I can understand the intent; man buys chainsaw and wants to clear overgrown hedge to open up a beautiful view across the Levels. Would have been a beautiful hedge to lay. I have their permission to show these pictures as a “What not to do”! As it is I did my best with it to make a decent hedge.
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This included root laying some fairly awkward hawthorns. This is where a tree does not have a healthy front face that can be laid. The answer is to dig down with a mattock and sever any roots on the unlaid side of the tree and choose a decent fat remaining root to bend the whole tree over on. Not the most fun job but where a tree absolutely has to fill a gap sometimes this is the only way!
The resulting hedge was a North Somerset/Devon hybrid but should fill up nicely even after the previous chainsaw massacre! Hedge looks better from below but will thicken up nicely and… what a view!
There’s the view