these useful branches on purpose. This is not a new idea. Beginning in the Bronze Age, when knives, saws and hatchets came into use, many Europeans and early residents of the British Isles developed wattle work, the art of weaving branches into walls, fences and roofs. Wattle fences are made by weaving flexible green sapling wood between upright posts, like a wooden tapestry, so they’re both beautiful and strong. They were originally used to contain domestic animals, such as sheep. These days, wattle weaving is a great way to build all kinds of useful rustic garden accents from sustainably harvested wood. Historical Wattle Work English wattle fences were historically made from willow or hazel wood, both of which are flexible by nature. Wattle work still is a viable small industry in rural Great Britain, where underwood trees are cut back near the base (coppiced) every few years to allow a new crop of fresh shoots to emerge.

Lee Zieke Lee of Willowglen Nursery in Decorah, Iowa, grows willows for the sole purpose of coppicing them every fall, then uses the branches she harvests to make baskets and willow towers. “Close spacing helps the branches grow tall and slender, but they get thick and branchy if you let them go too long — which is two years in our area,” she says. Lee grows more than 30 varieties of willow, all of which are well-behaved selections that don’t spread by producing vigorous root buds the way many native species do. “You can work with native willows, but not in your yard. With most native species, it’s better to coppice them in the wild,” she says. Lee gathers her willow branches in the fall and keeps them in her root cellar, tied into bundles, through winter. Small willow branches, or osiers, can be allowed to dry, then rehydrated by soaking them in water to restore pliability. This won’t work with species other than willow, but that’s OK because in most climates, you can cut green branches year-round, as you need them.

While some projects do require willow, which is more pliable and splinter-resistant than other woods, you can still do a lot with branches from random tree species. As I tried my hand at wattle crafts, I used whatever wood was available, which included a little willow and lots of maple, dogwood, oak and other hardwood branches gleaned from my property, as well as from ditches beside public roads. You can use shrub and fruit tree prunings, too. Make Garden Wickets By growing her own willow for coppicing, Lee has a renewable wood source on hand for making a variety of garden accessories. “I love the notion that with a few skills, when you need a little fence or plant supports, you don’t have to go buy anything,” Lee says. She and her husband, Lindsay, bend pliable branches into arches to make garden wickets that protect perennials from foot traffic. “If you leave them in place, they can work as plant supports later in the season,” she says, noting any type of wood can be used for wickets.

Whether you link them together to form an edging or place them over plants, all that’s involved is bending 3-foot-long smooth, green branches into an arch, then sticking the ends in the ground. Indoors, two parallel wickets inserted into a pot can provide great support for floppy houseplants, like “paperwhite” Narcissus. When using wickets as outdoor plant supports, Lee suggests placing two or three of them over a plant in one direction, then crossing them with another set of wickets that arch over the first. Build Wattle Hurdles Functional wattle fence panels, called hurdles, make it easy to section off parts of your yard and garden, plus they’re fun to make. In addition to willow, you can use minimally bendable woods, including oak and maple. You should be able to build a hurdle in a single day, provided you have a source of 30 or so 6-foot-long branches that measure less than 1 inch in diameter at the base ends. I rescued some from a roadside ditch, and now I have a beautiful, handmade 3-by-5-foot hurdle to show for my efforts.

While the art of wattle weaving is generally more detailed than described here, I created a simple, useful hurdle — here’s how it’s done. First prepare five posts that are about 1½ inches in diameter, and 12 inches longer than the anticipated hurdle height. (Crowded saplings taken from the woods work great.) Use a hatchet to sharpen the bases of the posts, then drive them into the ground, 14 inches apart and 12 inches deep. I used a piece of rebar to make guide holes for my posts since I was pounding them into hard clay. You can also make a baseboard for the fence by splitting a long log in half and drilling holes along it for the posts. Collect a number of long, supple branches and weave them in and out of the posts, allowing the ends to protrude. Alternate the weave of each new row by starting it on the opposite side of the post from the last row. Also alternate the base ends of the branches with tip ends, since the thick bases give a tighter weave. After each branch is in place, push it down to the base of the fence. When you are satisfied with the panel, use loppers to trim off the ends.

For extra stability, I wove hemp string through the ends to further tighten the hurdle. When working with sticks, I’ve come to regard hemp string as the duct tape of the craft. If something’s not quite right, you can usually fix it with hemp string, though traditional wattle hurdles are crafted by wrapping the weaving branches around the end posts to secure them. Craft Towers and Trellises Woven wattle hurdles require lots of branches, but you can make a beautiful twig tower for growing any type of vining plant using only a half dozen 6-foot-long sections. For my beginner’s project, I made a tower in a large soil-filled pot. Stick the uprights as far down into the pot as they’ll go, at equal intervals, to hold the tower steady. Next, wire the top ends of the uprights together. I made two “stretcher” hoops to add structure to the inside of the tower. Using pliable branches and wire, I slipped a small hoop inside the top section of the tower, and a larger one near the bottom. The hoops and wires I used to fasten them together (and to the uprights) disappeared as I wove pieces of grapevine into the tower.

I decided the trellis would work better if it had more horizontal structure, so I gathered more grapevines and added a third band of woven branches. A tight wrap with honeysuckle vines made a great finishing touch for the top. The tower proved to be both beautiful and practical. After it supported a spring crop of snow peas, it served as a summer home for ‘Cypressvine’ morning glories. The Lees teach a similar method at their garden workshops, where participants make their own towers. Starting with 12 to 13 8-foot branches for the uprights, they tie the uprights together about 2 feet down from the tops. To give the towers added stability, Lee attaches a wire ring inside the uprights, about 12 inches from the ground. To make the ring, she bends #9 fencing wire into a circle and secures it with duct tape, before attaching the ring to each upright on the tower using short sections of wire. Once it’s in place, you can weave branches and vines into the tower above the ring any way you like.

