758 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



September 8, 1904. 



nine distinct kinds, and it is stipulated 

 that * ' six prizes, amounting to £5 in 

 the aggregate, will be divided proportion- 

 ately with the points of merit awarded 

 to the collections." At the society's ex- 

 hibition held on Monday there was as 

 usual a strong competition, there being 

 ten entries all more or less meritorious. 

 The best six collections were selected by 

 the judges, and the produce pointed with 

 the following results: First prize, 59 

 points; second prize, 52 points; third 

 prize, 51 points; fourth prize, 50^2 

 points; fifth prize, 49 points; and sixth 

 prize, 44 points. It will thus be seen 

 that the difference in the value of the 

 prizes awarded to the several exhibitors 

 was very small, more particularly be- 

 tween the fourth and fifth. This method 

 of judging necessarily requires great 

 care, and occupies much time. This lat- 

 ter point is perhaps the most objection- 

 able as if the method were general a 

 small army of censors would have to be 

 employed, because of the time occupied 

 in determining the point value of each 

 product in the collections, and then en- 

 tering up the points. We cannot, there- 

 fore, suggest the adoption of the system 

 in awarding the prizes in the whole of 

 the classes at a show, but there is so 

 much that is interesting associated with 

 the method that the provision of one or 

 two classes to be judged in accordance 

 therewith can be strongly recommended. 



HEDGES OF SEVERAL KINDS. 



We have a customer who wants about 

 400 feet of hedge planted around a lot, 

 leaving the front open. What sort of 

 hedge would you recommend as being 

 the most suitable for the winter climate 

 of Minnesota, and also the most orna- 

 mental and best growing? Kindly give 

 us a brief outline of different kinds and 

 also best time of planting and piuning. 

 E. S. F. 



It is seldom we are assigned such a 



the hedge take the form of a brick wall 

 called a spite fence. This is deplorable 

 and is very infrequent in this liberal and 

 broad-minded country. Sometimes a 

 hedge is planted as a shelter from a pre- 

 vailing cold wind, but more often they 

 are planted as a dividing property line 

 and in a belief that they are an adorn- 

 ment to the grounds. 



A well-kept hedge, even if in a land- 

 scape gardeners' view it is out of place, 

 cannot seriously offend the eye, but a 

 naked, scrawny, badly-kept hedge is an 

 abomination. If a dense hedge is de- 

 sired, something that will repel sight and 

 neighbors and winter's cold blast, then 

 an evergreen hedge is the thing. 



There are three evergreens (properly 

 conifers') inexpensive and very suitable 

 for this purpose, viz., the familiar Nor- 

 way spruce, the American arbor-vitae 

 (Thuya occidentalis) and the hemlock 

 spruce (Abies Canadensis). The latter, 

 although seldom seen as a hedge, is far 

 the best in every respect. It is more 

 dense, more graceful, less formal and 

 better all around. If you are sure these 

 evergreens have been transplanted in the 

 nursery within two years, then you can 

 buy trees three feet high, but if 

 you are not sure of that, then start with 

 small trees not over eighteen inches 

 high. 



If your hedge is merely to define your 

 property line and incidentally to be an 

 ornament to your grounds, the deciduous 

 hedge is to be preferred. They are more 

 easily and successfully made to grow and 

 flourish. Many of our hardy deciduous 

 shrubs can be used for the purpose. Two 

 that are seldom used, but can be, are the 

 cydonia (the Japan quince) and Hydran- 

 gea paniculate. The latter could not be 

 -pruned to any formal outline in summer, 

 but is glorious when in flower and can be, 

 and should be, pruned back hard in 

 spring. 



The cydonia makes a beautiful hedge 

 if pruned after flowering in the month of 



Cactus Bedding, Fairmount Park, Philadelphia. 



lucid inquiry or a more interesting sub- 

 ject, one to which we willingly take off 

 our hat and yet expand our chest and 

 say with pleasure, * ' Ah, my dear fellow, 

 I have an opinion." 



