15th March until 31st July… is the suggested period, to allow the birds a place to make their nests in peace and quiet… etc etc… these areas are a necessity for birds, butterflies, bees, whatever… they need all the help they can get I reckon.
Cette période (mars à fin juillet), comme le rappelle la Ligue Protectrice des Oiseaux LPO, correspond à la saison de nidification chez les oiseaux.
Couper des branches en cette période revient donc à déloger les oiseaux et, par conséquent, à les empêcher de se reproduire. Les haies servent aussi d’habitat aux insectes et aux petits mammifères, comme le muscardin et le hérisson.
Essayons donc d’éviter la taille de nos haies durant cette période.
I’ve tried to explain that to our gardening clients for the last couple of years and have been met with a mixed response, some fully understand and agree whilst others whinge and moan, I have though got one who has told me to blatantly it.
For Farmers and folk in Land Management etc the Law is in place to leave their hedges etc untrimmed etc during that period.
For the ordinary person/gardener, it is an earnest request … although individual Prefets can issue a decree which includes Everyone.
Que dit la loi concernant la réglementation de la taille des haies ?
Les agriculteurs sont invités à tailler les haies en dehors de la période de nidification des oiseaux. En effet, ils ont pour obligation de ranger le taille-haie entre le 1er avril au 31 juillet. Pour les particuliers, il n’y a pas de loi qui empêche la taille des haies. Toutefois, la LPO (Ligue de Protection des Oiseaux) recommande fortement de ne pas élaguer, ni tailler les haies et les arbres dès le 15 mars . Certains arrêtés préfectoraux peuvent néanmoins interdire la taille des haies au niveau local.
Almost at the end of my hacking/trimming/chopping, after a week of pretty full on work in the garden. Amazed at how much material it’s produced! Now the significant effort to chop it up and put all the small stuff through the shredder, which I procured last year after a)wanting to create my own mulch and b)realising how many trailer journeys to the tip I needed to make to get rid of all the material! Think I’ll also have enough kindling for the entire village
It can be challenging at times on the farm, but we have got it down to only one long pyracanthus hedge that runs down the side of the moat, because it has such a good supply of water it has to be cut now and as late on as we can manage and then in December, we have to go with when we have access to a boat for cutting the moat side, vicious jaggy that it is
We’ve a glorious vibernum davidii… which seems to bloom all through the year.
It’s got rather out of hand, but no-one cared … and all the insects profited as and when they had need winter and summer alike.
Now I’ve been asked to trim/tidy it… “but not until the flowers are over” … so I’m on a sticky wicket. There seems not to be a “right time” for this particular specimen… never a non-flowering moment…
Anyway, I plan to do a little trim this week… and then wait until August… but I don’t want to lose too much of the winter 2022/2023 flowering.
It’s wonderful to see bees and butterflies gorging themselves on sunny days all year round.
@tim17 Sadly, there always seem to be some folk who disregard even the most reasonable requests…
I’m wondering if the Prefet which covers your “just hack 'em” type of clients does actaully issue a Decree about this “closed period”.
Might be worth keeping your eyes open. I’m sure you’d like nothing better than to tell the Client you can’t do it as it’s against the Law…
that it is 
