84 The Landscape Gardening Book 



A hedge of privet may be carried in a straight and unbroken 

 hne the length of a boundary, its gateway being an opening 

 provided by pleaching an arch at the required point and swinging 

 under it, from wooden posts, a wooden gate of suitable design. 

 Nothing ever looks more lovely in this position than a simple 

 gate, painted white; and this will ordinarily suit any kind or 

 style of house, when used in this way, in a hedge. 



The pleaching itself is done in early spring by binding several 

 of the longer branches down first onto the framework, and tying 

 them with raffia. Then they are woven or braided together and 

 tied, carefully and not very tightly, else their tips will be choked. 

 AU upstanding and outstanding shoots are cut off when the 

 pleaching is thus well begun, and a second shearing may follow 

 in August, if there has been much growth. Frequent shearing 

 makes for density of growth in this form as in every other. 



Privet, beech, wych or slippery elm, willow and the tall grow- 

 ing cornels {cornus) may be used for pleaching, besides the plants 

 listed below. Of these the willow and privet will furnish the 

 most rapid growth. 



The tough wood of hombean however is practically indestruc- 

 tible, while the flower effect of the Judas tree or red-bud is 

 exquisite. Consequently these two are given prominence such 

 as they seem to merit. 



Lists of Plants 

 for pleaching 



I — Carpinus Caroliniana (or C. Americana): American horn- 

 beam or blue beech; forty feet high sometimes, but very 

 slow-growing; endures pruning particularly well. 



