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…
I’m just reviving this posting because it’s coming up to the closed season very soon - 15th March - 31 July. However, I have seen the closed season as 15 March-15 August - so you have a couple of weeks to get your hedges trimmed before the birdies start nesting.
I’ve sent Stuart out to finish ours - we have more than a mile of hedging that needs doing so he’ll be busy for a day or two!
Hope this is on correct thread. In June 2025 I had our fosse pumped out as it was due. 5 months later had flood in laundry room. Plumber came and after 3 hours unblocked a bouchon between house and fosse. He opened fosse however and it was almost full…….after only 5 months. Not normal. Anyway all seemed ok so life went on until last week…..4 months after plumber visit. Then while my daughter was here the downstairs toilet filled up and dirty water came up in shower tray Also the grease trap lid outside had soggy toilet paper coming out. Toilet and shower slowly subsided. I luckily persuaded the vidange people to come out. At first they said first slot was in 10 days time! But the came in 30 mins. No blockage found on house side of fosse. He said it’s perhaps because drainfield is saturated after rain. Pumped it all out and that was than. Our field is not nearly as wet as some years so I have been reading up everything I can on septic tanks. I think it is possibly the drains that go under the land AFTER the fosse that are blocking up. Am calling them back tomorrow to have them checked while fosse has been emptied and there will be access to drainfield. Anyone else had this sort of problem. We have had it once in 26 years, many many years ago but I don’t even know what caused that as that was hubbys side of the ship. Makes me nervous about running any water related appliances now and wonder if there are any theories out there on forum
Tory - that is for the perimeter hedge only - all the way round the property. Then, of course, we have other hedges like laurel and viburnum. The holly, berberis and pyracantha hedging is always left until last and dear hubby always manages to get loads of prickles even though he wears a thick coat and strong gloves. But that’s only part of the job! He then has to put it all through the chipper to make chippings/mulch for the flower beds. Fortunately he can’t do the chipping today (use of garden machinery being forbidden on Sundays etc.) but it’s on his to do list for tomorrow.
None of the above apply, apart from the backing up really. What could be likely solution. Creating a new drainage system after the fosse? This is a whole new field for me…..no pun intended. But I have been on a very steep learning curve since husband died. As you say it is an old system. No idea when it was put in. We are here 26 years. Previous owner 10 running a chambre d’hôte It was already here when they bought it. However as I now understand the mechanics of it all I feel I have a rough idea of what I want checked out now. It is such a vital part of life here isn’t it
It is indeed. Since 2012 it’s more regulated. We have never had a SPANC visit, but we knew we needed a new system as the previous owners didn’t know where the septic tank was. Which meant it could not have been emptied for about 20 years. I finally convinced my partner that “ if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” was not a helpful philosophy, so €13,000 later we had a new system that pumps to a ditch rather than into a drainage field. But, at least we have peace of mind.
Yes unfortunately for me my husband was of the if it ain’t broke school too but it has now come back to bite me on the bum! However will get it sorted although I have an uneasy feeling it is going to cost me a lot of money. In fact I know it is
it will cost, but maybe not that much. We totally replaced our old but functioning fosse a few years ago. The original was a large concrete one that was IMO too close to the house. So we replaced the lot with a new very large soakage area on a restanque below the house. If all you need is the soakage area repiped it may nit be that much. I think our whole installation, new tank and all, cost around 8k.
that it is 
