Siipjih-iitfnt 
292 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
March  12,  19C3. 
is  the  most  common  and  serviceable  of  all.  It  is  cheap,  grows 
quickly,  and  is  easy  to  keep  in  order  by  occasional  clipping  during 
summer.  It  should  be  planted  1ft  apart,  and  at  planting  time 
sliould  be  cut  down  to  within  lOin  or  a  foot  of  the  ground,  so  as 
to  stool  out  and  form  a  dense  bottom.  Half  each  year’s  growth 
should  be  cut  back  in  order  to  build  up  a  strong  hedge  until  the 
desired  height  has  been  attained.  The  golden  Privet  is  now  much 
used  for  hedges,  and  makes  an  effective  and  briglit  change  to 
the  green,  and  even  mixed  together  they  make  a  pretty  and 
effective  variegated  hedge. 
The  Euonymus. — As  an  evergreen  or  golden  hedge,  especially 
for  suburban  gardens  in  the  south  and  on  the  coast,  this  makes 
a  very  bright  and  effective  hedge,  whether  the  green  or  the 
golden  variety  be  planted. 
Crat.egus  pyeacantha  and  Pyrtjs  japonica. — For  a  hedge 
up  to  2ft  or  3ft  in  height  the.se  plants  are  admirablv  suited,  and 
when  in  flower  and  berry  are  most  attractive.  They  must  be 
pruned  into  shape  by  the  knife  in  late  spring  after  the  berries 
have  fallen. 
Garrya  elliptica. — This  is  seldom  used  as  a  hedge  plant,  yet 
it  is  one  of  the  very  handsomest  shrubs  we  possess  for  the  pur¬ 
pose,  with  its  greenish  grey  foliage  and  pendulous  graceful 
panicles  of  bloom.  In  the  South  of  England  it  will  grow  freely 
in  this  form,  but  not  in  colder  counties.  It  must  be  pruned 
with  a  knife  in  late  spring. 
The  Box  Trae 
is  too  well  known  as  a  hedge  plant  to  need  noting  at  any  length. 
For  a  low  evergreen  it  is  one  of  the  best.  As  a  formidable  hedge 
asainst  trespassers  the  Myrobalan  Plum  is  one  of  the  most 
effective. 
The  Bamboo. 
As  a  garden  hedge  where  the  plant  will  succeed  I  believe 
there  is  a  great  future  for  the  Bamboo  in  English  gardens.  I 
saw  an  excellent  illustration  of  this  fact  in  a  glade  of  Bamboos 
planted  in  the  pretty  Japanese  garden  at  Gunnersbury  House, 
where,  although  they  had  been  planted  only  a  couple  of  years, 
they  had  made  splendid  progress  and  attained  to  a  height  of 
seven  or  eight  feet.  Phyllostachys  Simoni  is  the  hardiest  and 
best  for  this  purpose. 
The  Conifer  as  a  Hedge  Plant. 
It  frequeiitly  happens,  especially  in  forming  new  gardens,  that 
it  i.s  desirable  to  have  a  hedge  of  considerable  height  planted 
at  once  for  this  purpose.  We  have  the  hedge  ready  made  in  the 
following  subjects,  which  may  be  bought  in  quantities  at  a 
cheap  rate  in  any  height  from  3ft  to  Oft;  Arbor  Vitse  (Thuja 
occidentalis).  Thuja  gigantea  and  Thujopsis  borealis,  being 
amongst  the  best.  The  Arbor  Vitae  is  open  to  the  objection  that 
it  turns  to  a  rusty  sort  of  brown  colour  in  the  winter,  but  it  has 
a  mo.st  pleasing  light  green  colour  in  summer  and  autumn. 
The  Laurel. 
In  planting  Laurel  hedges  it  must  never  be  forgotten  that 
they  are  liable  to  be  killed  to  the  ground  by  the  hard  frost  of  some 
of  our  severe  winters,  therefore  they  are  not  recommended  for 
planting  where  they  are  likely  to  suffer  from  this  cause.  The 
common  Laurel  and  Laurustinus  ai’e  the  best.  They  should  be 
pruned  with  the  knife. 
The  Ivy. 