To secure the finished tower outside, Lee pounds three pieces of 2-to-3-foot-long rebar into the ground, then wires three of the uprights to the metal stakes. Of course, there is no law that a plant tower must be 6 or 8 feet tall. Using the methods described here, you can make one shorter or broader, or even a lean-to tower that can be attached to a wall or fence. Use your imagination! “We humans are really an ingenious lot, but we’ve allowed our culture to dumb us down,” Lee says. Use the Little Sticks If you work with wattle, you’ll quickly accumulate lots of small sticks that you’ve trimmed from the ends of larger ones. I tied a bunch of these together with hemp string to create a roll-up twig mat that I place over my big planting containers to keep out birds and squirrels while the seeds are germinating. Then I tied together more small sticks to make a seed cover — a long, shallow box that I topped with plastic and use to foster strong germination in my salad bed. Use shorter twig tips to make a twig vase.

Just rescue a glass jar from the recycling bin, place three rubber bands around it, and start sticking in twigs around the outside of the jar. Trim off overly long ends with pruning shears, then tie the twigs in place with hemp, jute, ribbon or raffia. Remove the rubber bands, and you’re done! If you want more ideas, keep your eyes open when visiting country stores or antiques shacks. I’ve seen little wall shelf units, picture frames, door handles, wind chimes and even decorative window shutters made out of branches and sticks. If you get really serious, there’s rustic twig furniture to consider, though you’ll be wise to start small, with a simple table. But that’s a subject for another day. Right now, you probably know of a spot or pot that could benefit from a few wickets, a hurdle or a twig tower. The more you play with sticks, the more nifty uses you’re likely to discover. Three Wonderful Willows Want to start a willow patch at your place? By growing new willows from cuttings, you can expect good osier production within three years.

“We don’t recommend starting the cuttings in pots,” says Bobbie Harrison, who grows dozens of willow varieties with her husband, Ron, at Willow Dreams Farm in Edmonton, Ky. “Willows are one of the most potent natural sources of rooting hormones, so you can expect nine out of 10 cuttings to root successfully, if you root them directly in the ground and control weeds for the first year.” Harrison says that you can grow willows in any climate that has at least two months of winter dormancy (roughly Zones 2 to 8). To plant cuttings in the spring, push an 8-inch-long cutting into rich, loose soil so that only an inch or so of the stem is showing. Within a couple of months, roots will grow from the nodes on the stem. These three willow species are suggested to use for coppicing: Golden Willow (Salix alba vitellina): This species includes many varieties with beautiful yellow-orange osiers, and it’s the most cold hardy of willows grown for coppice. Hardy to Zone 4. Purple Willow (S. purpurea): Purple willow can be found in many forms, including named varieties, most of which produce purple osiers.

This is the most popular willow grown for coppice. Hardy to Zone 4. Violet Willow (S. daphnoides): Similar to purple willow, this species grows into a tree rather than a shrub if it’s not coppiced. It is slightly more heat tolerant than purple willow. Hardy to Zone 5. To Learn More Hedges and Hurdles in England - Wikibooks, open books for an open world Hedges and Hurdles in England From Wikibooks, open books for an open world 1.8 Acknowledgements History, Construction, and Maintenance[ edit ] It is an accepted fact by all countryside experts that the older the hedgerow the greater variety of species there are in it. The average number of species in a thirty metre stretch measures the age of a hedgerow. After the initial planting: for every additional shrub species in a hedge you can add a further hundred years. Hedgerows can contain over twenty-five trees and shrubs although not all in the same area of country.

Within this number the most likely present will be: Blackthorn, Cherry plum, Common elm, Elder, Field maple, Hawthorn, Oak, Sycamore, Wayfaring tree, and White beam. In ancient times, Oak was planted during the initial planting - at each corner of a field, as a marker. Spear planting of Hawthorn cuttings generally the favoured basis for most hedge construction – able to be laid later on - although any growth that has thorns proves to be a nuisance. In England, prior and during the Dark Ages, the division of land into fields began when allotments were made to individuals to facilitate strip farming. The Manor and The Bishop The strips were given, or rented out, depending on the status of the individual - and his importance to the lord of the manor. The hierarchy started with the king who owned the land. He gave some to his henchmen and relatives and they in turn gave some to the church for salvation. This passing down the line was to ensure that a standing army was secured; that was fed, armed and ever-ready. The lowest lord or squire, who could be lord of the manor, also paid rent to the landowner.

It was the lord’s job to ensure the land was worked - that the tithes were paid, thereby keeping the whole system working. The lord’s Bailiff and elected Reeve saw to it that it functioned well which it did because it was in everyone’s interest that it did so. After the Black Death the land began to be developed for a slowly increasing population. By this time the monasteries were becoming an economic force making huge sums of money from the production of wool. After the dissolution of the monasteries their land was distributed to the king’s favourites for their support. They in turn sold it to wealthy individuals, farmers, and existing landowners. The lord of the manor who also benefited parcelled out land to freemen, copyholders and prominent citizens. During the hundred years 1750 – 1850, a series of Government Acts allowed the purchase of waste land. This was the period of land enclosure instituted to improve the land through better farming methods. As village folk gained wealth through entrepreneurship and hard work they purchased land from the poor, the destitute, and widows.

As the existing worked land and newly purchased common land was split and fenced off: ditches were dug, hedges planted, and plots re-parcelled, and exchanged - to increase harvests and profitability… it was the start to High Farming, when the production from the land was carefully considered and planned. Dry-stone walls and wooden fences were expensive to build; the latter needing an almost continual management programme to keep it stock proof. A hedge is relatively cheap to plant, easy to make stock proof, and can be harvested... Poor hedges and gaps can easily revitalized, rebuilt and renewed. Today we recognise hedges to be conducive to the maintenance of wildlife flora and fauna. It is also welcoming to visual appreciation, stimulating to the human soul and contributes to the landscape. Animals can make the hedge a home, a corridor to the next field, and a sauce of food and security. Both birds and insects can balance the losses to farms and gardens due to aphids. All hedges have a rich variety of grasses, flowers, orchids and fruits. More action is needed from landowners to regenerate, rebuild, renew and replace hedges to counteract global warming.

