THE BEST SHRUBS TO PLANT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23831, 10 June 1939, Page 24

THE BEST SHRUBS TO PLANT

SOIL PREPARATION Although they are among the most permanent features of almost every garden, hedges are generally haphazardly planted. Not sufficient regard is given to the fact that the rate of growth,«density, general behaviour, and formation of a good hedge are primarily determined at the time of planting. No matter how eager the-gardener may be to see a screen or windbreak in full growth, he must be patient and let his hedge grow up naturally.

In the earnest desire to see their hedges at full stature, many amateurs make the mistake Of. buying comparatively large plants, three or four years old, with the idea that they will provide a good hedge all the sooner. In- actual practice, it is much safer, and more satisfying in result, to buy young one or two-year-old plants. It is not only more economical, but young trees really do, get hold sooner, and in a year or two surpass the hedge of older trees in density, and formation.,* . ' ..•' '-'

v'lt is important, in the interests of the hedge s permanent good looks as well as its health, that it should be well planted. If young saplings are chosen, a trench at least double spade width should be dug, and the top soil laid on one side while the subsoil is thoroughly broken up. The success of a hedge depends upon a good bushy and fibrous root system, and this can only develop in good, well-drained soil. If the site is ill-drained, which is not always preventable, the. subsoil should be well forked and mixed with old rubble and peat moss litter. This aids drainage, aerates the subsoil, and promotes a warmer soil by the bacterial action that the peat moss engenders, all of which are conducive to the formation of a beautiful hedge. BEST PLANTING TIME

For deciduous hedges use plenty of well-rotted manure, peat moss, or compost, with a sprinkling of coarse bonemeal. These provide slowlyavailable plant nutrients that are ideal for the sustained growth of a forming hedge. For conifers and evergreens, leaf mould, entirely decomposed manure, or peat moss are most satisfactory, as these trees prefer a slightly acid reaction and abundant humus in the soil. Although hedges may be planted at any time from May to October, the best time is early May, when the weather is open. The ground retains some summer warmth, and the trees become re-established more quickly, with a minimum retardation of their vigour and activity. Young plants should be ordered and planted at the distances recommended by the nurseryman. Small box plants need to be from four to six inches apart, shrubs like privet from eight to 12 inches, and conifers from 15 to 24 inches, according to their kind. Close planting is particularly important where a dense formal hedge, to be kept well clipped, is desired. The second essential is to plant deep, so that the plants are covered as far as their lowest branches. This ensures a hedge that will be furnished right down to the ground. In planting it is best to give each shrub or tree individual attention, and see that its roots are equally distributed and spread out before filling in the top soil. This, too, develops equalised branching on each side of the hedge. Cover the roots with a few inches of soil, and give the plant a perpendicular shake so that the soil is well and firmly placed around the roots, leaving no air pockets. Then fill up with soil, and tread well. If you have the material, a top mulch of old manure, compost, or peat litter, mixed with a litte soil is an excellent blanket that will prevent the roots from becoming dry. If the plants are dry at the roots when they arrive from the nursery, it is as well to puddle them. This is done by making a thick soup of water and loam in a tub or bath, and dipping the roots in it. The coating of soupy soil gives the roots something to feed on while becoming established in their new environment.

Planted i: this way, the hedge in embryo is ready to go ahead immediately growing conditions return. Its formation then depends on the after-treatment. During the first three years of the life of any hedge, attention should be paid to forming abundant bottom growth. This is more important than height. It means careful clipping, and a sacrifice of inches in height to inches in

girth. If the young hedge is kept trimmed with a picture of the form we want it to have when mature in mind, it will be found less and less trouble as it grows older. On the other hand, a hedge neglected in its formative years is, like a neglected child, likely to prove of increasing difficulty to its parent, the gardener, later on. Broadly speaking, hedges may be divided into deciduous, evergreen, and conifer. If young trees are selected, the buying power of the pocket is not so restricting, and, other things being equal, the hedges that give the gardener most joy are those which are most beautiful in maturity. One of the cheapest and fastest-growing among deciduous hedge plants is the hawthorn or quick. It gives a good thick impenetrable hedge, three or four feet high in as many years, and may be grown tall enough tc form a 10 foot screen. It stands clipping well, although it is not too pleasant to handle, due to its sharp spikes, and it seldom lacks vigour. For the private garden, beech or hornbeam give a more ornamental hedge, particularly as, with clipping, they retain the old leaves throughout the winter, giving a rich brown tone to the garden. Evergreens and conifers supply an almost endless variety of shrubs and trees suitable for hedges. Privet is cheap and grows quickly, but it is a gross feeder, and requires much clipping. It is most admirable for town gardens, where little else will grow. The golden-leaved privet lends a bright note, and is better than the more common dark green kind. In most gardens, however, there is scope for more worthy hedges. If initial cost is an important consideration Lonicera nitida should be the choice. It grows readily from slips, and soon forms a dense hedge that stands clipping well, and with beautiful results. For hedges from four to six feet it is ideal. Box is well known for its excellent clipping qualities, and, when well planted and cared for, soon establishes itself as a fine hedge. It requires neither a rich soil nor an alkaline one, but does best in a well-prepared loam, enriched with rotted organic material. Buxus sempervirens, the tree box is the wellknown dark green variety, growing to five to six feet or more if desired. There is also a golden-edged box, and the Handsworth box, both of which form fine hedges, standing cutting well, and yet are not very slow in growth. Buxus suffruticosa is the compact dwarf-growing type that is useful for edging flower and rose beds, and for low hedges as lines of demarcation within the garden. Holly hedges are the pride of some of our old English gardens, and do not take as long to establish themselves as is sometimes thought. Ilex aquifolium is the common prickly holly, and forms a dense screen, Which maybe trained to a height of 12 or 15 feet. The other hollies are somewhat expensive for hedge-mak-ing, although Golden Queen may be used to lighten the more sombre common holly. The cotoneasters supply colourful evergreen. hedges, especially C. microphylla, with its bright red berries and low habit, and C. Simonsi, the berries of which shade from orange in the autumn to bril liant scarlet in winter. These shrubs should be trained by pruning rather than clipping, and soon reward one for the extra care.

Yew hedges are deserving of special consideration. No other shrub gives the same green wall-like effect, or Approaches the richness of foliage colouring. Taxus baccata is the familiar English yew of the countryside and forms a hedge of great permanency and beauty. Another yew worthy of planting is T. elegantissima, a beautiful golden variety. Cupressus macrocarpa, most popular of the conifers, is cheap in first cost, grows quickly, but owing to its unexplained habit of dying-out in patches, cannot be relied upon for a permanent hedge. It ,appears to dislike being clipped, and it is better to take the long view, and plant either C. Lawsoniana or Thuja occidentalis, which, although slightly slower in growth, yield a fine permanent hedge. Thuja Lobbi is another handsome conifer that grows quickly, and, like Thuja plicata, is excellent if allowed to grow undipped for the formation of a secluded arbour in the garden, or tall-growing wind-breaks, Tsuga canadensis, Picea excelsa, and Juniperus virginiana are unusual but successful, and may be trimmed and clipped or allowed to grow naturally.—S. B. W., in Amateur Gardening.