9O Evergreen covert 



however, these occur in certain parts of the country 

 only, it may be included among the very best shrubs for 

 evergreen covert. 



The ' Sweet Bay ', or True Laurel (Laurus nobilis). 

 I had never seen this used as covert, but having many 

 bushes of it to spare I tried it in old woodland, and was 

 pleased to see how well it looked. It is very cheery in 

 colour in the winter season, and it grows very freely in 

 southern and seashore districts. Even if not generally 

 used as covert it can be made to form very pretty groups 

 in woods, but rabbits soon destroy young plants of it if 

 not wired. 



Juniper. Our native kind is meant here; it makes 

 very good covert for the poor, dry, and chalky soils too 

 frequent in the southern half of the country. Junipers 

 can be had from various parts of the world, but our own 

 native Juniper is as worthy of cultivation for this purpose 

 as any, and we have so few really hardy evergreens. In 

 the valleys in Surrey it grows to a height of 18 to 24 

 feet, though usually only a bush. 



Savin (Juniperus sabina). This is one of the most 

 graceful and hardy of all dwarf evergreens, and admira- 

 ble for cold hills or stony ground, no matter how wet or 

 poor. It is a dwarf Juniper that clothes those parts of 

 the mountains of central Europe too bare to support 

 anything larger. If not easily bought in quantity it can 

 be readily increased by pulling up the branches, which 

 often throw out many rootlets. These should be planted 

 firmly and a stone put over the part left out of the 

 ground, or it can be pegged down to stop wind-waving. 



Ivy. This is undervalued for its use and beauty in 

 woods, and is too often cut away. It would be well, in 

 many places where the large-leaved Ivies are grown, to 