In all stages of work, to lay a hedge or construct a hurdle, green timber – unseasoned timber, is used. The terms seasoning and drying are synonymous. When seasoned moisture is drawn from the cells the wood shrinks. The moisture content of timber should correspond to the humidity of its surroundings when used. Green timber is less strong than seasoned timber but is easier to cut, split, bend and spring. Tudor House Construction The newest hedgerows contain hawthorn because of its easy planting, rapid growth and dense low crown. It will stand any amount of lopping and trimming forming a dense interlacing network of twigs which make the hedge almost impenetrable. The trunk is often fluted and of minimum circumference giving little timber for a fair size of tree; thrives best on limy dry loam but will grow on most soils. It is wind-firm, frost hardy and bears a considerable degree of shade. It is long-lived and the wood is tough, strong and durable in the open. Hazel coppice working has almost died out although there is a revival for spar making for thatch makers.

====A list of common hedge trees and shrubs==== 'Hawthorn': goes by the name of May, Whitethorn and Quick thorn and is regarded as the best of all hedging. It belongs to the Rosaceae family, which includes apple, plum, pear and cherry. There are two types Oxyacantha, which has two flower styles and monogyna Jacq. with spikier twigs. They are both so similar as to be described as one. 'Hazel': Corylus Avellana L. of the family Betulaceae, the same family as birch, hornbeam, and alder; also known as Filbert, Cobnut, and Nutwood. As coppiced hazel is the most frequent type of under-wood, the shoots are straight, elastic and flexible, and the wood is frost-hardy. Its gear feature is that it is easily split which makes it ideal for wattle, laths, hurdles, hoops, crates and hedge stakes. 'Willow': Salix, Salicaceae, closely related to poplars. Much used for wattle hurdles and stakes. Cultivated mostly by cuttings.

When used as stakes if carefully driven will take root and make a living fence. 'Elder': Sambucus niga L. Family includes honeysuckle and the wayfaring tree… Also known as elderberry. Produces a quick hedge and assumes a bush like form. Cultivated like the willow by cuttings. 'Sweet Chestnut': Castanea sativa Mill. Fagaceae. All know as Edible Chestnut. A Hardwood which coppices easy on a rotation of 80 – 100 years… more profitable still on a rotation of 7 – 14. The stools cut any times without impairing vigour. The coppices shoots are valuable for split-pale fencing and hop poles. It is similar to oak – used to construct ancient buildings although its downfall is that it splits easily, although slightly lighter in weight and weaker in strength. Timber Sizes[ edit ] For square cut or split square, uncut or trimmed, with or without bark (white or brown) the order is: 'Square' Post = 30cm – 10cm (squared diameter), Stake: 15cm – 5cm (squared diameter).

'Round': Pole or Pale = 30cm – 10cm. Stave, or Staff = 15cm – 5cm dia. Rod or Wattle = 5cm – 3cm dia. Stick = 4cm – 2cm dia. Wand, Twig or Switch = 3cm – 1cm dia. Sizes are for guidance only Hedge Maintenance[ edit ] It is essential to maintain form, denseness and to fill all gaps; it was during the fifties that the planting and maintenance of hedgerows declined. Fields were linked together to form a more economic size for modern machinery. When these hedges were grubbed up field edges, ponds, ditches, and small corners were included in the new squatted shape. Fields became boggy, footpaths were lost, chemical run-offs occurred and the fine soil clogged what ditches were left. What benefit was felt by animal and man from the windbreaks were lost too. It was forgotten that hedges provide a windbreak twenty-times its height downwind. Although the countryside became more productive for cereals the wildlife, diversity of plant life and the characteristic landscape suffered.

Now there is at last a realization that a more reasonable approach should be made and farmers and land managers given the latitude and grants to replace and rectify past mistakes. Planting mature cuttings of about 50cm dia planted by artificial regeneration using the spear or slit and heel planting process will provide new and infill hedging. Hawthorn trees for hedging are raised from cuttings should, when planted, be secured against rabbits by a plastic tube. Planting is carried out in the open, if possible, between the middle of November and the middle of April. As a rule, broad-leaf trees in the autumn and conifers in the spring. It is obviously best if the area to be planted is cleared of weeds but this is not essential. However, any climbers should be removed. A new hedge does not require laying. It is more common to plant alternately in rows 50cm apart, 50cm between plants. If you believe that in the future your hedge will be laid do not plant Hawthorn, Blackthorn, Quick-thorn, Holly, Cotoneaster and Quince, for the thorns will prove to be a menace to cut and pick-up.

Better to plant: Chestnut, Beech, Hornbeam, Bush willow, Elder and Robina. This selection will be easily managed, productive and offer an equally good environment for wild life. However, a mixed hedge will always give a greater variety of flowers, foliage, food and habitat. Traditionally Oaks were planted at the corner of each field to indicate ownership and extent… The Layered Hedge[ edit ] The aim is to produce a hedge which is approximately 120cm in height by 70cm wide, stock-proof and dense. It may have mature trees growing out of it to give character and variety, but these should be planted close together but to act as shelter and shade, variety and food. Thought must always be given to the eventual growth, suitability of soil, position and whether the hedge has to be immediately stock-proof. 'The Survey': As with all building or farming matters, a survey of the lie of the land is essential. So too, an assessment of ‘the potential of the site’ for growing crops or stock. The access for machinery to till the soil and to cut the hedge as well as to cart away cuttings and crops is paramount.

Once the survey has been completed that you have come to the conclusion that the job can be done the site needs to be cleared by mowing, flailing or cutting. It’s quite useless to stand in a bed of nettles, be attacked by the tendrils of blackberry, or to almost reach the centre of the hedge. It is a guide that you should be able to just reach the other side of the hedge to be. If that cannot be done you may have to partially lay the hedge backhanded - which doubles the amount of work. Mow up to the hedge on both sides, if possible. Flail or cut to give yourself room to move - to get into the hedge… but do not drastically trim for this only delays recovery. This mainly refers to hedges which have been allowed to almost disintegrate, and form massive clumps of tangled undergrowth - with too many trees. A hedge which has been properly laid shows (written for a right handed person)the selected stems partially cut through on the right hand side, fairly close to the ground - to about 30cm.

