4 MASS. F-XPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 272 



iininortal. Tlie best |)lants uiulcr tlu- innst favorable eircimistaiu'es will some- 

 tiiiie grow (lecrejiit, and the hedge will begin to look ragged and frayed. 

 After one or two rejuvenotion.s, perluips before, it will beeonie neeessar}' to 

 abandon the hedge, root it out, and make a new start. Such drastic i)ro- 

 cedure is troublesome and expensi\e, it leaves the garden most unhappily 

 ex])osed for a ])eriod of Iwo or three years, ami it brings sentimental strains 

 whicii are sometimes far from negligible. Nevertheless the gjirden owner may 

 as well harden his heart, fortify his pocketbook, and withstand tiie counsel 

 of delay. This is the way of all hedges. 



Forms of Hedges 



It will helj) to uiulerstarul the following notes, and it may be of jiractioal 

 value in using this information, to understand that hedges may be grown in 

 se\eral ditferent forms. 'I'he most conunon are as follows: 



1. .Shearetl hedges, usually from ."J to 10 feet high. This is what is com- 

 monly understot)d by a hedge. 



2. L'nsheared hedges, in which the plants are set in rows as for No. 1 

 but are allowed to grow freely, following substantially their natural habits. 

 .Such a hedge is less formal but often efficient and adequate, separating two 

 ))ro|)erties or two parts of one garden or park. The plants usually need an 

 aiuiual pruning, preferably in January or February. At this time the j)ro})er 

 technic is to cut out old wood from the bottom of the plants, leaving the fresh 

 one-year-old canes. 



'.i. Edgings. These will usually be formally sheared as in No. 1 but will 

 be much smaller in their dimensions, usually a foot high or less. Obviously 

 the treatment must be more drastic than in the management of either of the 

 other forms. 



Pruning 



While no set cxpei-iments in hedge i)riuiing have been carried through 

 ii|)on these plantations, there has necessarily l)een considerable experience ac- 

 cumulated. I'.ach of these hedges has been i)runed annually; certain hedges 

 in certain years have been pruned twice; and in a. few instances several 

 )irunings lia\e been practiced upon some jiarticidar hedge in a given year to 

 ser\e some s]>ecial object. The results of all these experiences may fairly l)e 

 suuHuari/.ed for the practical benelit of those who are planting hedges or who 

 ha\(' old hedges under managenH-nt. 



1. It is essential to begin early, (a) The hedge i)lants should be rather 

 closelv cut bai k at iilanling time, (b) If they grow rampantly the new shoots 

 should be headed back late in .May or early in ,Iune of the lirst year. C"er- 

 tainlv the plants should all he cut back again in early spring (February pre- 

 ferably) of the second year. The purpose of this e.irly pruning is to force 

 a thick growth at the base of the jilants. 



■_'. During all the formati\c yeai-s this se\ere pruning should be followed. 

 In Februarx the shoots of the pn\ious year's growth should be shorten«'d 

 one inch to one fool, (usually about \\\r inches) of one-\car old wood; though 

 obviously much will (lc|ien(l on the s|iicics being pruned and on the amount n\' 

 annual growth. 



a. .\nnual summer pruning is often desirable, in addition to spring 



