“we will be repaid in wildlife come the autumn”
Lawyer Andrew Jackson explains why we are all legally obliged – “as a general rule” – to stop cutting hedges & shrubbery from today until 31st August https://t.co/te46DW77eC
— Ella McSweeney (@ellamcsweeney) March 1, 2021
…even if the law is widely flouted and poorly enforced: people – including domestic gardeners, landscaping companies, universities, etc. – should not as a general rule be out cutting hedges, trees or shrubbery in the period 1 March to 31 August.
If we respect this closed period this year, our gardens and public areas will be beautifully unkempt by the end of August and we will be repaid in wildlife come the autumn.
It’s worth considering this: even if domestic gardeners, campuses, landscapers etc. were explicitly exempted from these laws (which they are not), what should a gardener do? Cut during the breeding and nesting season or respect the closed period for no reason other than that it is the right thing to do for wildlife?
My guess is that most people sense instinctively that the closed period should be respected.
FIGHT!
Closed Season: lay down your trimmers and step away from the hedge (Green News)
Pic: Alamy
But I like a nice tidy bush, so does my wife
You, and your Missus, like a freshly mowed lawn.. leave the hedge alone..