Work starts on laying the hedge at the left hand field corner – or to the right of the gate, working anti-clockwise round the field from the front, or face, of the hedge. The front of the hedge is the outside face – the outside of the field to be worked, this generally applies to all hedges, walls and fences. This weakening of the stem by partially cutting through allows the stem to be bent. The plant is forced over to the left – to assume an angle, which is suitable for regrowth, and will fill the hedge. The cut should take account of the thickness of the stem. Do not cut right through, or just leave the bark… that is quite useless. The object is to allow the plant to be bent over whilst still maintaining plant life – a quantity of tissue directly under the phloem or bast, which is just under the bark. Beneath this is another layer of plant cells called cambium where the new growth originates to feed the plant. Food for growth travels up and down these cells. Two types of cell: one enlarging, and the other dividing, form new tree tissues; the roots absorb water containing mineral salts, which are conducted up the trunk by capillary action to the leaves.

The leaves take in from the air carbon dioxide. This chemical together with water manufactures starches and sugars. Photons of light on the leaves part reflected, some transmitted, others absorbed, split water into its constituent parts. This act on the chemical chlorophyll by photosynthesis converts carbon dioxide and water into sugars which gives energy… this food is drawn down the phloem – the cells beneath the bark. The cut or cleft is made with a chain saw, hedge cutter or small broad-headed axe or billhook. Naturally if using the latter you will be better able to trim, slash, and cut lesser branches and undergrowth. Some homemade hooks, bills and axes have a cast hammerhead in the design others have a crook which is handy to drag branches towards you. Trim the shape of the hedge as you go paying attention to the form of the base, cutting close to the ground all the brambles and briars to form crowns. Haul away any dead wood and rubbish to burn later. The hedge may offer some of its own stems or stakes to give support and substance whilst you build. These will have been noticed any allotted in the original survey.

Some hazel or chestnut coppice stools will give you your stakes and the elder and willow will supply the bonding ties to link the stakes together - at the top. Do not on any account use plastic or wire in any of the tie jobs. The central stakes are inserted to give form and strength; the hedge layer will need a number of pointed stakes of at least 150cm long by 20 – 10cm in circumference. For good effect these should be placed along the centre of the hedge at 40 – 50cm intervals. Where the hedge is already dense or the ground too rocky or woody these stakes can be omitted. However, if these stakes are not placed into the hedge the strength giving binding at the top – the interweaving willow laid in-and-out of the stakes, cannot be rove, nor the laterals be woven into the structure quite so well. A well shaped hedge shows a tapering towards the top which gives the hedge strength. The hedge is to act a wind and snow break as well as to act as a shockproof barrier. The taped shape offers space for saplings to grow into trees which is beneficial for wildlife and provides good cover in its dense branches.

This is the ideal shape and one which allow for added growth - prompted by light, as the lower buds begin to develop and grow… in addition, when further pruning takes place on an annual basis the shape is maintained. Hurdles[ edit ] Other than the more permanent structure of a wall or hedge, to create a boundary that is both shockproof and windproof is the fence. There are a number of different fence designs some more costly than others. However, they all do the same task. Fences are more labour intensive to maintain but are cheaper than a more substantial wall. Within the list of fence types comes the 'hurdle' Larch lap fencing is similar in design. Traditionally hurdles were 100cn high built as a transportable sheep pen. A method used thousands of years ago. Like all traditional crafts they are all closely allied. Hurdles were made the restrain livestock. Wattle was always a part of the house builder’s portfolio to make frame infills, and simple rustic furniture. All the tools used to cut, split, and shape the wood… and then later, to secure the joints, are all similar. Today hurdle making is a woven form of fencing now adopted for rustic garden landscaping.

In times past the construction of a hurdle would have been in the forest glade with all the materials to hand. It would have been a 'trade' that a man would be concentrating on just this particular form of fencing. He would devise his tools and methods to suit the material and form. He may well have chosen his wood felled it and prepared it or even grown it. The hurdle-maker in the past would adapt some of his wood for other tasks like pegs, spars, sticks, wattle, pea-sticks, brooms etc. He may have worked on his own or as one of a team. Constructing a Hurdle[ edit ] 1. Hazel is cut all the year round except mid-April to Mid-June - when the sap is rising. The cut hazel is then sorted and stacked for partial seasoning. When half dried the hurdle maker cuts, splits, and separates his stock - to form the poles, stakes, and rods. 2.

The hurdle maker would weave his hurdles on a sail which is nine 130cm (traditional hurdles were only 100cm high) uprights slotted into a curved line of holes (the first and last upright poles extend below the block by 30cm), 20cm apart, made in a heavy block of timber 240cm by 30 x 15 (hurdle block). The first and last uprights are stouter (15cm) brown poles to give strength whilst the other seven are split stakes. The slight curve in the set of holes, enable the hurdle - when drying out, to tighten up… This tightening up straightens the hurdle as it further seasons. The block and uprights are called the hurdle maker’s sail. 3. He would first weave onto the sails a series of layers of slender brown rods (brown indicates that the bark is left on) bending and twisting to break some of the fibres, round the first and last pole (15cm thick) – to double back the weave to start the next layer. The first half dozen and last two layers are made of whole slender rods. The final two double twisted for extra strength.

These control how ridged the structure will be, so it’s vital that they are tight and fast. The bending and twisting occurs for all courses in that construction of a hurdle. 4. The previously made split rods are pushed or knocked down the sails, with the splits all facing the same way; down onto the first brown rods resting on the block, with a special knocking down tool. All layers are bent and twisted to 360 degrees round the first and last uprights – the white split face would all be facing the same way. 5. Levering the made-up hurdle out of its block it is set aside to further season and tighten up. When setting up the hurdle the exposed 15cm of each upright stake is pushed or knocked into the ground to support the fence and the first and last stake secured to a post to make the fence permanent. Suitability of a hurdle for the job[ edit ] The size of the hurdle has been considered on how well the fence fits into the landscape. It maybe, to act as a screen, backdrop, or to act as a feature. You will have to consider the action the wind is going to have and the amount of maintenance you are prepared to make.

