TREES TOO NEAR KITCHEN GARDENS.

Otago Witness, Issue 1324, 14 April 1877, Page 18

TREES TOO NEAR KITCHEN GARDENS.

In laying out and planting new gardens, there is often a want of forethought as to the effect produced on the inmates of the garden by fully developed trees outside the walls. The occupants of the kitchen! garden frequently suffer, both from lofty' trees obstructing the light when planted, on the side of the garden, arid from the roots of gross-feeding varieties finding their way under the walls and fobbing the fruit tree borders, often to a serious extent before the real cause of the mischief is discovered. The evil may not bo apparent for many years after planting- ; but when the. trees outside have attained large dimensions, the mischief must either be put up with or the trees cut down. The result is, that in most cases the useful is sacrificed to the ornamental; We have here some extremely tall Silver Firs, which, although a considerable distance from the forcing houses, effectually inter- . cept every ray of sunshine in winter, when it is so much needed to assist early forcing. But this is a slight evil compared ' with that which results from the roots' having access to fruit-tree borders, where planting close up to screen? the waits as practised, and where such trees and shrubs as Firs, Yews, and Laurels are used. When the roots once get hold of the rich soil in such borders, they soon impoverish it,; leaving but little nourishment for either fruit trees or vegetables;-

My impression is that a better methbdoi* shutting out and screening walls, when their presence is an eyesore, would be to clothe them with a judicious mixture of flowering, foliage, and berry-bearing creepers. Periods of drought; strikingly illustrate • the effects of • ■ tree • roots' t on. garden' crops,-; ■ 'at * such-- 1 times' 'their languishing appearance near' strong^grb^ ing trees soon indicate that'/jthe rqqts 'of the latter haye penetrated Ithe borders. — The Garden. ■■ ■ '_•''.'.:<■