HEDGES 



a prim look about this spruce when used as a low 

 hedge, yet in the case mentioned it was rather advan- 

 tageous to the garden. 



I have noticed other formal gardens in which 

 many plants not remarkable for their hardiness were 

 able to live simply because they were walled in by 

 unbroken hedges of spruces. These hedges averaged 

 about four feet high, being kept down by shearing. 

 In a seaside town, I also remember one very large 

 garden, the outer planting of which consisted exclu- 

 sively of shrubs well adapted to the situation and 

 climate. As I came near the center of this garden, 

 however, I saw a low hedge in the form of a rectangle, 

 which enclosed many delicate, even rare plants. It 

 was formed also of spruces, showing four attractively 

 made entrances. These evergreens thus treated were 

 not only of use as protectors of plant life, but they 

 gave a very dignified aspect to the whole garden. 



The hemlock spruce, Tsuga Canadensis, does not 

 resent pruning and forms a hedge of unrivaled beauty. 

 For bordering stretches of woodland or semi-wild 

 planting there is no better tree. It prefers a situation 

 partly shaded to one of full sunlight, a fact which is 

 often a strong reason for its selection. The branches 

 of the hemlock spruce are very flexible and fleecy 

 looking, and when seen in dark, glenlike places they 

 impart grace and an open, light quality to the sur- 

 rounding planting. Plate xxiv. shows such a hedge 

 before which a number of crocuses, freshly opened, 

 raise their dainty cups. 



That box is an evergreen is undoubtedly one 



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