Hedges 



( 404) 



Hedysarum 



other, Box and Holly easily take first place amongst 

 evergreens. Holly especially is noteworthy, because 

 it can be raised easily from seeds or cuttings, trans- 

 plants readily (the best months for the work being 

 April and September), quickly grows to the height 

 required, does not soon become bare at the bottom, 

 and is at all times bright and pleasing. Other 

 subjects that may be employed, either by them- 

 selves or in. mixture with something else, are Golden 

 and Green Privet (Ligustrnm ovalifolinm is a great 

 favourite), Viburnum Lantana, and Oak, Division 

 hedges may run from 4' to 6' in height. 



Miniature hedges G" to 8" high are some- 

 times employed as permanent edgings to beds in 

 the flower garden. There is no more suitable 

 subject for this kind of work than Euonymus 

 radicans variegatus. The ordinary Box edging is 

 really a miniature hedge. (/Sec EDGINGS.) 



Shelter hedges need to be of a considerable 

 height say anything from 6' to 12'. The Myro- 

 biilan, or Cherry Plum (Primus Myrobalana), and 

 the Hornbeam make capital shelter hedges. Both 

 grow quickly, and an annual pruning is all that is 

 necessary to keep them in condition. Although 

 deciduous, the Hornbeam carries many of its old 

 leaves until they are pushed off by the young ones 

 in spring, and thus forms an almost perfect wind- 

 break. 



A row of Lombardy Poplars, which may be headed 

 back when they reach the required height, makes a 

 shelter hedge more quickly than any other subject, 

 and in very bleak spots it is well worth while to 

 plant them for temporary shelter whilst the 

 permanent hedge is growing. 



Planting and Protecting. Seeing that hedge 

 plants have to be on the ground for many years, 

 the site selected should be well dressed with 

 manure and trenched prior to planting. The actual 

 site of the hedge may, if desired, be raised a foot 

 or so, and a ditch may be dug on the outer side of 

 it. Planting in doubfe rows, the plants in the one 

 row alternating with those in the other, is to be 

 recommended. The plants maybe 1' apart if there 

 is only a single row, 18" and alternating if there 

 are two rows. A wooden paling or a light strained 

 wire fence will be a necessary protection for three 

 or four years after planting, or until the hedge 

 becomes thick enough to protect itself, 



Pruning and Clipping. For Quick, Yew, Box, 

 Hornbeam, and Holly hedges, a pair of hand 

 shears, such as those used for clipping grass verges, 

 is the best instrument to use. For Laurel, 

 Viburnum, and, in fact, all large-leaved subjects, 

 the shears must not be used, as they mutilate the 

 leaves too much. Careful pruning with the knife 

 must be given. The hedge should be shaped so 

 that its greatest diameter is about 2' from the 

 ground, and from that point upward it may 

 gradually taper inwards, the top being either cut 

 flat or rounded off. Clipping should be done after 

 the summer shoot makes its appearance, that is, 

 from the middle of June to the end of July. If 

 the shears or knife are used too soon, a second 

 application towards the close of the summer may 

 be necessary. Holly and Yew hedges are best 

 done early in September. 



The Treatment of Young Hedges. Young White- 

 thorn plants should be cut hard back the first year, 

 and for the next two or three years the pruning 

 must he rather hard, so as to ensure the bottom 

 being furnished with shoots. In the fourth and 

 fth years it is better to give two moderate 

 primings instead of one severe dressing, and this 



treatment should be continued until the hedge has 

 reached its desired size. 



Repairing Faulty Hedges. Where hedges have 

 become very gappy it is often economical to root 

 up the remains and plant afresh. Hedges of 

 Laurel, Yew, Privet, and Holly that have become 

 too tall and straggling may be brought within 

 bounds by cutting them hard back to the old wood, 

 and allowing them to break afresh. Where the 

 cutting- back is very severe it will be wise to do 

 one side at a time. 



HEDWIGIA. 



Four or five species of tropical trees (prd. Bur- 

 seraceaj), unimportant from a garden point of view, 

 but of some economic value, as they yield a 

 resinous exudation of balsamic properties. Propa- 

 gation, by ripened cuttings in sandy soil, in brisk 

 bottom heat. Soil, sandy loam three parts, peat 

 or leaf mould one part, and sand one-sixth. 



Principal Species : 



panamensis, <>0', wh. (syn. halsamifera). 



HEDYCHIUM. 



Tropical herbaceous plants (prd. Scitarninerc), 

 with huge terminal trusses of bright, usually 

 fragrant flowers, and broad, handsome leaves. 

 Very few of the species are grown ; three only are 

 to be found in general cultivation, and of these 

 three gardnerianum is the favourite. All the 

 plants revel in plenty of heat, although some of 

 them, gardnerianum and flavosum to wit, are very 

 nearly hardy. With regard to moisture, they are 

 almost sub-aquatics, for they never do better than 

 when their tubs or pots are standing in water 

 that is, during the growing season. In winter little 

 if any water is required, and the crowns of ganl- 

 nerianum may be shaken out of the soil and stored 

 like those of Dahlias or Cannas. 



Propagation. By division of the rootstocks in 

 spring prior to the starting away of growth. The 

 crowns may be cut up with a knife or a sharp 

 spade, each division with an eye or two, and 

 plunged in a bed of Cocoanut fibre refuse or sandy 

 soil over bottom heat in a warm house. Once the 

 divisions have started to grow they may be treated 

 in much the same waj r as Cannas. 



Soil. Equal parts of loam, leaf soil, and spent 

 Mushroom bed manure, with sand. Potting should 

 be only moderately firm. 



Principal Species : 

 corona rimn, 5', My., Jy., gardnerianum, 3' to 5', 



St., wh. ; fragrant. sum., st. or grh., lemon 



flavurn, 3', Jy., st. or yel. ; fragrant. Nearly 



grh., or. ; fragrant. hdy. in south-west of 



Nearly hdy. in Com- Euglaud. 



wall and Devon. 



Other Species and Varieties : 

 carneum, 3' to 4', Aug., yel. ; fragrant ('///'. 



st., flesh pk. flavum of Sotunical 



coccineurn, 3' to 6', Je., Mny;ine 2378). 



st., deep red. gracile, 2' to 3', Sep., st., 



corouarium chrysolcu- wh. 



cum, o', Aug., st., wh., spicatum, 3', Oct., st., yel. 



or. blotched lip. ; fra- acuminatum, 3' to 5', 



grant. Oct., st. , yel., wh. ; 



flavosum, 2' to 3', Jy., st., fragrant. 



HEDYSARUM. 



A large genus of hardy perennial herbs and sub- 

 shrubs (ord. Leguminosa;), many of which are of 

 elegant habit and have showy flowers. They are, 

 however, with the exception of coronarium and 

 multijugum, not at all popular subjects with the 



