A 
PRIL, 
KJ)I4 
HOUSE AND GARDEN 
267 
gathered to his fathers. Almost reclaimed from the marshes is 
the land, yet not actually on the marsh is it, either; for in front 
the roadway is hard and firm, and a spring-fed well just within 
the gates yields most delicious, fresh, sweet water, icy cold in 
midsummer. Set into the ground perhaps a decade ago, at in¬ 
tervals of six or eight feet, were willow twigs. These were the 
hedge or fence foundations, grown to goodly trees in short 
order, and pollarded when five or six feet high, at which time 
they were ready to receive the rails that are nailed from each 
to each in three tiers. The lower line is about six inches from 
the ground ; the second is two feet; the third four feet or a 
little more. When these were ready, the long willow shoots 
were cut and woven vertically behind the lower and upper and 
before the middle of these three rows of rails, as close together 
as they could be laid. And an absolutely impenetrable barrier 
is the result, because the shoots touch the ground at the bottom, 
and some, indeed, are thrust in, while others have taken root 
and thus thrust themselves in ! So that all along this curious 
hedge, green and living willow tops are waving here and there, 
in a naive confusion that exactly suits the quaint little place. 
While nonchalance carried to this extreme is hardly desirable 
in our average gardens, the idea of a woven hedge with living 
posts is adaptable to many places and well worth working out, par¬ 
ticularly where the surroundings are actually sylvan or rural—not 
imitation. 
Of flowering shrubs available, there are barberries, lilacs, Rose 
of Sharon, Japanese quince, certain of the spireas, a hydrangea, 
the Japanese wild rose —(rosa rugosa )—a viburnum, some of the 
cornels, deutzias, weigelas and privet in all of its varieties— 
though this is almost invariably chosen for a sheared hedge. Of 
this list, the barberry and privet may be trimmed to the most pre¬ 
cise form, the Japanese barberry in particular lending itself to as 
severe cutting and as definite lines as the California or the Amoor 
privet. Indeed, this particular 
varietv is frequently substituted 
for boxwood edging in sections 
where the latter will not en¬ 
dure the winters; and a very 
satisfactory substitute it makes, 
providing very small plants are 
used and set close—six inches 
being a better distance between 
than more. The larger plants 
and greater distance will leave 
gaps at the ground when 
sheared, in spite of all the after 
care in the world. It is only 
when plants small enough to 
mingle their branches right at 
the ground, as these first start 
to grow, are used that an un¬ 
broken and truly boxlike edg¬ 
ing can be developed. 
But, of course, flowering 
shrubs will not flower to any 
really satisfactory degree when 
restricted with the shears and 
cut into unnatural shape. So, 
with all of these species and va¬ 
rieties it is assumed that no 
shearing will be clone. For the 
trim, close-cropped, high-grow¬ 
ing hedge it is much better to 
plant the commonly used pri¬ 
vet or an evergreen of some 
kind, using the floral hedge only 
For utility and form nothing can equal a sturdy boxwood hedge. It is a rapid grower 
and after the first winter requires only passing attention 
ill such positions as its natural characteristics demand and will 
adorn. 
As to just what these positions are it is difficult to say definitely. 
Generally speaking, the floral hedge is more suitable to the sub¬ 
divisions within grounds than to the outer boundaries of a place; 
but, as such a hedge takes up a considerable space, it is not, of 
course, practicable on small places. As a screen planting it may 
be used to advantage sometimes, however, in smaller places than 
would seem naturally to invite it; but on the whole it is pretty 
safe to limit it also to the acre of land which we have set as neces¬ 
sary for the loose and rank-growing brambles and the arboreal 
(Continued on page 298) 
Barberry is one of the best-flowering shrubs available for hedge planting. In trimming, care must be exercised not to destroy 
the buds. By planting closely at the start the shrubs will grow up without gaps 
