Valuable hedges

As you leave the forest, you pass the remnants of an old woven hawthorn hedge. Hedges were woven throughout Europe and each region had its own style. The variety of styles is particularly rich. The tradition is still very much alive in England, where most styles have been preserved. The Flemish and French Westhoek know two styles: the "plakhaag" and the "kruishaag." Plakhaags are mainly found around meadows in rural areas, while the kruishaag is more decorative and was woven around graveyards and gardens. Most of these old hedges were last woven in the 1960s.

In the plakhaag, one small trunk remains upright in turn, while the next is bent at an angle of 30° and tied to the upright trunks with willow branches. All the trunks are laid in the same direction and notched at the bottom to stimulate the formation of new shoots.

Hedge weaving was a craft. Not everyone had the necessary skill. In the past, each village had its hedge weaver who traveled from farm to farm in winter to take care of the hedges.

In the meadows, we find common ashes located 4 meters from the boundary. Generation after generation of this family has so far used this method to mark their meadows. This way, you can recognize all their meadows between Reningelst and France.

Agentschap voor Natuur en Bos