H 



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ilut the middle of the Hedge is frequently open and 

 wide, and only the iides of them can be kept tolerably 



that mult be by often clipping them. If 

 this, their being frequently laid or broken 



J 



clofe, and 

 we add to 

 down by fnow in the winter, it muft be deemed an 



improper plant for this purpofe.^ 

 The Hex, or evergreen Oak, is alio planted for 

 Hedges, and where thefe are defigned to grow pretty 

 tall ^t is a fit plant for the purpofe ; becaufe it is a 

 plant of large growth, efpecially the fort which is 

 moft comm.on in England ; for there are two forts of 

 them which grow in the fouth of France and Italy, 

 that are of much humbler growth, fo are better adopt- 

 ed to this pui'pofe, efpecially where the Hedge is not 

 intended to be high, but thefe are not at prelcnt com- 

 mon here. When thefe Hedges are planted very 

 young, and kept clofe trained from tlie beginning, 

 they may be very clofe from the ground to the height 

 of twenty feet or more ; but thefe muft always be kept 

 narrower at the top than below, that there may not 

 too much fnow lodge upon them in the winter, which 

 is apt to break and dilplace the branches, whereby 

 the Hedges will be rendered unfightly. 

 There are alfo fome perfons v/ho have planted the 

 Pyracantha, or evergreen Thorn, Juniper, Box, Ce- 

 dar of Virginia, Bay, &c. as alfo the Halimus, or Sea 

 Purfiane, and the Furz, Rofemary, and feveral other 

 plants for Hedges ; but the five forts firft mentioned 

 having very pliant branches, which will require to be 

 fupported, and the three laft being often deftroyed by 

 fcvere froft, renders them unfit for this purpofe ; nor 

 are there othef forts of evergreen plants in the Eng- 

 lifli gardens, which are fo well adapted for Hedges, a 

 thofe before-mentioned, 



The deciduous trees, which are ufually planted to form 



Hedges In gardens, are the following forts. 



The Hornbeam is much efteemed for this purpofe, 



efpecially in fuch places where they are not required 



V to be very high, or not wanted to grow very fafl j for 



'3 this plant, while young, doth not make fo great pro- 



- grefs as many others j but as it is of flower growth, the 



'.' Hedges'may be kept neat with lefs trouble than moft 



'.;,* other plants will require ; and the branches naturally 



growing very clofe, they will make one of the clofeft 



of all the deciduous trees ; but as the 



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• ^ 



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♦ ■ 



>*^ 



Hedges 



leaves of this tree continue upon the branches ail the 

 winter, and until the buds in the fpring force them 

 off, they liave a bad appearance during the winter 

 liealbfl^::; 





• ' 



■■-. 



^The Beech is alfo a very proper tree for this purpofe, 

 , having the fame good qualities as the Hornbeam ; 

 . but the leaves of this continue late in winter upon 

 the branche's, when they will have a bad appearance ; 

 befides, the litter which is occafioned bv their leaves 

 gradually falling" rribft part of the Vv'inter, prevents 

 the garden, from being made, clean a great .while 

 '; longer than if ^ there are none of thefe trees planted. ■ 

 '"The fmall-leaved Englifti Elm, is alfo a proper tree 

 for tall Hedges j if thefe are planted young, and kept 

 clofely clipped from their firft fetting out, the Hedges 

 may be trained up to the height of thirty or forty feet, 

 and be very clofe and thick the whole height.: .. But 

 . when thefe trees are planted for this purpofe, they 

 , Ihould not be crowded fo clofe together as they ufually 

 ■ ^re by moft people ; ty which methotJ, when the 

 jrees have ftood fome years, if they have thriven well, 

 their ftems will approach fo near each other," as that 

 tew branches can be maintained below, whereby the 

 bottom of the Hedge will be naked ; therefore they 

 Jnould not be planted clofer too-ether than feven or 

 eight feet, or if they are ten feet it will be ftill better. 

 And although at this diftance they will not form a clofe 

 Hedge fo foon as when the trees are planted clofer to- 

 gether, yet they will in a few years recompenfe for 

 that, by their growing much clofer and better from 

 the ground upward. 



