Image Of A Green Planet

Today we got out to discretely and gently trim our ancient hedges back a touch. We thought we had better do this because bits have been sticking out into the track and scratching vehicles that come up to us and the neighbours.

If we was to just let it go until the time when wild hedges should be trimmed (January, February), others may well start urging for them to be slashed back, thus destroying all the available food hanging within them.

Anyhow we finally thought about it long enough and purchased a multi purpose hedge trimmer and strimmer. Although we held out for as long as we could, we thought it was one of those things that was truly needed. If I can make it last for as long as the old strimmer that died the beginning of the season, then energy used in the production of this one will be justified.

My old strimmer lasted 20 years, which is pretty good going, especially as it has been used very well over the years on many jobs, so it was not as if it has been an idle thing reposing in a shed.

The hedge trimmer attachment worked well, cutting cleanly through hedge bits. Hardly any berries got cut out of the hedge growth, so there is still plenty there for wildlife.

What did we do with the trimmings? Everything was gathered up and has been composted. Even though some was woody, a specialised heap for these kind of prunings can dispose of this material if handled properly. The end result is a carbon rich compost.