Preparing and laying grounders
A trench, the width of the hedge base, is dug out to subsoil, or to 200mm (8") below ground level whichever is greater.
Excavated turf and topsoil are piled separately from subsoil for use in topping the hedge.

Grounders (foundation stones) are seated into the trench bed with their biggest and lumpiest side downward. No stone or fill packing is inserted under grounders before laying. Grounders (foundation stones) are seated into the trench bed with their biggest and lumpiest side downward. No stone or fill packing is inserted under grounders before laying. Grounders are set in to the correct angle, interlocking with each other. For the typical 1.3m (4ft 3in) hedge, this is the angle of Cornish shovel blade to haft, and proportionally less for lower hedges, more for higher hedges.

At least half the fill between the grounders is free of stones exceeding 25mm (1"). This is rammed hard around each grounder in layers not more than 100mm (4"), well consolidated, with the stonier part of the fill being put to the middle and well rammed.

Grounders may only be laid on edge as shiners if the width and depth are each more than one-quarter of the height of the stone. Shiners are at least 150mm (6") thick at the top. No shiner should be laid alongside another, but with ordinary grounders between.
For new hedges, a stone culvert not exceeding 150mm diameter is built through the hedge at each low spot.

Batter
The batter is built in an inwards (concave) curve. At one-quarter of the hedge height, the hedge width is three-quarters of the base width. The inward curve continues up to not higher than three-quarters of hedge height, the batter getting less with each row so at this height the hedge is one-half of the base width. Thereafter the face of the hedge is vertical, or outwards by one-tenth of the top hedge width, to the top.

Filler Row
As few stones as possible are used to even up gaps between tops of grounders. Fillers are laid with longest side into the hedge, slanting in at the same angle as the grounders, and levelling up the row of grounders horizontally along the hedge, ready for the next row.
Fill is well rammed around back of each stone before filling to top of each row in layers not more than 100mm (4"), well consolidated.