rHE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
IRQ 
HEDGES 
H EDGES may be formed out of almost any plant 
that has a free bushy growth and is amendable 
to pruning. One occasionally sees a good hedge 
formed out of beech, hornbean, spruce, pine, hemlock and 
other unlikely plants, and when properly planted and 
looked after, are extremely ornamental and effective. 
Nurserymen and landscape gardeners should never miss 
an opportunity to encourage the use of unusual plants 
for hedges. 
Such plants, however, are too expensive and uncertain, 
requiring too much care and attention to ever come into 
very general use. A good hedge plant must be one that 
propagates easily and surely at very little cost and be free 
from disease. 
Lack of this latter qualification is the one great objec¬ 
tion to the use of the thorns Crataegus oxycantha which 
is used so generally in England, is too susceptible to San 
Jose scale in this country. The same may be said of 
Pyrus Japonica, Crataegus crus-galli, C. cordata, all of 
which are good hedge plants except for the fact they re¬ 
quire too much attention to keep clean. 
The Maclura aurantiaca, Osage Orange is a complete 
failure on this account in localities where it is liable to 
become infested by San Jose scale, yet at one time it gave 
promise of being a very satisfactory defensive hedge, 
miles of it being planted along the railroads. It has all 
vanished. 
In the South the Citrus trifoliata, or hardy orange, 
makes an impenetrable hedge but this cannot be depended 
upon much north of Richmond, Ya. 
To the privets must be given the credit for being the 
best all round deciduous hedge, in fact they are ideal, 
easily propagated, free from disease, grow readily, will 
stand any amount of pruning and may be kept low with¬ 
out deterioration. In fact the California Privet has be¬ 
come so popular in localities where it is hardy that it has 
become tiresome, and many people want something dif ¬ 
ferent.. The Ibota, Amoor River, common Privet and Re- 
gel’s are all a welcome change from the California Privet 
and their more extensive use should be encouraged. A 
good type of Regel’s Privet, raised from cuttings so they 
will be all true to a type, makes a wonderfully effective 
hedge, especially if knife pruned rather than sheared. 
Next to the privets the Japanese Rarberry is daily 
growing in favor, and deservedly so. It will not grow 
very high, about 4 feet being a very fair maximum, but 
apart from this it has all the qualities necessary for a 
good hedge plant and is much hardier than the privets. 
It does not root so readily from cuttings but comes readily 
from seed. It will be a long time before there is a sur¬ 
plus stock on the market as the demand is very great and 
growing. 
Itosa rugosa is sometimes planted as a hedge, but is 
rarely a success. Its habit of growth, suekering up from 
the ground and lack of twiggy growth is against it. The 
one rose that suggests itself as worthy of more consid¬ 
eration as a hedge plant is the sweet briar, Rosa rub- 
iginosa. The writer recalls some very good hedges 
formed of this plant. The fragrance of the leaves alone 
makes it worth while, where something unusual is 
wanted. 
The Arnold Arboretum bulletin speaks of a possible 
new Hedge Plant as follows:— 
“At Tachien-lu on the borders of Tibet, at about eight 
thousand feet above the sea, Mr. Wilson found hedges 
from 6 to 8 feet high, and so thick and spiny that a yak, 
an animal as strong as an ox, could not break through 
them. The plant of which these hedges were made, Ribes 
alpestre, var. commune, is now in flower in the collection 
of Chinese shrubs on Russey Hill. This Gooseberry has 
grown rapidly in the Arboretum and appears to be per¬ 
fectly hardy. There is little to recommend it as a garden 
shrub for the flowers are small and inconspicuous, and 
the acid fruit is covered with prickles and has little 
beauty, but as a hedge plant it may prove valuable in the 
cold parts of the country.” 
Flowering hedges always make a pretty feature wdiere 
they can be used in suitable positions, such as party lines 
between small properties or to separate one portion of the 
grounds from another. 
Pyrus Japonica, Japanese Quince. 
Philadelphus Lemoinei. 
Althaea, Rose of Sharon ( Hibiscus Syriacus). 
Deutzia gracilis, variety rosea and Lemoinei. 
Hydrangea panieulata grandiflora. 
Spiraea Van Houttei, Rillardi and Anthony Waterer 
are among the best for this purpose. 
The principles of pruning must be perfectly understood, 
if a good flowering hedge is to be maintained. However, 
the above mentioned for hedge purposes are the most sat¬ 
isfactory and least likely to lead to mistakes. 
Althaeas and Hydrangeas may be pruned to any extent 
after flowering and up to about the first of May. 
Deutzias and Spiraeas should be pruned immediately 
after flowering, according to well-known rules of sum¬ 
mer pruning. 
Pyrus Japonica flowering on the old wood as it does 
may be pruned or sheared at will but it is best not treated 
in too formal a manner. 
None of these flowering hedges should be trimmed in 
strictly formal outlines; they are naturally neat if care¬ 
fully pruned—not sheared. 
The Althaea is very valuable as a tall, upright-growing 
hedge, though a right start and regular pruning will 
make a hedge as bushy as may be desired. A double row 
hedge insures breadth. 
Deutzias of the crenata type are also rather tall and of 
upright habit. 
Perhaps the hedge that is most greatly desired yet sel¬ 
dom attained is a good evergreen hedge. 
The hemlock, spruce, arbor vitae, pine and Retinisporas 
are all used more or less, but too often too large plants 
are used to begin with, and an expert is required to keep 
them in perfect condition. May be an evergreen shrub 
will develop something on the order of Ilex Crenata that 
can be raised in sufficient quantity and at low enough 
cost to use for this purpose. 
