196 OLD-FASHIONED GARDENING 



tells of cabbages also to edge the kitchen beds, but I 

 find no special mention of them here. 



The native holly served early for a garden hedge 

 in the South; so did the mock or wild orange or wild 

 olive, some call it; but boxwood was the standby then, 

 north and south, even as it is now, and always will be. 

 In setting, it was put close, in small trenches, so as at 

 once to complete the edging; thrift, daisies, pinks and 

 plants of this class were put within two to three inches 

 of each other, or near enough to touch. Seeds of pinks 

 were sometimes sowed in a drill half an inch deep, 

 where they were to grow, and the plants left; and this 

 was the manner of making an edging of all annuals. 

 The "shrubby aromatics" were raised from seed or 

 slips, or the young plants were set out; sage and lav- 

 ender seem to have been oftenest multiplied by slips, 

 rue by seed. The shrubby plants were trimmed to a 

 height not exceeding six inches, with a breadth of four, 

 while the herbaceous edgings were allowed to grow at 

 the top but were kept to a similar width. 



These edgings or little hedges existed in considera- 

 ble variety, but I doubt their use generally north of 

 the "Divide." The Dutch were satisfied with their 

 boxwood, so were those who cared to make gardens 

 in New England. Then, too, some of the best plants 

 for use as sheared edgings were not hardy enough to 

 risk their use and the work spent on them, north of 



