Why using coppiced hazel for pea supports creates beauty, structure and skipping the plastic netting
Eleanor Ashford
As we begin the growing season, there is a decision many gardeners face: how to support our peas as they reach skyward, racing toward the sun.
Though plastic netting is often the go-to option, I find it lacks both visual charm and environmental sensitivity. Happily, there is an alternative that offers both aesthetic delight and sustainability: coppiced hazel. Allow me to share why choosing these traditionally crafted supports can transform both your garden's health and its beauty.
The Art of Coppicing: A Historical Perspective
Our journey begins with an age-old practice known as coppicing. This traditional woodland management technique involves periodically cutting back trees to ground level to promote vigorous regrowth. In the UK, hazel has long been favoured for this purpose; its flexible, straight poles grow anew every few years, providing a renewable resource that is as versatile as it is vital. By embracing coppicing, not only do we support an ancient craft, but we also encourage robust ecosystems. The coppiced woodlands become havens for wildlife, offering shelter and sustenance to a diversity of flora and fauna.
The advantage of using coppiced hazel lies not only in sustainability but also in cultural reverence. Pulling out a hazel rod feels akin to touching history itself, as if Great Aunt Beatrice who always had the best roses, is right there beside you, nodding in approval. These poles embody centuries of wisdom passed down, offering a connection to the past while nurturing our future.
Beauty in Nature: Rustic Charm in Every Bend
When woven gently into your garden, hazel supports create a natural harmony with the landscape. Their rustic look weaves tales of their own, whispering of woodland walks and country vistas. Their presence is commanding yet understated, inviting admiration without arrogance. With each passing year, as the hazel ages gracefully, its hues soften, mimicking the gentle patina of an antique sideboard passed down through generations.
In practical terms, building structures using hazel is a form of garden artistry. Like sculptors, we wield these pliant rods, creating organic shapes that conform to no blueprint other than nature's. The outcome is always a little different, an opportunity for personal expression that plastic simply cannot compete with. After all, who can resist the allure of a bean row arc or a tepee paraíso? These living sculptures evolve with the seasons, establishing a dynamic visual conversation in your outdoor sanctum.
Supportive Structures: Robust Frameworks for Bumper Crops
Fruitfulness in the garden often hinges on having the right supports. Fortunately, hazel excels here as well. The poles, strong yet flexible, are ideally suited for bearing the weight of burgeoning pea tendrils. Unlike the ubiquitous plastic netting, hazel offers a robust frame capable of weathering our capricious British climate from rain-soaked footpaths to sun-baked solstices.
In crafting your supports, each hazel pole should be gently nudged into the earth, forming inviting frames for peas eager to climb. You'll find a meditative pleasure in this task, each snug finish bringing satisfaction akin to the last crumpet in a cream tea. As the peas grow, the structure will stand resilient, requiring little intervention except an appreciative word of encouragement here and there. In taking this approach, you'll nurture a healthier crop, free from the inadvertent snags and tears that plastic can cause.
A Commitment to Sustainability: Reducing Plastic Dependence
The movement towards sustainable gardening encompasses a range of practices, from composting to water conservation. Reducing plastic usage is an essential part of this ethos. By opting for hazel, we avoid introducing unnecessary plastic into our gardens and, ultimately, the environment.
Consider this decision part of a larger dialogue in which you participate, a conversation with the planet herself. Each time you choose a natural material over synthetic, you declare your allegiance to a more temperate symbiosis, one in which resources are carefully considered and returned to the earth with respect. It's a pledge that says, "I see you, Earth, and I value the integrity of your gifts."
Mindful Gardening: Moments of Contemplation
Incorporating hazel into your garden practice is, I find, an invitation to greater mindfulness. As you position each pole, there is a gentle rhythm of thoughtfulness, allowing space for quiet observation. You may hear the rustle of a wren in the hedge, or catch the fleeting animation of a bee on its pollen chase. These moments are cues to extend our roots deeper into the soil of our own awareness, cultivating presence alongside our peas.
Stroll through your garden as daylight relinquishes its hold, noticing how the hazel structures catch the evening's last flares. Allow yourself a small, contented sigh; such is the reward for fostering a garden that pays homage to beauty and sustainability.
Encouraging Biodiversity: A Welcoming Habit
Of course, our benefits extend to the wildlife we entertain within our borders. By choosing coppiced hazel, we create not only functional supports but also habitats. Insects find refuge in the natural grooves of the wood; birds may perch upon them in between their seed and insect forays. Hedgehogs, those delightful nocturnal nomads, appreciate the bugs among the bases of our supports as they trundle through on their evening rounds.
For those of us who cherish the idea of a garden that's alive in every sense, hazel works its magic quietly, offering the wilder denizens a foothold in our carefully curated worlds. It's all part of the dance, one where each participant, human, plant, and wildlife, finds a place in the rhythm of garden life.
Conclusion: A Legacy of Thoughtfulness
As we conclude this delightful narrative, let us remember that each choice made in our gardens has echoes far beyond our gate. By embracing coppiced hazel for our pea supports, we embark upon a pathway marked by tradition, beauty, and sustainability. We become allies to nature, curators of our landscapes, and reverent students of gardening's ancient rhythms.
In essence, what we cultivate in our gardens is not merely greenery but a tapestry woven with intention and respect. As other gardeners wander by, pausing to admire the play of sunlight on hazel frames adorned with climbing pea shoots, may they find inspiration to favour nature’s gifts. These little acts of stewardship might well be among the most significant seeds we plant.
