22 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



February. 1910 



the native rose being of a pink or, more cor- 

 rectly speaking, of a pale red, whereas those 

 of the rugosa rose are much larger and of a 

 darker color. The hips of the wood rose 

 are small and of a dull red color, while those 

 of rugosa are fully four times as large and 

 of a much brighter, glossier red. The 

 foliage of rugosa is larger and darker. 

 Both sucker freely, a habit which though 

 it is helpful in producing a dense and com- 

 pact hedge, may also become troublesome. 

 At times a rugosa hedge shows a tendency 

 to die out in spots but this is generally due 

 to poor soil and bad drainage. 



The native wild plum is worthy of note 

 because it will thrive under considerable 

 shade, but it cannot be held below five feet. 

 It has fragrant flowers in early spring and 

 the fruit makes a good jelly. When one 

 considers that the plum is a tree, the need 

 for constant pruning to retain a hedge form 

 will be evident. In dense shade the tendency 

 of such a hedge is to become bare and leggy 

 at the base, while in full sunlight the foliage 

 is borne from the ground up. Wild plums 

 sucker somewhat, but such shoots can be 

 easily kept down and are never a serious 

 nuisance. 



Our native thorn, a relative of the English 

 hawthorn which it resembles, is worthy of 

 consideration as hedge material and should 

 be planted much more frequently than it 

 is. The nurserymen may be in a manner 

 responsible for this neglect as the seeds do 

 not start until the second year after maturity, 

 consequently the plant is not as profitable 

 to grow as most other shrubs. The seed- 

 lings, however, are rapid of growth and 

 bear transplanting well. Even large shrubs 

 can be safely transplanted from their native 

 haunts in the woodlands and wherever 

 possible this is advisable. The bush grows 

 to about the same height as the common 

 lilac, never lower. The healthy, clean foliage 

 is borne from the ground up and though 

 somewhat too open to conceal entirely the 

 framework of the shrub its value for hedge 

 planting is not lessened thereby. The leaves 

 are of a slightly leathery texture, light green 

 beneath and of a dark, glossy green above, 

 which contrasts most charmingly with the 



abundant scarlet fruit, likewise acting as a 

 pretty foil to the white flowers in spring. 

 The- numerous long sharp thorns make this 

 a defense against four-legged intruders. 

 Quite a number of thorns are native to this 

 region and all may be used as hedge material. 

 Aside from their fruit, their strong point 

 and one that cannot be emphasized over- 

 much is the autumn tints of the foliage. 



Another available native is the buffalo 

 berry {Shepherdia argentea). The shrubs 

 are dioecious, a fact not to be neglected 

 where one desires to obtain fruit. A good 

 plan is to have about every sixth shrub a 

 staminate one. The fruit, however, is not 

 very ornamental, being altogether too small, 

 but it is excellent for jelly. Nor will the 

 harvest entail as much work as would at 

 first appear, for after the frost has touched 

 the berries they may be jarred loose by 

 sharply rapping the bushes and can be 

 gathered upon sheets stretched beneath. 

 Along the banks of the Missouri and its 

 tributaries, where the buffalo berry flourishes 



&•- --'-' v ■-"'.** 



As an evergreen, the native red cedar offers the 

 best material. Leave untrimmed 



The common barberry is good for a hedge that is 

 not to be pruned. The purple-leaved form is lower 



on the sandy bottoms, people gather the 

 fiuit into washtubs! The leaves are about 

 two inches long, of a narrow oval outline, 

 and of an olive green color with a markedly 

 lighter ventral side. The foliage, devoid 

 of autumn tints, holds on well after frost. 



The old boxwood gardens of the East 

 might, in a manner, be reproduced in the 

 West by the use of the buffalo berry, though 

 it loses its leaves in winter. When closely 

 pruned (and it will endure extremely close 

 pruning) the twigs and branches interlace, 

 producing the effect of an almost solid mass. 

 The peculiar grayish bark, which is very 

 pronounced on the new growth, gives the 

 hedge some color value throughout the 

 winter. 



Being abundantly provided with spines, 

 it will form a hedge through which neither 

 cat nor dog will tear. • 



HEDGES THAT WILL ENDURE SHADE 



Strangely enough, one of the best mater- 

 ials for shady places is afforded by a tree, 



The soft maple makes serviceable hedge in dense 

 shade, and colors well in the fall 



the soft maple {Acer saccharinum) . Profes- 

 sor C. B. Waldron has succeeded in growing 

 such a hedge between two rows of trees 

 where little direct sunlight ever enters, and 

 for years it has been held within four feet. 

 Naturally, the hedge is bare at the base and- 

 somewhat open throughout, but it assumes 

 the characteristic color of the maples in 

 fall, which, indeed, is its main charm. No 

 doubt, after years such a hedge will even- 

 tually outgrow itself. 



The only other plants worth serious con- 

 sideration for dense shade are Indian cur- 

 rant, coral berry, and mock orange. Aside 

 from its ability to do without direct sunlight, 

 the Indian currant has little to recommend 

 it as away from shade there are many other 

 shrubs that will take its place to better advan- 

 tage. In its general habit it resembles some- 

 what Spircea Van Houttei, though much less 

 graceful and less conspicuous of flower. The 

 small, coral-like berries seem to nestle among 

 the foliage. It requires almost no pruning, 

 and its foliage is carried well down to the 

 ground. The mock orange needs careful 

 pruning to keep it within hedge form, though 

 even with careful trimming, it is difficult to 

 keep the hedge looking neat and trim. 



Spiraa Van Houttei has started nicely 

 for me under a row of low-headed box elders, 

 where, moreover, the house also shades part 

 of the day. The native thorn likewise grows 

 fairly well in shade; and the wild plum will 

 grow, but the foliage is sparse and open, and 

 the fruiting meagre. 



TREES AS HEDGES 



Of the soft maples, I have already spoken. 

 Its relative, the box elder {Acer Negundo), 

 makes even a better hedge. It bears prun- 

 ing well, is exceedingly hardy, a rapid grower, 

 and free from insects. Start with two- to 

 three-year-old plants (large numbers of seed- 

 lings may be found in the neighborhood of 

 old trees, where they spring up almost with 

 the persistency of weeds) . On well-prepared 

 soil, with a sufficient supply of moisture, a 

 fair-sized hedge may be obtained in a few 

 years. The very first year the trimming 

 should begin by pinching back all the grow- 

 ing points to induce branching. I doubt 