This  is  invaluable  as  a  screen,  especially  where  space  is  limited 
and  where  there  is  no  room  to  plant  a  hedge.  Outbuildings  or 
objectionable  features  near  a  home  can  be  effectively  screened 
in  this  way,  and  indeed  converted  into  objects  of  interest,  as  a 
well-clothed  screen  of  Ivy  is  always  pleasant  to  look  upon.  The 
best  variety  to  plant  is  the  Iri.sh,  being  a  strong  grower,  and  one 
of  the  most  cheerful  in  colour  and  brightness.  The  golden  and 
silver  variegated  may  also  be  used  in  this  way. 
Roses. 
As  a  hedge  plant  in  the  flower  garden  or  pleasure  ground  the 
Rose  is  invaluable,  the  China  Rose  being  one  of  the  best 
adapted  for-  the  purpose  as  it  is  in  bloom  for  practically  four 
months  in  the  year.  The  handsomest  hedge  of  Roses  I  have 
ever  seen  was  formed  of  the  old  Maiden’s  Blush.  There  is  a  wide 
and  interesting  selection  of  varieties  suitable  for  this  purpose, 
as  all  our  hardy  and  strong  growing  varieties  may  be  so  used, 
not  forgetting  the  Crimson  Rambler,  for  crimson,  and  Aimee 
Vibert  and  Bennett’s  Seedling  for  white. 
Worn  Out  or  Dafective  Hedges 
To  repair  gaps  in  hardwood  hedges,  such  as  the  Beech,  the 
Hornbeam,  and  Thorn,  the  best  way  is  to  cut  them  hard  down  to 
within  two  or  three  feet  of  their  base,  all  excepting  those  limbs 
Avhich  are  required  for  pleaching  or  bending  down  horizontally  to 
fill  up  the  gap.  In  order  effectually  to  bend  the  limb  down  for 
this  purpose  it  must  be  cut  half-way  through  near  its  base,  and 
brought  down  as  near  as  possible  to  the  bottom  of  the  gap,  bend¬ 
ing  others  in  the  same  way  every  lOin  until  the  gap  is  filled  up 
to  the  height  of  the  hedge.  After  thjs  treatment,  if  the  work 
i.s  carried  out  properly,  a  broken-down  fence  will  be  as  good  as 
ever  it  was  in  the  course  of  two  or  three  years’  time.  With  re¬ 
gard  to  evergreen  hedges  in  this  unsatisfactory  condition,  the 
best  way  is  to  make  the  soil  in  the  gap  as  good  as  it  can  be  made 
by  deep  stirring  and  the  addition  of  manure,  and  planting  young 
healthy  trees  to  fill  up.  It  is  rather  uphill  work  for  the  young 
trees  to  have  to  cope  with  the  old  ones,  but  by  careful  nursing 
in  the  way  of  watering  and  mulching  until  they  have  had  a  secure 
hold  in  the  .soil,  gaps  may  be  effectually  filled  in  this  way. 
The  Sweet  Erlar, 
Apart  from  the  delicious  sweetness  of  its  perfume  the  Sweet 
Briar  makes  an  interesting  and  ornamental  dwarf  hedge  up  to 
2Jft.  In  early  summer  it  give®  a  profusion  of  its  sweet  smelling 
pretty  pink  and  white  single  flowers,  and  in  autumn  and  winter 
it  is  freely  clothed  with  its  beautiful  coral  seed  berries.  It  is 
exceptionally  well  adapted  for  planting  as  margins  to  large  beds, 
or  as  a  boundary  hedge  to  Rose  or  herbaceous  gardens,  especially 
if  these  happen  to  be  near  the  living  rooms,  as  there  its  delicious 
perfume  after  a  shower  of  rain  pervades  the  whole  atmosphere, 
even  finding  its  way  into  every  room  of  the  house.  It  may  be 
propagated  by  seeds  or  by  cuttings,  the  latter  should  be  inserted 
under  a  hand-light  early  in  autumn.  It  will  succeed  in  any 
ordinary  garden  soil  as  long  as  the  position  is  well  drained. 
Double  rows  should  be  planted  (angle-ways)  at  1ft  apart.  To  keep 
in  neat  order  it  should  be  clipped  (but  not  too  close)  twice  during 
the  year,  at  the  end  of  June  and  October. 
The  Lavender. 
