Refreshing our willow? hedge

Hi all, first post.

We have this hedge in our back garden. It's about 20 years old. I think it's mainly made up of willow, which would align with other trees and hedges nearby.

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It's lovely in summer - although needs a few haircuts through the season - but in winter, it's mainly 'trunk' .. the main growth seems to start so high, that it's not providing much cover.




I was thinking about coppicing every 2nd or 3rd plant in the hedgerow sometime this month with the hope that it would grow back through the year. Then continue this over following years, so we retain a bit of cover.

Does this make sense? Love to hear others' thoughts.

 

Willow should take hard pruning alright. Sounds like a plan to me, coppice a third of the plants each year.
As willow roots easily from cuttings gaps will be easily filled.

 

Over the years I've made a few living willow structures in the garden. They do get leggy, but it's easily fixed.

I don't know if this is true of all willows so please double check before you listen to me, but the willow I have does absolutely fine even if you cut it right down to just a few inches off the ground. You can do that with every second or third stem, on a yearly rotation so year one, do one lot, year two, the ones next to the ones you cut in year one, etc.

On one of my structures I also planted wild honeysuckle. It happily climbs the willow and the willow doesn't seem to be too impeded. The result is it stays green pretty much all year.

Willow roots very, very easily. You literally just poke the sticks into the ground. But in my experience they are less successful at the foot of an established willow structure. I suspect this is due to competition from the already well established ones. Maybe this can be mitigated with a good feed and plenty of water?

Another option, which is a bit time consuming, and one that I've had mixed results with is this. In early spring, just as new buds are developing, you can take a Stanley knife and cut a deep notch just above a bud you want to develop. The science is it stops the flow of a hormone that blocks growth. The tree wants it's foliage as high as possible. Good top growth means woody bare stems. By cutting a deep notch above a bud, you're effectively blocking the signal that says 'no need for you to grow, we have enough foliage further up'. Like I said, I've had mixed results from this technique. Sometimes it works, other times it's looked like it's going to, then after a few inches of growth, it just sort of stops

 

Hi, I'm probably wrong but the last couple of photos look a bit like Ash to me. I think I can see opposite buds. Sorry if I'm wrong.

Blackstart

 

I am not sure either. What would help identifying? I don’t have a great summer photo but this is one I have

 

Summer photo doesn't look like willow.

Close up picture of the leaves, when they appear. At the moment a close up picture of the buds especially at the end of a shoot. Ash has large brown buds at the end of the shoots.

 

In the first winter picture there looks like some willow right hand end, the orange shoots.
The rest I wouldn't guess at from the pictures.
Although looking again it might just be how the sun is catching it.

 

Would probably lend itself to laying:
NHLS