It s not normal practice to use nails, wire, or to tether the structure. In times past hurdles were not considered permanent features but as transportable stock proof, windproof, pens which the shepherd could easily guard or sort the ewes and lambs. The appearance should compliment the position you have chosen – to compliment your garden. The uniqueness of a hurdle is its rusticity and its natural finish. That did not come into the equation for past craftsmen because their work centred upon practicalities and cost rather than on aesthetics. If you are thinking long-term you may consider putting in factory prepared stakes, posts, or poles set at regular and standard intervals. This is essential in you have to inset a new fence at a later date. A factory fence post will be durable after preservation treatment by dipping. Setting the posts in by back-filling with hardcore will ensure a well drained post and ridged structure. Remember that hurdles have a front and a back. The front in this case, brown – with the bark still on. If the structure is to be a permanent one you may think about putting in stakes immediately into the ground and then interweaving the brown rods without twisting or bending.

Building a shaped top weather rail and pole caps will improve the life of the work. If you are not able to provide your own wood and you have to ‘buy in’, depending upon whether you wish to have a certain type of prepared rod, split or whole, your costs are going to be more than a conventional fence. What is written here is describing the way things were done in the past and as they had been evolved through the ages they represent the knowledge of experience. The object is to build something which is going to last and not blow down at the first puff of wind. If you use poor material or insert wood which is already rotten you will have to reintroduce a new piece at some later date and that usually occurs at some inconvenient moment. The fence needs to be substantial and tightly interwoven. As indicated, hurdles were not considered permanent fixtures. Their construction was rough and ready able to stand upto throwing on the back of a cart or carried from one spot to another. The shepherd carted his hurdles which were thrown up, stacked, and roughly tied together - to form a circular pen. Any fence over 120cm will have to stand a considerable amount of wind force for it will act like a sail – put enormous pressure on the posts.

It is obviously better to make the hurdles where they are going to be used. The Structure of Timber[ edit ] All plants are composed of cells of different shape (some conduct sap, others form bulk, the third stores food). This space maybe empty, contain liquid or be crystalline. The cells of wood are cemented together. It is the type and distribution of the cells, which define the quality, and behaviour of the particular species of timber. Timbers, which are ‘hard’, have small cell cavities with thick walls. New tissues are formed by specialist cells dividing, into two halves, one half enlarging the other dividing. Food is obtained first from the roots – which takes in by absorption water and dissolved mineral salts. The minerals suspended in water are taken up the tree by perforated tube-shaped conduction cells called tracheae, or pores, to the leaves. The leaves take in carbon dioxide from the air which together with the dissolved salts suspended in water from the roots manufactures starch… The plant turns starch into sugar by the use of an enzyme, and sugar by light - acting on the chlorophyll, the green starch matter, by photosynthesis.

The food is transported in solution to all the growing tissues within the tree by pits in the cell walls. These radial rows of cells, called phloem or bast, lie immediately beneath the bark... forming new cell walls parallel to the axis of the stem. Cells cut off furthest from the outside enlarge and thicken ultimately to form the wood. Growth rings occur at the end of each growing season – recognised by cell fibre and walls. Rays are parenchyma, food storage cells – cells that running across the grain. When first formed the wood cells are thin-walled all similar in shape containing protoplasm. They quickly modify – the cell walls thicken and harden by depositing lignin. When this modification is complete the protoplasm dies. When cutting the cleft in the wood - to bend over at right angles - to lay the hedge ,it is most important not to completely sever or destroy the phloem or cambium on the opposite side... which will still carry the food to the leaves. Acknowledgements[ edit ] Tudor House Construction, English country furniture and Field and Forest Crafts are so closely integrated that they both share related publications. Kept close to hand has been The Building Conservation Directory published by Cathedral Communications Limited.

Individual specialist publications, from the Weald and Downland Museum and British Timbers by Boulton and Jay, published by Adam and Charles Black, 1946. The English Gardening School by Rosemary Alexander & Anthony du Gard Pasley, published by Michael Joseph Ltd., 1987. Tales of the Old Woodlanders by Valerie Porter, published by David & Charles, 1994. Home woven fencing - Land - Country Smallholding Email this article to a friend To send a link to this page you must be logged in. Wattle hurdles are a traditional means of providing temporary pens or fencing for sheep. They’re usually woven using small diameter rods of hazel or willow, the native species that can be most readily split and twisted. Wattle itself is as old as woodmanship – it was used 6,000 years ago in Neolithic Britain to construct trackways across marshy ground, and during the Iron Age to construct the walls of dwelling huts. It was the management of large numbers of sheep during the Middle Ages that gave rise to the classic wattle hurdle, light enough for a shepherd to carry several at a time on his shoulder.

These were used for folding sheep (strip grazing), dipping, shearing and penning for routine husbandry tasks. At lambing time, they offered more protection from the elements than gate-style hurdles made from widely spaced sections of timber and, of course, they could be made from small wood that was of limited use for other purposes. The production of young timber rods suitable for wattle was a cornerstone of the woodland coppice industry for a long period of our history, but rapid change during the 20th century saw coppicing and wattle hurdles decline to the point of extinction. Only in recent years has this damaging trend been reversed, as interest in sustainable resources and traditional crafts has revived. In parallel has developed an increasing recognition of the wildlife value of coppice management in woodlands, where the harvest of regrowth on a regular cycle promotes biodiversity, while new markets have developed for wattle panels as garden fencing, screening and decorative structures. As I started to lay the hedges around our field boundaries, the surplus that I cut out contained a fair amount of hazel and willow rods that were on the small side for firewood, and far more than could be used as pea and bean supports in the garden.

No smallholder likes to waste anything, so the thought arose that perhaps I could use this material to make wattle hurdles – not for the garden either, but for use with our own sheep flock. After all, the modern galvanised metal hurdle is expensive, ugly, and offers no protection against the weather to lambs outdoors. I decided to have a go. The library had a string of books on country or woodland crafts, but none with enough practical detail to make a wattle hurdle from scratch. There were no courses available at local colleges either. Eventually, I spoke to a young hurdle maker demonstrating his craft at a show, and he put me in touch with his own tutor. As a result of that personal contact, I spent a cold winter’s day in a moorland coppice under his tuition. The craft had been handed down to this man by his father and grandfather. There are many local variations, as you would expect, but he showed me his way of making a wattle sheep hurdle. For my benefit, as a complete beginner, he arrived with a hurdle already started on his mould or base board.