The Dutch Elm was formerly in great efteem for 

 ' Hedges, being quick of growth, and thriving in fuch 

 foils as the' Englifti Elm would not grow -, but the 

 ' ^"^retched appearance which thefe Hedges made, after 



** 



never u\- 



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they had been growing a few years, very juRlv orca^ 

 fioncd their being aluioft univerfaily routed out of 

 gardens, for a more abominable plant was 

 traduced into gardens than this. 

 The Lime-tree hath alio been recommended for 

 Hedges, and in fome of the old gardens there wuo 

 many planted with this tree, which, for a few vear^ 

 after planting, made a tolerable appearance, cfpeciallv 

 when they grow upon a moift foil ; but after they h*ad 

 ftood fome years,' they grew very thin at bottom', and 

 by being fheered at the top, they were rendered very 

 ftubby and unfightly, their leaves growing very thinly 

 upon the branches, and thefe frequently turning of a 

 black difagreeable colour, and falling off very foon in 

 the autumn, and fometimes in the fummer in dry fea- 

 fons, has brought thefe trees fo much into difrepute, 

 as that few perfons make ufc of them at prefent for 

 this purpofe : nor fliould any of the very Itrong 

 fliooting trees be applied to this ufe; for the more 

 they are cut, the ftronger they will fhoot, and of courfe 

 will appear very unftghtly ; befides, the often cutting 

 of thefe Hedges occafions great trouble and cxpence, 

 and frequent litters in garden.^. 



The Alder is frequently planted for Hedges, and 

 where the foil is moift, there is not any of the decidu- 

 ous trees equal to it for this purpofe ; for the leaves 

 are of a lively green, continuing ixefti till late in the 

 autumn ; and when they decay, their litter is foon 

 over, for they all drop in a fliort time. 

 There are, befides the trees before-mentioned, many 

 of the flowering fhrubs which have been planted to 

 form Hedges ; fuch as Rofes, Honeyfuckles, Sweet- 

 briar, &c. but thefe make a bad appearance, be- 

 ing more difficult to train ; and if they are cut to 

 keep them within compafs, their flowers, which 

 are their greateft beauty, will be entirely deftroyed. 

 But as thefe are but of low growth, tney are not 

 proper to plant where the Hedges are to be of any 

 height. 



Although I have given thefe full direftions for plant- 

 ing and ordering of thefe Hedges for the pleafure-gar- 

 den, yet I am far from recommending them as orna- 

 mental or ufeful. But as there are numbers of perfons 

 who may differ from me jn their opinion, and therefore 

 might think it a deficiency in my book, had I not 

 given thele inftrudlions ^ to avoid their reproach, I 

 have inferted as much as I think will be necelTary for 

 the obtaining thefe Hedges wherever they are delired, 

 and at a lefs expence than the late'method of planting 

 thern hath been generally attended jwith ; 'where it 

 is not uncommon to fee four times the^puniber of 

 trees planted in thefe Hedges'as would nave teen ne- 

 cefTary, or that can i-emain K)ng clofe together with 

 any beauty. But moft people wnd plant, are in too 

 great a hurry to have their garden filled 5 and there- 



tore frequently plant fo clofe, as that in three or fouf 

 years '(if their trees thrive) three-fourths of them 

 will require to be taken away again^ to malce room 

 for thofe which are left to grow ; and tKereareT'not 

 wanting perfons, who are ready enough to encourage 

 this pradice, fince their own intereft is thereby pro- 

 moted. - , - , . 



3 - , _ 



The tafte in gardening having been greatly altered of 

 late years for the better, thefe clipped Hedges have 

 been almoft excluded ; and it is to be hoped, that a , 

 little time will entirely tanifli them out of the Englifh 

 gardens, as it has already been done by the fhorn Ever- 

 greens, which, a few years fince, were efteemed the 

 e;rcateft beauties of gardens. The latter w,as intro- 

 duced by the Dutch gardeners, and that of tall 

 Hedges with treillage-work, was in imitation of the 

 French gardens J in fome of which, the expence of 

 the iron treillage, to fupport the trees which com- 

 pofe their cabinets, pavillions, bowers, porticoes, and 

 other pieces of rural architefture, amounted to a very 

 great fum. I have bceil informed this work, in one 

 garden, has coft above twenty thoufand crowns ; and 

 this only to train up trees in the diftorted fhape of pi- 

 lafters, niches, cornices, pediments, &c. when at the 



fame time, thefe can no longer retain the forms in- 



6 O ■ . tcMed," 



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