About Hedges and Border Plants 55 



Choice of Trees. 



The schedule following this chapter gives a long list of plants 

 which are commonly used as hedge plants, and all of which are 

 more or less successful in certain districts. But to choose pro- 

 perly one needs to consider carefully what the hedge is wanted 

 for and what the position is like. One point worthy of con- 

 sideration is the root syxtem. Thus we often see Japanese Privet 

 planted round very small vegetable or flower gardens in towns, 

 yet this plant is the grossest feeder, and has the most spreading 

 roots of all the hedge plants mentioned. It will suck out the 

 moisture and nourishment from the ground for a distance of at 

 least 12 feet away from its branches, the rootlets to that distance 

 being almost a solid mass of fine fibres. It is the most popular 

 of all hedges because of its quick growth. But this is its only 

 virtue. For town use where gardens are so small, it should be 

 avoided like poison. In such positions it not only robs all other 

 plants, but becomes quickly infested with Red Scale. Where 

 there is plenty of room it is much better and healthier, but a 

 fair comparison of values we should place it almost at the bot- 

 tom of the list. 



At the top of the value list we should always place Juniper 

 (J. virginiana), and this in practically all districts. It is of 

 rather slow growth, but is hardy, very compact, never dies out 

 in sections, and will last a life time. Of the Cypresses, the best 

 is O. lusitanica, or its sub-variety, glauca. C. arizonica has 

 proved a magnificent hedge plant in all districts, compact and 

 permanent. C. rnacrocarpa is good on the high veld, but 

 fails in Midland and Coast belts. Eugenias are very fine in the 

 warmer districts, particularly E. braziliensis and E. eucalyp- 

 toides. Thuya compacta (T. orientalis nana) is excellent almost 

 in all districts if well trimmed and cared for, but soon spoils 

 under brief neglect. 



DWARF BORDERS. For the vegetable garden, to define large 

 beds, and are extremely useful, particularly where the garden is 

 on a slope and the soil apt to wash away during the heavy 

 storms. In putting these down it is necessary to plant out the 

 plants at a very small and young stage, and to space 6 to 9 

 inches apart. 



A host of species may be used for this purpose for temporary 

 purposes, but for permanent work the choice is but a small one. 

 One of the neatest small borders we have is made of Cupressus 

 arizonica. It is now three years old and only a foot high. The 

 plants were put in when only 3 inches high 6 inches apart, and 

 were pinched at once. Thuya compacta makes an excellent 2- 

 foot border, while common Box can be kept at a foot for many 

 years. But it is subject to attacks of American blight, and is 

 often killed out by this disease. The Alternantheras are, un- 

 fortunately, tender, and while suitable for warm, frostiess dis- 

 tricts, would Winter kill every year on the high veldt 