Though plastic netting is often the go-to option, I find it lacks both visual charm and environmental sensitivity. Happily, there is an alternative that offers both aesthetic delight and sustainability: coppiced hazel. Allow me to share why choosing these traditionally crafted supports can transform both your garden's health and its beauty.
The Art of Coppicing: A Historical Perspective
Our journey begins with an age-old practice known as coppicing. This traditional woodland management technique involves periodically cutting back trees to ground level to promote vigorous regrowth. In the UK, hazel has long been favoured for this purpose; its flexible, straight poles grow anew every few years, providing a renewable resource that is as versatile as it is vital. By embracing coppicing, not only do we support an ancient craft, but we also encourage robust ecosystems. The coppiced woodlands become havens for wildlife, offering shelter and sustenance to a diversity of flora and fauna.
The advantage of using coppiced hazel lies not only in sustainability but also in cultural reverence. Pulling out a hazel rod feels akin to touching history itself, as if Great Aunt Beatrice who always had the best roses, is right there beside you, nodding in approval. These poles embody centuries of wisdom passed down, offering a connection to the past while nurturing our future.
Beauty in Nature: Rustic Charm in Every Bend
When woven gently into your garden, hazel supports create a natural harmony with the landscape. Their rustic look weaves tales of their own, whispering of woodland walks and country vistas. Their presence is commanding yet understated, inviting admiration without arrogance. With each passing year, as the hazel ages gracefully, its hues soften, mimicking the gentle patina of an antique sideboard passed down through generations.
In practical terms, building structures using hazel is a form of garden artistry. Like sculptors, we wield these pliant rods, creating organic shapes that conform to no blueprint other than nature's. The outcome is always a little different, an opportunity for personal expression that plastic simply cannot compete with. After all, who can resist the allure of a bean row arc or a tepee paraíso? These living sculptures evolve with the seasons, establishing a dynamic visual conversation in your outdoor sanctum.
Supportive Structures: Robust Frameworks for Bumper Crops
Fruitfulness in the garden often hinges on having the right supports. Fortunately, hazel excels here as well. The poles, strong yet flexible, are ideally suited for bearing the weight of burgeoning pea tendrils. Unlike the ubiquitous plastic netting, hazel offers a robust frame capable of weathering our capricious British climate from rain-soaked footpaths to sun-baked solstices.
In crafting your supports, each hazel pole should be gently nudged into the earth, forming inviting frames for peas eager to climb. You'll find a meditative pleasure in this task, each snug finish bringing satisfaction akin to the last crumpet in a cream tea. As the peas grow, the structure will stand resilient, requiring little intervention except an appreciative word of encouragement here and there. In taking this approach, you'll nurture a healthier crop, free from the inadvertent snags and tears that plastic can cause.
A Commitment to Sustainability: Reducing Plastic Dependence
The movement towards sustainable gardening encompasses a range of practices, from composting to water conservation. Reducing plastic usage is an essential part of this ethos. By opting for hazel, we avoid introducing unnecessary plastic into our gardens and, ultimately, the environment.
Consider this decision part of a larger dialogue in which you participate, a conversation with the planet herself. Each time you choose a natural material over synthetic, you declare your allegiance to a more temperate symbiosis, one in which resources are carefully considered and returned to the earth with respect. It's a pledge that says, "I see you, Earth, and I value the integrity of your gifts."
Mindful Gardening: Moments of Contemplation
Incorporating hazel into your garden practice is, I find, an invitation to greater mindfulness. As you position each pole, there is a gentle rhythm of thoughtfulness, allowing space for quiet observation. You may hear the rustle of a wren in the hedge, or catch the fleeting animation of a bee on its pollen chase. These moments are cues to extend our roots deeper into the soil of our own awareness, cultivating presence alongside our peas.
Stroll through your garden as daylight relinquishes its hold, noticing how the hazel structures catch the evening's last flares. Allow yourself a small, contented sigh; such is the reward for fostering a garden that pays homage to beauty and sustainability.
Encouraging Biodiversity: A Welcoming Habit
Of course, our benefits extend to the wildlife we entertain within our borders. By choosing coppiced hazel, we create not only functional supports but also habitats. Insects find refuge in the natural grooves of the wood; birds may perch upon them in between their seed and insect forays. Hedgehogs, those delightful nocturnal nomads, appreciate the bugs among the bases of our supports as they trundle through on their evening rounds.
For those of us who cherish the idea of a garden that's alive in every sense, hazel works its magic quietly, offering the wilder denizens a foothold in our carefully curated worlds. It's all part of the dance, one where each participant, human, plant, and wildlife, finds a place in the rhythm of garden life.
Conclusion: A Legacy of Thoughtfulness
As we conclude this delightful narrative, let us remember that each choice made in our gardens has echoes far beyond our gate. By embracing coppiced hazel for our pea supports, we embark upon a pathway marked by tradition, beauty, and sustainability. We become allies to nature, curators of our landscapes, and reverent students of gardening's ancient rhythms.
In essence, what we cultivate in our gardens is not merely greenery but a tapestry woven with intention and respect. As other gardeners wander by, pausing to admire the play of sunlight on hazel frames adorned with climbing pea shoots, may they find inspiration to favour nature’s gifts. These little acts of stewardship might well be among the most significant seeds we plant.