The picking up the base of the hurdle is tricky, so he had already woven to the point where the more straightforward middle binding began (see glossary later). We selected and cut rods from the coppice, trimmed and sorted them, split some but left others round, and began raising the hurdle, weaving rods in and out of the zales or uprights. Of course, I found that there was far more to it than had first appeared. Twisting the rods around the end zales without splitting wasn’t easy, but somehow I progressed to the top binding, the intricate pattern of the top weave which ties everything securely into place, leaving no loose ends. After trimming off and removing the completed hurdle from the mould, the light was fading and there was no time left for me to start another hurdle so that I could learn the vital picking up stage. My tutor suggested that I used twilley rods instead, making a tight weave of two round rods, both twisted around the end zales and then worked back into the subsequent weave for strength. This would allow me to practice and improve the necessary skills on the rest of the hurdle, and I could learn the picking up weave later on.

Back home, I scribbled out a few pages of notes on what I’d learned for future reference, especially the step-by-step method of the top binding. Then, while hedge laying that winter, I sorted out the waste wood into bean poles, pea sticks, thumbsticks, firewood, hurdle rods and zales. Only the brash went onto a bonfire (and in times past, even this would have been bundled into faggots for fuel). By the time my hedge laying work finished in the early spring, an impressive array of hurdle-making material had built up. I made a mould from an old railway sleeper that, being heavy, wouldn’t require any pegging down. I had no need for this to be moved, as the raw materials could easily be carried to it, conveniently situated by my workshop doorway. I bored two end holes of 7/8 inch diameter spaced 5’ 10” apart (for a 6’ hurdle), then marked out and drilled seven more holes equally spaced along a gentle curve so that the centre hole was off-set by about 3” from a straight line drawn between the two end holes.

This offset puts a slight curve into the finished hurdle, which is supposed to flatten and tighten up as it dries out. Suitably equipped with a sharp billhook, I set to work on my first hurdle, knocking the zales into the mould, starting the weave with a row of twilley rods as my tutor had suggested, and then raising the weave steadily upwards. Looking at my rough notes and the original hurdle, I managed to complete the top binding to give an overall height of 3’. After trimming off all projecting ends, the finished hurdle was prised free from the mould. It had taken several hours of hard work to make, my hands were sore, but I could hardly wait to start another! In the fullness of time, I found that my stack of hazel and willow rods were transformed into seven hurdles. This was fewer than I had originally expected but there had been a fair amount of wastage, no doubt resulting from my inexperience at selecting, splitting and using rods. The seventh hurdle took me around four hours to make from start to finish.

My tutor had suggested that four a day was a reasonable output for an experienced hurdlemaker working with material of good quality, so for the amateur working with hedgerow material, a time of perhaps three hours each should be attainable with practice. Obviously, I learned a great deal from these early efforts, perhaps the most significant being the difference between coppice wood and hedgerow thinnings. Hazel grown in the coppice is relatively long and straight, with few side shoots or knots. It splits sweetly along the centreline, with little tendency to run out, while the fibres readily separate for twisting without breakage, even in a beginner’s hands after a little practice. In contrast, the wood from my own hedgerows was more difficult to work. The rods were shorter, often far from straight, with side shoots and knots. It was more difficult to split, needed careful control to avoid run out and was more brittle when twisted, often breaking in my inexperienced hands. But then, few of us have access to high quality coppice wood, whereas hedgerow growth is widely available, just waiting to be used. Generally, I found it better to use hedgerow wood in the round, only splitting the larger diameter pieces.

This made a heavier hurdle, but perhaps a stronger one with an attractive rustic finish. The weight wasn’t an important factor for me because the hurdles wouldn’t need to be carried far on the smallholding. I also learned the importance of using sharp tools. A correctly sharpened billhook cuts cleanly through the rods with little effort – the weight and balance enable the tool to be used all day without fatigue. A blunt edge, too light or heavy, or the wrong shape of blade, all require more effort from the user and tire you out faster. The shoulders of the blade should be well back from the cutting edge, to give a shallow cutting angle. The edge should be honed to razor sharpness with a fine whetstone. A sharp billhook is only safe when correctly used – always cut away from yourself, and when it’s not in your hand, place it carefully and safely. I finished my seven hurdles in time for spring lambing, and they were put to good use, penning different groups of sheep around the yard or as temporary gates across an open-fronted barn. The sheep seemed to like them, often settling down behind one in preference to a steel alternative, and they definitely preferred them for scratching against!

For my part, there was the satisfaction of putting to good use a product made with my own hands from material grown on the smallholding. Later that year, in our local library van, I came across a newly published book on woodland crafts in a different class altogether to those I’d read before. The author is a coppice enthusiast who describes the whole range of possible products from coppice wood with clarity and from personal experience. Traditional Woodland Crafts contains all the information to make a hurdle from start to finish, including the special pattern of weaving for picking up the base that my own tutor hadn’t had time to teach me. I soon obtained my own copy to guide me through my next efforts and I thoroughly recommend this book to anyone wishing to try their hand. Since those first efforts, I’ve enjoyed making wattle hurdles whenever hedge laying has yielded suitable rods of hazel or willow for the purpose. I’ve also established some willow coppice to harvest on a regular cycle, so that my supply of material is steadily increasing. I’ve given hurdles to friends, bartered with others, and although I’ve never set out to sell any, some determined customers have nevertheless sought me out to snap up any spare output.

Lasting quality Purists could argue that a proper hurdle should employ the special pattern of weaving at top and bottom. Of course, they’d be right – these traditional patterns evolved over a long period of time to give a sheep hurdle the durability to withstand constant use throughout a hard working life. I now make my own hurdles using the traditional patterns, but I started with twilley rods and found that it worked well enough for the lighter duties of our smallholding. Hazel or willow hurdles have a relatively short life span anyway, and even though mine are stored under cover when not in use, they soon deteriorate, and I break them up as kindling for the fire after six or seven years. Outside in the weather, their lifespan will be shorter. For that first attempt at hurdle making, twilley rods simplify the process and allow you to start and practice the necessary skills. Serviceable sheep hurdles or garden panels can be made in this way until the traditional picking up and top binding patterns are introduced as experience grows. These patterns are too complex to describe here, but detailed instructions are contained in the book I’ve recommended. Laying in weavers A few basic rules apply to laying in weavers.

