November, 1907 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



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The artoorvitae is perhaps the most serviceable ever- 

 green hedge for both screen and windbreaK 



seedlings and planted a short hedge. So 

 far as I can ascertain, this was the first plant- 

 ing of the kind in the United States; since 

 then it has been planted freely throughout 

 the South. It is unquestionably the most 

 formidable defensive hedge that can be 

 planted, and is superseding all other thorny 

 hedge plants. 



The cost of planting a mile of this hedge 

 is no greater, so far as the actual work is 

 concerned, than for the Osage orange hedge. 

 The plants themselves cost about double. 

 But there is no need to use two or three 

 strands of barbed wire stretched through 

 the middle of the hedge as is done with the 

 Osage orange, nor do the plants have to be 

 set in a slanting position in order to have the 

 new upright growth properly interwoven. 

 No posts or supports are needed. As com- 

 pared with barbed wire or woven wire fences, 

 it costs no more, and frequently less, to es- 

 tablish and maintain. 



These hardy lemons are set one foot apart, 

 and cut back to eight or ten inches. They 

 grow so rapidly that two annual trimmings are 

 required; one in May, the other at any time 

 later, so long as the work is done while the 

 Avood is soft. An excellent trimming tool 

 for the purpose is made by taking a 28-inch 

 scythe blade, straightening the shank and 



rivetting this to a 14- or 18-inch wood handle. 

 At three years of age, hedges are sufficiently 

 strong to allow a man to stand on top. 

 There is no knowledge of its durability be- 

 cause of its recent introduction, but no 

 fungous diseases or noxious insects have so 

 far injured it, and I believe that a well cared 

 for hedge will outlast either the Osage orange 

 or honey locust, and cost a great deal less to 

 maintain. 



Incidentally, the hardy lemon has con- 

 siderable decorative value. Technically, it 

 is not an evergreen, but practically it is 

 because the vivid green color of the bark is 

 attractive during the winter. In early 

 spring, the plant is covered with a profusion 

 of white flowers, which are succeeded by 

 golden fruits and these in their turn brighten 

 the plant during winter. The plant will 

 make a good 6-foot hedge as far north as 

 Philadelphia. In New England it does not 

 grow or bloom as freely and does not fruit. 



THE BEST WINDBREAKS AND SCREENS 



The great importance of windbreaks is 

 better appreciated by fruit growers than by 

 general planters. Sixteen advantages and 

 four possible disadvantages are mentioned 

 by Professor Bailey in his "Principles of 

 Fruit Growing." Almost every home needs 

 a windbreak, because it protects the house 

 from the prevailing winter winds, saves coal, 

 permits the garden to yield earlier in spring 

 and later in fall and may provide an outdoor 

 playground for children all winter. 



Obviously, the best windbreak for home 

 use is a tall evergreen, and since the Norway 

 spruce is the fastest-growing and therefore 

 the cheapest of conifers, it is the favorite 

 north of Washington, but it is a sombre tree 

 and loses its symmetry after twenty or thirty 

 years. Its rivals are slow in growing high 

 enough to shelter the second story of a house. 

 American arborvitae has a dead look in win- 

 ter. Red cedar is usually deficient at the 

 base unless you pay a fair price for nursery- 

 grown specimens. Hemlock is the most 

 beautiful, but it is also the slowest and most 

 expensive. You would be astonished to 

 learn in what quantity large-sized nursery- 

 grown hemlocks can now be had. 



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Bridal wreath (Spiraea prunifolia) makes a very showv 

 hedge where nothing but the flowering effect is sought 



But evergreens ' are slower and costlier 

 than deciduous trees and most people are 

 impatient. Moreover, even a deciduous 

 tree stops a good deal of the wind. Con- 

 sequently, many people at the North plant 

 the fastest and cheapest tree (the Carolina 

 poplar) or the corresponding shrub (Cali- 

 fornia privet) which is satisfactory if you 

 need a windbreak only ten or twelve feet 

 high. 



For the South, I consider the Oriental 

 arborvitae the most efficient and beautiful 

 windbreak, but as it is a conifer it is relatively 

 slow and costly. Of the many broad- 

 leaved evergreens, the Carolina cherry is 

 the favorite for tall windbreaks. If the 

 height of ten feet is sufficient, the cheap- 

 est broad-leaved evergreen windbreak for 

 the South is the Amoor River privet, but the 

 Carolina cherry and even the glorious 

 Magnolia grandiflora can be planted fifteen 

 feet apart and allowed to grow in bush form 

 from the ground. 



The screening of unsightly objects is 

 a highly specialized problem. If the house 

 itself is ugly, remember that vines will make 

 it beautiful whereas trees can only hide its 

 ugliness. If it is a summer home, you need 

 not go to the expense of getting conifers for 

 screens. In hiding outbuildings, use vines, 

 but also mass shrubberv or trees in front of 



cheapest and quickest growing hedge plant of the North is California 

 privet but the Amoor privet is better because evergreen 



For the South, the hardy lemon (Citrus Mfoliata) is unsurpassed. Dense, 

 impenetrable and highly ornamental, with golden fruits in winter 



