We used to have a willow fedge on the farm, which was quite useful. They make good windbreaks, are sustainable and don’t take a lot of skill – just some thought and a bit of hard work.
I hadn’t thought of the word “fedge” for several years but it came back to me this week. So did “pressure graft”. It means the bits of branch pushing against each other an eventually joining up.
I’m not sure we need a new word to describe them fence or hedge would do the job without being mashed together in a new word.
When we went to Harlow Carr we saw a development we hadn’t seen before – a woven dogwood fence. Or hedge. Actually, I suppose there is a use for fedge now I think about it – it does save the effort of making a decision over use of the word hedge or fence.
Dogwood Fedge at Harlow Carr
It’s an interesting decorative border, I’ll take more photos as the year moves on. They willow ones get quite leafy – I’m intrigued to see how the dogwood version does.
Dogwood Fedge at Harlow Carr – rhubarb forcing pots in the background
Maybe I should try something like that with our Forsythia. Unfortunately, ours are a few in a small space and not quite so tightly planted, but it does look interesting.
I’m not sure if it is bendy enough, though I did once plant an accidental forsythia when I used a sawn off trunk as a garden marker.
The word fedge is a new one for me. I bet the dogwood one will be quite interesting at bloom time. I do hope you take some photos!
I will do my best to get photos through the year.
I like the look of this fedge and look forward to seeing its progress through the year.
I’ll do my best to report regularly.
🙂
🙂
I’m always pondering what to do to edge my front garden. Willie would be a no-no, being right next to the house, but dogwood might be okay. I’ll see how the one in the back garden progresses and then have a further think.
Fedge is a good word. I know you can have a living hedge but they aren’t normally woven, are they?
In gardens they are usually just left to grow. In fields they need help, not quite weaving, but close.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hedgelaying
I’ve seen that type of woven hedge in the country park next to our house. Not sure if it’s living.
Fedge is good. We have willow ones around here
They are useful things. 🙂
In Burgos in Spain I came across this avenue of trees which used the same principle to join them up…
https://anotherbagmoretravel.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/img_4902.jpg
Looks good – it must take some patience to do it with trees.
This is interesting. I know about weaving willow, but this is more like a border. And I wonder how they grow? I’ll look for further posts.
I suppose it must work because it’s done by the RHS. We will have to see.
Never heard the term before. They are striking looking and I bet even more so when in leaf.
We will see. 🙂