THE SHRUBBERY. 



783 



varieties planted in groups by themselves will 

 lighten up and neutralise the monotonous green 

 of the general masses ; while the groups of taller 

 trees and spire-like tops of others, with the 

 graceful drooping deodar and rigid-looking ar- 

 aucaria will break the general outline, and pro- 

 duce an agreeably-broken surface. 



Renewal of neglected shrubberies. — In the most 

 extreme cases, grubbing up and replanting will 

 be found the most satisfactory, while cutting 

 down to the ground, and allowing them to 

 spring again, may be had recourse to under less 

 desperate conditions. The former becomes most 

 imperative when plants or trees have been in- 

 troduced which have little or no connection 

 with each other, or with the place and purpose ; 

 the latter, when a portion only has to be re- 

 moved entirely, and the remainder cut down to 

 be again re-grown. In the former case, the 

 ground should be deeply trenched, and a por- 

 tion of new soil or manure incorporated with it 

 during the operation, as the ground will have 

 become considerably exhausted by the previous 

 crop of trees or shrubs, and ill fitted for the 

 healthy production of a crop so similar. In the 

 latter, such curtailments should take place as to 

 admit of groups of new or more interesting 

 plants being introduced, and a new character 

 given to the whole. Winter and early in spring 

 is the best season for either operation. It is 

 seldom convenient to cut down an existing 

 shrubbery unless during a lengthened absence 

 of the proprietor, on account of the disordered 

 appearance it would give to the place. In such 

 cases, recourse must be had to layering, by 

 which the appearance of keeping need not be 

 much disturbed. This process is also well 

 adapted to shrubberies where, from neglect of 

 timeous heading back, the plants become naked 

 at bottom, while their tops are in a healthy state. 

 It is also valuable when vistas are to be cut out 

 of long-standing shrubberies, and where it would 

 be objectionable to cut down the plants in the 

 line of view to the ground. Layering is per- 

 formed as in ordinary nursery propagation, when 

 shoots of the current or previous year are to be 

 operated upon, and merely consists of thinning 

 out the superfluous shoots, and layering those 

 most eligible for the purpose, When the opera- 

 tion is to be performed on branches or trees of 

 from 1^ to 4 inches and upwards in diameter, 

 the process is different, and although not re- 

 quiring much more skill on the part of the 

 operator, requires a great deal on the part of the 

 director. In such cases, a judicious thinning out 

 of superfluous branches, and often of entire 

 plants, is to be performed. Such branches should 

 be cut out as are not required, and also such as 

 are thin of branchlets at top ; such only should 

 be retained as the eye of the judicious operator 

 sees will be required to be laid in certain posi- 

 tions, not only to cover the ground, but also to 

 face up the breach made by the removal of the 

 others, that the vista may appear, when finished, 

 in as natural a state as if it had not been artifi- 

 cially formed. In thinning out, it should be 

 borne in mind that some of the larger branches 

 maybe broken during the process, and therefore 

 enough should be left to make up for such con- 



tingencies. The first thing to be considered is, 

 facing up the sides of the vista by shortening back 

 the leading branches of the shrubs on each side, 

 yet so as not to let them appear as if they had 

 been interfered with. The branches afterwards, 

 on both sides, are to be foreshortened by layer- 

 ing, so that their green tops may unite with those 

 left on each side, and gradually bring down the 

 green surface, not in a hedge-like form, but in 

 as natural a manner as possible, some branches 

 receding backwards, and falling in height, while 

 others stand in projection, either lowered or at 

 their natural length. Foreshortening — that is, 

 disposing of the long naked stems — is thus per- 

 formed : A branch is selected out of those left 

 at the first thinning, the top of which is to fill 

 up a certain space ; with a sharp bill-hook the 

 side of the branch opposite to that on which it 

 is to be brought down is to be cut away in a 

 slanting direction downwards, and from 1 foot 

 to 24 feet (according to its size), or until it will 

 bend down towards the ground without break- 

 ing. When this is accomplished — and it should 

 be especially noticed that this cutting away 

 must always be upon one side only, and that 

 opposite to the direction the branch is to fall 

 to — the distance is then to be calculated, which 

 may be done by measurement; at which, and on 

 an opposite side, the branch is to be cut in a 

 similar manner as before, so that it may be 

 bent backwards towards the root, and again cut 

 and bent upwards, so that the top of the branch 

 may come into its proper place for filling up the 

 space allotted to it. When the distance between 

 the two fractures does not exceed 3 feet, a third 

 fracture is unnecessary; and often, where the 

 branch to be laid is short and bushy at top, 

 one fracture will be sufficient. To retain the 

 branches so foreshortened in their proper places, 

 a trench is often cut, into which they are laid, 

 and firmly packed round with soil, although 

 sometimes it is found expedient to fix them 

 down by strong hooked pegs driven in alongside 

 of them. In other cases, this pegging down is 

 found to be sufficient, and the naked stems are 

 laid on the surface of the soil. In most cases, 

 where the branches touch the ground, whether 

 buried in it or not, they strike roots, and are 

 afterwards supported by these roots, should the 

 stem entirely decay. Single specimens of trees 

 and shrubs which may have become one-sided 

 by too close contact with other plants, may by 

 this process be in a great measure restored to 

 symmetry of form and uniformity of outline. 

 All trees and shrubs, with the exception of 

 the conifers, azaleas, and a few others whose 

 wood is too brittle to admit of bending, may be 

 treated in this manner, the proper season for 

 deciduous plants being during winter, while with 

 evergreens the operation may go on at almost 

 any time of the year. Shrubberies which may 

 have overgrown their proper size and height, 

 may be, by this process, reduced to any desired 

 height, and plants of any age may be operated 

 upon. By layering in this manner, and by an- 

 nual thinning and shortening the tops, shrubs 

 may be kept in health and complete order for 

 many years, while a neglect of thinning, prun- 

 ing, and layering only hastens the appearance of 



