116 HEDGES AND BOUNDARIES 



introduced species from the West Indies ; it has become completely 

 naturalised in Ceylon, being specially adapted to shady situations, 

 and when kept closely cut forms very fair turf. Certain English 

 grasses will thrive at the higher elevations in well-prepared ground, 

 and grass seed mixtures adapted for particular purposes may be 

 obtained from seed-merchants in Europe or Australia. 



HEDGES AND BOUNDARIES 



For several reasons a garden in the tropics should be enc-losed 

 by a hedge or fence, that is if exclusion of cattle and other vermin, 

 shelter from wind, and privacy be considered essential. Well- 

 kept hedges are ornamental as well as useful ; they form protective 



LAWX-SPKIXKLKR 



boundaries, shut off private quarters, divide portions when necess- 

 ary (as the Kitchen-garden from the Flower-garden), or conceal 

 unsightly parts. A large number of plants are adapted for forming 

 hedges, and the suitability of each kind depends upon the purpose 

 and locality for which it is required. For an effective hedge of 

 coloured foliage, such plants as Acalypha, Croton, Panax, Pisonia, 

 Cordyline, etc., either mixed or singly will supply all that can be 

 desired ; whilst for a hedge of flowering plants, different varieties 

 of Hibiscus, Ixora, Poinsettia, Thunbergia erecta, etc., make a 

 striking display. In many cases a hedge may be formed by simply 

 planting cuttings where they are required to grow. It is always 

 advisable to give a hedge a good foundation, i.e., a trench dug deep 

 and rilled in with good soil ; otherwise gaps or unevenness of 

 growth are likely to occur. W T hen a hedge has to answer the pur- 

 pose of a barrier, a good plan is to run a few strands of barbed wire 