Hedges are planted for different pur- 

 poses. Sometimes to exclude the sight 

 or trespassing of a neighbor, or his chil- 

 dren, or his dogs. Sometimes you see 



June. It adapts itself to the closest shear- 

 ing, is brilliant with its scarlet flowers 

 in early spring and its thorny growth 

 makes it impenetrable even to a tom-cat 

 visiting a friend. It is, however, of slow 

 growth. 



The privet is the favorite hedge shrub 

 of the north, and just let me say here 

 that the beautiful California privet so 



much planted of late received a death 

 blow last winter. In New York, Boston 

 and all latitudes north of those cities, it 

 was killed outright or cut to the ground. 

 The only privet for you to plant in Min- 

 nesota is Ligustrum vulgare, commonly 

 known as the English privet, hardy in 

 Labrador. It makes a dense hedge and 

 is easily managed. 



And now we come to the last and, per- 

 haps, taking the whole season through 

 the prettiest, most useful and hardiest of 

 all our hedge shrubs, Berberis Thun- 

 bergii. It is beautiful anywhere and at all 

 seasons and if you don't want a hedge 

 over three or four feet high and one that 

 is not too formal and wants little clip- 

 ping or attention, by all means plant Ber- 

 beris Thunbergii. 



About care, broadly I will say that all 

 hedges are planted thickly and to keep 

 in vigorous health some animal manure 

 should be forked into the ground on each 

 side of the hedge every two years. The 

 prevailing mistake, particularly with the 

 privet, is to expect a hedge three feet 

 high the year it is planted. It can't be 

 done. I would call an ideal evergreen 

 hedge, after years of growth, one that 

 was five or six feet high, four feet wide 

 at the base, two feet wide at the top and 

 the top rounding. Whatever hedge it is, 

 let it be tapering to the top, so that all 

 parts of it get the sun, the dews and the 

 rain. 



Briefly, the care of these different trees 

 and shrubs is: Evergreens, plant at the 

 end of May or just when the young 

 growth is starting. Mid-summer or after 

 the spring growth is made is the time to 

 prune evergreens. Use knife, not shears, 

 and only cut back leading growths. From 

 two to three feet apart is the distance to 

 plant, according to size of tree. 



The privet, no matter how strong you 

 obtain them, should be cut down at plant- 

 ing to within six inches of the ground and 

 if you gain one foot in height each suc- 

 ceeding year you are allowing plenty. 

 Prune with the shears early in the spring 

 and, if you desire great trimness, again 

 in early August. 



The berberis does not want much 

 pruning at any time, either at planting 

 or afterwards. It has a compact, neat 

 growth and can only be improved each 

 spring by a few of the strongest growths 

 being shortened back. The cydonia is 

 also compact and bushy but will stand 

 the shears, which should only be used just 

 after it has flowered in the spring. 



All the evergreens and shrubs I have 

 mentioned are hardy in Minnesota. 

 Plant privet, berberis or cydonia nine 

 or ten inches apart and don't start with 

 too large shrubs. Small plants will make 

 the better hedge. The privet, cydonia 

 and berberis are so hardy they can be 

 transplanted in October or early Novem- 

 ber, yet there is not much gained by fall 

 planting and you run some risk. As 

 soon as the ground can be worked in the 

 spring is the best time for deciduous 

 shrute. Wm. Scott. 



HYDRANGEAS AND GERANIUMS. 



Enclosed you will find sample of leaves 

 of hydrangea that I planted in a large 

 bed on a lawn. I do not understand what 

 makes the leaves turn brown on the edge. 

 I wish you would tell me the cause of this 

 and how to remedy it. I also enclose ge- 

 ranium leaves that blight and turn 

 brown. Please give me your idea as to 

 the cause of this. W. T. L. 



The leaves sent are those of H. pani- 

 culata grandiflora. We never saw leaves of 



