Hedges of 

 more than 

 one species, 

 of tree. 



Planting 



thorn 



hedges. 



FIG. 338. 



THE FORMAL ARRANGEMENT OF TREES. 



privet and thorn, privet and hornbeam, holly and hornbeam, hornbeam and thorn are 

 all suitable, while beech and holly together make one of the most delightful combinations 

 possible in the Winter months, for the beech, when clipped, retains bright russet-coloured 

 leaves until the Spring, and the combination of these with the dark rich green of the holly, 

 backed up possibly by a blue misty distance or a carpet of snow with its delicate half- 

 tints, provides a feast of colour at a time when Nature is generally rather drab, which 

 appeals vividly to the trained colour sense of the landscape painter. 



To form the ordinary white thorn or quick hedges, the plants should be bought 

 when a foot or fifteen inches high, and placed in double rows about five inches apart 

 any time from November to March. The following April they should be cut down to 

 three inches above the ground, and after- 

 wards, as the growth permits, trimmed to 

 the desired shape, after which they should 

 be kept annually trimmed. It cannot be too 

 strenuoush' insisted upon that the ground 

 must be trenched and cleaned before plant- 

 ing, and nettles, noxious weeds and long 

 grass must be systematically kept under as 

 they shut out light and air from the stems, 

 and harbour pests. 



The accompanying sketch (111. No. 338), 

 shows such a hedge on a cop of earth with 

 the usual ditch at one side. Whether a 



raised cop is possible or not, some sort of a temporary fence should be provided to 

 prevent the young hedge from being damaged by cattle, and in very exposed positions 

 wattle hurdles will be best, as they will provide shelter from keen winds for the young 

 and tender plants. 



Openings through clipped hedges may, by a little contrivance, be made very effective, 

 as, when several arches cross a walk one behind the other, as at Alton Towers, 

 Staffordshire, or where a single or double continuous arcade of clipped arches runs along- 

 side or on either side of a walk, making a many arched bridge of greenery such as that 

 at Broom Hall already referred to, or, more beautiful still, because more quaint, the 

 similar arrangement at Cleeve Prior. The shadow effects thrown on the surrounding 

 ground are very fine, but the shelter, which is the chief use of a hedge, is partially 

 destroyed, while, unless further provision is made to prevent them, draughts sweep under 

 these arches and make it difficult to grow flowers successfully in their immediate vicinity. 

 To attain any measure of success in growing and trimming compact arches means time 

 and care, and probably the aid of a wood or iron framework will be necessary to train 

 the wayward branches. 



Topiary, which is such a typical feature of the old English garden, suffers now-a- Topiary. 

 days, from the absurd uses to which it is put, thus bringing the whole art into ridicule. 

 Instead of an orderly arrangement of trees clipped to designs which bear some relation to 

 their arrangement and surroundings, we have a heterogeneous collection of wild beasts, 

 ships, peacocks, balloons and, worse still, arm chairs which cannot be sat upon and 

 which are all the more disappointing if placed where a real seat would be welcome. 



As a typical example of the right application of topiary we may instance the very 

 usual use of a yew arch over a little white painted gate opening on to a cottage 

 garden, the whole surmounted by a pair of doves, emblematic of domestic felicity, or 

 the perpetual reminder shown in illustration No. 340, which the writer came across in 

 another cottage garden. 



Simple forms are always best, the raised ridges shown in illustration No. 339 would 



Treatment 

 of openings 

 in hedges. 



259 



