Pleaching
Trees and shrubs have been pleached in England since the fourteenth century. They are used to create rooms in the garden and in the summer they provide shady walk-ways.
Pleaching means overhead work as the trees or shrubs are trained effectively into plants on stilts. They look quite remarkable.
Pleached trees make an good wind-filter and give an unusual feel to your garden. They can be used as hedging in a small garden - limes and hornbeams are the two best small trees to use.
This photo was taken at Hidcote Manor Gardens.
It shows pleached hornbeams that look like a delightful clipped hedge yet on stilts.
Box can be used in a variety of sizes and shapes - to find out more go to Box and has been used in English Gardens since the sixteenth century.
Another common tree that can be worked with is a Hawthorn. It grows as a shrub or a tree in England.
Its thorny stems make it an ideal boundary hedge. For more ideas and pictures about English Gardens check out
Inspiring gardens
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