HEDGES

Articles In This Section:

· PRINCIPLES OF GARDEN DESIGN

· GENERAL ARRANGEMENT

· SHAPE AND GENERAL CARE OF LAWNS

· HEDGES

· THE PLACING OF PLANTS

In most circumstances hedges are undesirable unless they produce blooms or berries-colour in the garden and material for home decoration. Mixed shrubs, including roses, make a good substitute for a hedge of the old conventional type, but by far the most attractive planting is a rose hedge. There are many varieties to choose from now. A tall cypress hedge certainly gives privacy from the outside and a beautiful green background from the inside, but it takes a lot of food and water from the garden, entails much work in trimming two or three times a year, and occupies four or five feet in depth of an already small suburban garden. The roots on the garden side should be cut at least every two years by sinking a trench three or four feet deep the full length of the hedge. Similar objections can be raised to most hedges, especially privet-which, in addition, is seldom tall enough to provide either privacy or protection from wind. An unadorned fence is an eyesore. What, then, but a row of mixed shrubs or a hedge that will produce colour for the garden and the home?