Topping off
Fill top is domed so the centre height above the top course is one-third of the width of the hedge top.
Extra turf may be taken from foot of hedge, or nearby scrub, 150mm (6") thick, and placed securely on hedge top. The turf is beaten down to consolidate, and is covered with soil leaving a 150mm (6") strip of grass each side.
Some hedgers place the turf grass-side down to stop the grass drying out. This is also done if thorns or trees are planted on the hedge top.
In repairing gaps, nearby thorn growth is layered across gap before turf is put on.
Planting
If the top of the hedge is planted with hawthorn and/or blackthorn, the plants are 30/40cm (12"/16") tall, transplanted 1+1 or pot-grown, and planted 400mm (16") apart in one row through the turf in winter, then pruned to 200mm (8"). Plants of native origin and local provenance are used if available.
Clearing up
To encourage wildlife in rural hedges, small pieces of turf the size of a golf ball are rammed into crevices every third row upwards and the same distance apart along the length of the new work.
Remaining fill and soil is levelled off and the site left tidy.