What can I do to thicken out a hedge which has become very bare at the base?

Traditionally, new hedges would have been allowed to grow fairly tall in most areas of the country, and then laid. This gives a wonderful tight hedge, which can then be allowed to grow on and regularly trimmed. Another alternative, which is quicker and requires less skill, is to coppice. By cutting the plants off just above the ground, you encourage a group of stems in place of each one. Laying the cut tops as a dead hedge gives some short-term cover, and protects the re-growth from browsing.

This is also the perfect time to look at the herb vegetation which has developed at the hedge base. This is often dominated by nettles, and other weedy species, which have been encouraged to flourish by spray drift, or the herbicide treatment that was needed to aid establishment.  Spray these out and sow a cocksfoot based mix to give good nesting cover for the future.