The butt end is laid in first, always with the riven face to the front of the hurdle. A new rod is started on the same side of the zale as the previous weaver finishes – never the other side. The rod is always bent around the zale, which is best supported with one hand while the weaver is flexed around it with the other. Aim to keep the zales straight, and the weave level and even. Hurdlemakers use their hands, feet, knees and wooden mallet to knock the weave down tightly as work proceeds. Every third or fourth row, a weaver should be twisted around the end zale to tie everything firmly in place. Twisting without splitting is a skill which takes time to master. Press the weaver against the end zale and rotate the free end to work the rod to and fro until its fibres begin to separate at the point of flexure against the zale. Then keep turning the rod in one direction as you twist it around the zale so that the fibres continue to separate ahead of the twist. Conclusion Learning to make wattle hurdles has brought a new dimension to my enjoyment of smallholding.

I love the holistic cycle of harvesting from hedgerow or coppice, riving and weaving into a strong and lightweight panel with many uses, and finally, fuelling the household fire just as the regrowth of rods becomes ready for harvest all over again. There is a sense of continuity with past generations as you acquire traditional skills, practising and safeguarding them for the future. Wattle hurdles are sustainable, recyclable, efficient, pleasing to look at and use, and cost nothing except time to make. If you have hedgerow or coppice on your own smallholding, or access to suitable material nearby, I hope this article has inspired you to try your hand. Next month, we’ll take a look at some practical applications for wattle weaving in buildings on the smallholding. References Making Hurdles | Woodlands.co.uk Making Hurdles ~ by river The reason I made the hurdles at first was to hide an unsightly rubbish tip. I decided they’d look a lot nicer than a garden-style fence. The wood I used was hazel as it’s easy to bend around the uprights. Length is determined by the area to be hidden and available wood. Fairly straight lengths are needed for the uprights, less so for the weaving.

I put the uprights in the earth and hammered them home with a mallet. The lower ends were pointed to make the going easier! They’re about 2 feet apart, the number used varies with the length I need to cover. The weave sticks were around half an inch in diameter. Most reached from end to end, but here and there two lengths were used. Once complete they were cut to size using croppers. In the hurdles I’ve done so far I’ve not run a length of wood along the top of the uprights. I suspect this might make the structure rather stronger. I can’t do this at the bottom though as they’re buried to give the required rigidity. When I hid the tip behind the hurdle there were small trees in the way, some of which I used as uprights for the hurdle, giving a somewhat “rustic” appearance to the finished product! After the rubbish tip, I moved on to making screens for the toilet. Uprights about 7 feet tall were used to give the degree of privacy required for the users. As time has gone on I feel the hurdles are better, they now look rather neater.

They’re too transparent for the loo enclosure for my liking, so I’ve used rot-proof black material inside the enclosure, so it looks natural from the outside but is private inside. I only needed gloves, a saw, croppers, and a length of rope to bind all the thin stuff I’d gathered to make it easier to haul it back to the working area. Thus far I think I’ve only done four hurdles. Getting the wood is time-consuming. Anyone got any suggestions for speeding up this part of the process? Wattle Fence • Nifty Homestead Wattle Fence Post by keiren • Last Updated: June 18, 2016 Affiliate Policy : Posts may contain links to outside vendors that pay us a commission when you purchase from them, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting our site! Wattle is woven wood fencing. Hurdles are woven wattle fencing panels. Historically moveable hurdles were employed for pasture and livestock rotation. We have been wattle making (wattling) since Neolithic times. How To Weave A Wattle Fence The upright stakes are sometimes called “sales” and the saplings called ‘weavers’.

Hazel, willow, sweet chestnut, plum, forsythia or any supple, long, straight, slender saplings make good weavers. Newly cut, green wood is best and easiest. Willow is an exception as it can be soaked to become more supple. Use thin, long branches -or- larger saplings that are cut down the center (cleft) as ‘weavers’. (See video below on how to cleft a sapling.) The saplings you choose should be long enough to weave around at least three stakes (preferably more) for stability. The weavers are woven around the ‘sales’ like basketry. The simplest weave would be to weave each row of saplings alternating around the stakes, the next row is woven on the opposite side of the stake from the sapling below it. Each sapling row should be firmly pressed down. Hard wood is a good choice for the sales. Beware if you use willow as stakes as your fence just might take root and come alive, it will turn out strong, but you would need to trim it each year.

Wattle work is still a viable small industry in the UK, each company maintains a sustainable coppiced woodland to harvest weavers or withies. If you do not have access to woodland, you can order willow cuttings (withies) online Wattle Fences Around The World A charming loose weave wattle fence in Vermont. By Katrinka, Six foot high cleft (split) hazel fence with gate and archway leading through an existing hornbeam hedge. The gate is pine with hazel infill. The cut side of the hazel wood is facing the viewer. burwashwonderwood.com Wattle fence and gate integrated into a stone wall, Stara Planina, Bulgaria. nashdom-bg.com Wattle arch of hazel. Hazel is the most common wood used for wattling in Europe. naturalfencing.com Wattle fence and gate at an 18th century house in New Hampshire. Constructed using an old hand tree saw, bill hook and knives only–just as they would have been done hundreds of years ago. Many more photos: anhistoricallady.blogspot.com A continuous weave wattle fence with an oak framed gate that contains a hazel weave infill.

