1 66 



ikisii c;Aki)i:.\iNG 



NOVKMHKR 



toik imisi appo.ir lo form part o( tlio ailji'inini; nuUs, 

 i^iviny iiuiood llio iinpii'ssion that llic foiiiiilatioi) 

 of the wliolo lookory is one ina>s of roik willi 

 woalluTod portions oxposoil as in a mountain siJc. 

 Tlio stonos tisoil will bo host roiif^^li from tlu" qiiari \ , ami 

 should ho Inuiod at toast oni'-thin! of thoir dopth. and 

 niailo quito firm by wi-ll prossinij tho suiromiilinij soil. 

 In plaoinij thorn thov sliouKI bo sliijhtly slopod towards 

 tho baok of the rookeiy so as to ooinpol llu- watoi to 

 percolate underneath the stone. 



The necessity of usin;^ j^^ootl but not rich soil is 

 insisted upon by the author. The majority of .Alpines 

 demand .i cool, deep, liijht and .ijritty soil, rich in humus, 

 such as a jfooil. liijhl fibrous loam. A cl.iy soil is to be 

 avoided. I'ollowini^ these chapters on the makiiijc of 

 the rockery are two oliicrs, one on the cultivation of 

 Alpines and the other on the methods of plantini;^. 

 The subjects of wall g.inlviiini;; and wiki and water 

 gardens have also each a chapter. Part II. of the book 

 is entirely devoted to an invaluable alphabetical and 

 descriptive list of plants suitable for the rock g^arden. 

 The work is well illustrated (a specimen of one of the 

 illustrations is here reproduced), is clearly printed in 

 large type and attractively " got up." Mr. F. W. .Moore 

 of the Royal Hotanic Gardens, Glasnevin, contributes 

 an introduction. We sincerely congratulate Mr. 

 Meredith on the results of his labours, and from the 

 already wide choice of books on rock gardens we have 

 no hesitation in specially recommending this particular 

 one to the readers of Irish GAKnicNiNc;. 



The Planting and Care of 

 Hedges 



By G. O. SHiiRRARi), A.R. C.S.I. 



THK planting season for all kinds of deciduous 

 trees and shrubs is now at hand, and in laying 

 out schemes of planting, hedges should not be 

 forgotten. The Irish countryside is sadly lacking in 

 well-grown and properly trinnned hedges, which are 

 such a feature in English rural scenery, and now that 

 the Irish farmer owns his land in so many cases he has 

 no excuse for not looking after his hedges or for not 

 planting new ones in suitable positions. We have 

 several plants with which we may form hedges, and 

 foremost amongst them comes the thorn or quick, which 

 is the hedge plant />«/- excellence for the Irish farmer. 

 It owes its pre-eminence to the fact that it will thrive 

 in so many different soils and situations, and is quite im- 

 pervious to stock when well grown. Other good hedge 

 plants are the beech and the hornbeam, the former for 

 a light soil rich in lime, the latter for a soil of a heavy 

 clayey nature. Both stand shade well, which the thorn 

 resents, hence it should not be planted too near the edge 

 of a wood, and both beech and hornbeam form an ex- 

 cellent mixed hedge with quicks on the soils which they 

 like. When a thorn hedge gets gapp}' or bare at the 

 base, beech or hornbeam may be successfully used to fill 

 the holes, as they will stand the shade of the hedge 

 overhead. Perhaps the best evergreen hedge plant is 

 holly, but the cattle have a liking for the young shoots, 

 and holly is a slow growei-. Privet makes a nice garden 

 hedge, especially the more evergreen, oval-leaved 



v.iriity ; it is a tjuick grower, but is not impi-rvious to 

 live stock. \"ery ornamental evergreen hedges are 

 formeil by thuj.i (T. Lobbii) and yew. The latter, i>l 

 I'ourse, is poisonous to cattle, anil is not a rapid grower, 

 bnl it makes a very beautiful heilge for an enclosed 

 ganlen. When a winil-bn-.tk si>me i-ight or ten feet high 

 is desireil, as in nuiscry giounils or market gaiiK-ns, 

 l^rivi'l or the myrobell.i plum are suitable. 1 he proper 

 prip.iraliiMi of the ground for hedge planting is mo.st 

 I'ssi iiiial. which will readily be seen when it is considered 

 that a lu'ilge must occupy the s.ime ground for a great 

 number of years and the pl.mts are very close together. 

 .\ hedge will not thrive in badly drained land, so that 

 gooil dr.iinage is the fust point to be attended to. If 

 pl.mting on the level is adopted a bed three or four feet 

 wide should be prepared for the quicks, the soil 

 being double dug or trenched to a depth of eighteen 

 inches ; if it is in pasture laiul the sods should 

 be dug in. It is best to plant the thorns in a 

 double row. the r(>ws being a foot apart and llu- 

 plants the same distance apart in the rows, each plant 

 in a line dividing the space between the two opposite 

 plants in the other line. If the land is good, one row of 

 thorns nine inches apart will suffice \.o make a thick 

 hedge, and such a hedge is more easily cleaned than .i 

 double row one. In raised planting, which is commonly 

 practised in the North of Ireland and elsewhere, the 

 quicks are put in ;ilong the side of a low bank about 

 tiiree feet high. Two comses of rough stones are fiisl 

 laid down, the quicks are then placed horizontally on 

 top of the stones and held in position by a layer of sods, 

 the grass side of which is turned inwards. Soil is tlun 

 filled up over the sods and behind the stones to the 

 height of three feet, so that a low bank is formed, one 

 side of which is faced by the stones and sods, between 

 which the thorns project horizontally, their roots being 

 embedded in the centre of the bank. 



The advantages of this mode of planting are that it 

 ensures drainage and keeps the base of the hedge clean 

 of weeds for a number of years. Its disadvantages are 

 that the bank is apt to become riddled with rabbit holes 

 if these animals are present in any quantity, and in 

 course of time the bank may get broken down by slock 

 and the roots of the quicks laid bare. The cost of 

 trenching the ground and purchasing and planting the 

 quicks amounts to about 5d. per yard run of hedge ; 

 raised planting would probably come to 6d. a yard. 

 The provision of a good guard fence is an expensive 

 item, and if wooden posts and rails are used it would 

 amount to about is. per yard. If the hedge is exposed 

 to stock from both sides two guard fences will be 

 necessary- . 



The best quicks to use are three-year-old plants which 

 have been twice transplanted. Some farmers raise 

 their own quicks, and this is quite easily done. The 

 haws are saved in autumn, and the seeds washed free 

 from pulp and stored in a heap covered with soil or 

 sand till the following spring — the "rot-heap" of the 

 nurseryman. The sectls are then sown in lines in 

 nursery beds, the lines being about one foot apait. 

 Germination is often irregular, some plants not appear- | 

 ing till the following year. The quicks should be 

 transplanted each season till large enough to use. 

 (To be conlinued.) 