As  a  low  hedge-boundary  to  herbaceous  borders,  or  as  margins 
to  shrubbery  walks,  the  Sweet  Lavender  is  as  popular  and  in¬ 
dispensable  as  is  the  Sweet  Briar.  It  is  very  simply  and  easily 
propagated.  Slips  of  branches  about  lOin  long  should  be  taken 
from  the  old  plants,  and  the  base  cleared  of  leaves  for  the  space 
of  5in.  These  may  be  dibbled  into  the  earth  to  this  depth  (and 
the  soil  well  pressed  to  them)  in  the  position  they  are  permanently 
intended  to  occupy.  Each  slip  will  grow,  and  in  a  couple  of 
years  a  good  hedge  will  be  formed.  To  keep  the  hedge  in  good 
order  it  should  be  cut  fairly  close  with  the  shears  immediately 
after  the  bloom  spikes  have  been  harvested. — Owen  Thomas, 
V.M.H.,  Waldeck  Road,  V/e.st  Ealing. 
Mignonette  in  Pots  for  Winter, 
One  very  e.ssential  point  in  Mignonette  culture  is  to  obtain 
a  good  compost,  which  should  consist  of  two  parts  of  fibrous  loam, 
one  of  leaf  .soil,  one  of  two-year-old  cow  manure,  with  old  mortar 
rubble  (the  latter  is  important).  Some  sharp  sand  and  a  little 
bonemeal  may  be  added.  To  have  a  continuation  of  bloom 
during  winter,  of  course  special  preparations  must  be  made  by 
sowing  at  intervals  from  July  to  October.  I  am  no  advocate  for 
the  potting-on  system  as  some  growers  advise,  but  much  prefer 
sowing  directly  into  the  flowering  pots,  for  which  I  think  good 
suitable  sizes  are  32’s  or  24’s.  Use  thoroughly  clean  and  well- 
drained  pots  ;  firm  the  Soil  with  a  rammer  to  within  an  inch  of  the 
top;  level,  and  sow  the  seed  rather  liberally.  Sift  some  of  the 
soil  finely,  adding  a  little  more  sand  to  lightly  cover  the  seeds. 
Water  with  a  fine  rosed  can;  place  sheets  of  glass  and  paper 
over  the  pots,  and  transfer  to  a  cold  frame.  So  soon  as  there 
are  .signs  of  germination  remove  the  covering,  and  expose  the 
seedlings  to  full  air  and  light. 
They  should  receive  their  first  thinning  as  soon  as  the  second 
leaf  is  made,  and  again  later.  The  cause  of  a  good  many  failures 
lies  in  growing  too  many  seedlings  in  a  pot.  Four  for  a  32  size 
(or  fiin),  and  five  or  six  for  a  24  (or  6in)  are  ample;  some  very 
useful  plants  can  be  gro-wn  .singly  in  48’s.  Where  it  is  practicable 
span  frames  are  best  to  grow  them  in,  as  they  not  only  admit 
air  freely,  but  are  always  a  protection  from  heavy  rains.  Keep 
them  out  as  long  as  possible,  without  running  the  risk  of  getting 
them  frozen.  Aim  at  a-good  sturdy  growth  before  winter  com¬ 
mences.  When  frost  begins  they  should  be  tramsferred  to  some 
heated  structure  (as  close  to  the  roof-glass  as  possible),  with  a 
temperature  of  4/5deg  to  •'iOdeg,  admitting  air  abundantly  on  all 
favourable  occasions.  The  watering  must  be  done  ■with  great 
care  and  judgment  as  success  depends  largely  upon  this.  Feeding 
will  be  necessary,  and  should  commence  when  the  plants  are 
about  2in  high  ;  at  first  sparingly,  but  as  growth  increases  a  more 
liberal  supply  may  be  given.  Liquid  cow  manure  used  alternately 
with  a  little  Clay’s  fertiliser  is  very  beneficial.  When  the  pots 
are  well  filled  with  roots,  a  little  soot  water  will  be  needed 
occasionally  to  keep  a  good  healthy  colour  in  the  foliage.  Stake 
neatly,  one  to  each  seedling,  to  secure  the  main  stem.  Plants 
that  are  in  a  good  vigorous  state  of  health  will  support  their  own 
lateral  growth.  Of  cour.se  spring  sowing  should  take  place  under 
different  conditions.  Sow  in  a  temperature  of  60deg  or  65deg, 
keep  close  to  the  glass,  and  gradually  harden  off,  and  grow  on  in 
a  warm,  airy  greenhouse, — G.  H.  Cook,  Milburn,  Esher. 
