94 HEDGES 



be done either in the late spring (May) or towards the end of September, 

 the latter as a rule being the better, and the ground should be thoroughly 

 prepared by trenching. 



Yew. Next in value to the holly as an evergreen hedge comes the 

 yew, but it is not so bright, and near towns, or in smoky districts, is 

 decidedly inferior. In country places, however, where the air is pure 

 it makes an admirable hedge up to 10 or 12 ft. high, and one of the 

 best possible wind-screens. It needs clipping annually, like the holly. 

 How remarkably well the yew withstands persistent clipping is shown by 

 the existence of hedges 100 to 150 years old. It is a grosser feeder than 

 the holly, but both, when they show signs of starvation at the root, will 

 derive benefit from having the loose top soil scraped away, and replaced 

 with a top-dressing of 4 to 6 ins. of one-third loam and two-thirds rotted 

 manure. 



Box. For moderately high hedges, say up to 6 ft., the box is useful, 

 but it has one defect, in that a hedge which has got into bad health is 

 not so easily restored to vigour as holly or yew. It is a strong-feeding 

 shrub, and like, the yew is benefited by an occasional mulching with 

 rotted manure. When any indication of failing vigour is apparent this 

 mulching should be given, because, owing to its reluctance to break into 

 new growth from the old wood, the box cannot be made to renew its 

 youth by hard pruning so easily as holly and yew can. For making neat 

 dwarf hedges up to 3 ft. high, the common edging box (Buxus sempervirens 

 suffruticosd) is very useful. It is much used for this purpose in formal 

 gardens about Vienna. 



Buonymus. In the south coast towns, Euonymus japonicus is largely 

 used for garden hedges. It is a cheerful evergreen, but its beauty in 

 recent years has been in a great measure destroyed by the attacks of a 

 white mildew. E. radicans, in both its green and variegated states, will 

 make a neat low hedge i| to 2 ft. high. 



Holm Oak. Owing to difficulty in transplanting, the holm oak 

 (Quercus Ilex) is not much used in this country as a hedge, but in all 

 except the more inclement parts of these islands, it would make a useful 

 shelter hedge up to 20 or 30 ft. high. It bears clipping well and keeps 

 well furnished at the bottom. Hedges of holm oak are not uncommon 

 in the old gardens of Italy, such as the Bcboli Gardens at Florence. 



Conifers. After the holly, yew, and holm oak, not many evergreens 

 of large size remain that will make really handsome clipped hedges in 

 most parts of the British Isles. A few conifers are sometimes used, 

 especially Thuya occidentalis, T. plicata (gigantea), the Lawson and 

 Nootka cypresses, and, in warmer parts of the country, the Monterey 

 cypress (Cupressus macrocarpa). All these have the advantage of making 

 an effective shelter hedge in much quicker time than holly or yew, for 