The hazel rods have been split with the grain as opposed to sawn, thus retaining its inherent strength and therefore creating a denser fence. Video below on how to cleft a sapling. By Tim Radford. burwashwonderwood.com Rustic wattle fence by Dan Holmes, UK. Stevens the Hurdle Maker. Located in rural Hampshire, UK. The cleft, or split side of the wood is facing us, bark side faces interior of yard. wattlehurdles.com According to Mick, “a well made hurdle should have uprights 9 inches apart. The top 6 – 8 inches should be made from whole rods of a small diameter, and the remainder, from split rods. It is very important that at least 3 rods per foot go round the end post and back into the hurdle. There should be no nails!” micksticks.co.uk Wattle fence with windows by Mick, UK. A fence built on site will last much longer than a premade hurdle. Unless the hurdles are movable and brought inside for the winter months. micksticks.co.uk Wattle fence around a camp. Perfect! Photo by Lynn Spitz.

flickr.com Wattle fence at Walnot’s Farm, Sussex Weald, UK. Wattle fence of hazel wood on Walnut’s Farm, East Sussex, UK. walnutsfarm.co.uk Wattle hurdles on top of brick wall. Stevens The Hurdle Maker offers Wattle Hurdles, Continuous Weave, Stakes and Binders, River Faggots, Rose Arches, Pea Sticks, Spar Gads, Sweet Chestnut Posts and Rails and welcomes any special enquiry you may have. Hampshire, UK. wattlehurdles.com Hazel framed hazel hurdles by Natural Fencing, UK. 6ft x 6ft, £68.00. naturalfencing.com Wattle fence at an 18th century house in New Hampshire. Constructed of saplings from property. Wattle fencing was very popular in the early days of colonial America. Many more photos: anhistoricallady.blogspot.com Wattle fence at an 18th century house in New Hampshire. Constructed using an old hand tree saw, bill hook and knives only. Many more photos: anhistoricallady.blogspot.com Wattle fence hurdles connected by 4×6 posts.

Continuous weave wattle fence (bark side facing us) by Green Man Woodcraft. greenmanwoodcrafts.co.uk Wattle fencing at the Weald and Downland Museum, West Dean, UK. wealddown.co.uk Image: theoldwashhouse.info A short continuous weave wattle fence containing medieval style windows. By Tim Radford. burwashwonderwood.com Wattle hurdles in Brooklyn, N.Y. support blackberries and rambling roses. Cleft wattle screen with roof (protecting bee skeps) at the Weald and Downland Museum. wealddown.co.uk A wattle fence at Sanok-Skansen outdoor museum in Poland. wikipedia.org Colony of Avalon, Ferryland, Newfoundland. Looks sturdy enough for goats and cows. Vicky Taylorhood. flickr.com Wattle Fence made from saplings and branches collected from the wooded area of owner’s yard. Woven like a basket between 4 foot re-barb driven 1 foot into the ground. By Cliff Gilliam. Continuous weave wattle fence, herringbone design with wood shake top. Maramures, Romania. Image by Myra Lea.

flickr.com An open trellis in the panel gives privacy with a feeling of openness. By Simon Fowler. peaktraditionalfencing.co.uk Copyright: Gdaiva. flickr.com Attach wattle to a pre-existing rail fence. ‘Another idea’ – weave saplings into a chain link fence painted brown. Jason DoubleGrande. flickr.com Wattle fence has ancient origins in Africa as well. A reconstruction of the traditional King’s palace at Nyanza, Rwanda. en.m.wikipedia.org Wattle Fence in the 1400’s. Les Tres Riches Heures du Duc de Berry. Hazel & Willow Hurdle Fencing: 50+ Hurdles from �34.99 (190) Traditional Hazel and Willow Hurdles fencing Hazel and Willow hurdles are perhaps the oldest form of fencing in Britain, dating back as far as Neolithic times 5000 years ago. Robust, beautiful and eco-friendly, they are not only ideal for the traditional English Country Garden, but also provide gardeners in the 21st Century with the opportunity to create a unique, natural look for modern urban spaces. What is the difference between Willow and Hazel?

The main difference is the size of branches or 'wands' used. Willow hurdles are woven from younger and therefore thinner branches – the horizontals are up to 1 cm in diameter. Hazel horizontals are larger, appearing more like 'branches' of a tree, generally from 1 to 2cm thick giving a more sturdy and less delicate feel to your fencing. - Is the wood sustainable? Sizes: All hurdles are 6ft wide (1.83cm), with up to 5 heights: 3ft, 4ft, 4ft 6, 5ft and 6ft. They can be cut easily to reduce the height by cutting the verticals and removing unrequired horizontals. Width can be reduced by carefully cutting to ensure that the horizontals don't become unwoven. Alternatively, overlap adjacent hurdles to reduce width. PLEASE NOTE: This is a natural product and there will be variations from hurdle to hurdle and cane to cane. We cannot guarantee each roll or cane are identical as colour, width and length will vary. Delivery Information Standard delivery time 3-5 days - call if you need your order delivered sooner. Delivery £4.99 per order to most UK destinations.

Willow & Hazel Hurdles Woven hazel hurdles and willow hurdles are perfect for anyone wanting practical, natural looking garden fence panels. These hurdles require minimal maintenance and will look great for years to come. The way in which the branches have been woven means that air diffuses through the hurdle fencing instead of just being blocked. This makes the fence panels ideal for exposed areas, where other fences may be blown over in strong winds. A Range of Attractive Styles There are many different styles of natural fencing that may suit your garden. Willow hurdles can be created either by using a standard weave or by grouping the branches into a bunched weave which creates an attractive alternative pattern. The hazel hurdles can be made either by using whole branches or by using split branches for a contemporary finish. The branches in all of these hurdles are coppiced and their sources are therefore sustainable. Garden Screening An alternative natural fencing idea is outdoor screening . Unlike freestanding hurdles, screening is fixed to pre-existing fences for decoration and privacy. It can be made from a greater variety of materials as it doesnï¿½t need to have the strength to stand up on its own. So as well as willow screening , you can also get bamboo , brushwood and artificial .

Framed Hurdles You can adjust most of our hurdles to fit perfectly in your garden - if theyï¿½re too tall you can easily cut them down to size. For a more polished, modern look you can also choose framed hurdles , which have the same handwoven materials inside but a robust outer edge. Save Money When Buying in Bulk! If youï¿½re buying 5 or more panels then you can take advantage of our bulk buying discount. The discount per panel increases with the number of panels purchased so if youï¿½re buying in large quantities you can make huge savings!

Question: Traditional wattle hurdles were made from the wood of which tree?
Answer: HAZEL