Evening star., 1942-11-07

Select Plants to
Serve Purpose
By Lillian Wriekf Smith.

Serve Purpose
By Lillian Wright Smith. g.
Tho purposes Of hedges are a.
varied as the material used In their
planting and there Il no element
in landscape design more definite
or characterfu in appearance. They.
serve rs wind-breaks, barriers,
screens and backgrounds, and they
define boundaries; but most im.st
portant Of al their uses. they give
inclosure for privacy. emphasizing
in the. modern setting the old
Anglo-saxon word for garden
"garth"-meaning - space tn
closed" 71s
Material for hedges IS almost un-
limited and there Is . plant well
suited for every possible kind Of .,
hedge. siss
The old. familiar privet family
Qigustrum) has . great deal to rec
ommend 1t both In reliability and
habit Of growth. The much-useds
California variety, while deciduous.
holds its little leaves until late In 4
the winter. If properly planted and
sheared so that the hedge Is broad.M
est at the base and narrower to-
ward the top, allowing the sunlight
to reach the roots, it will make ~
dense growth and will serve any 7
purpose required Of hedge. -;
The evergreen variety Uigustrun
lucidum) is more beautiful but not !
always hardy here In exposed posi-. !
tions. ~;
Equally familiar are the barber
ries. The Japanese barberry tBer-
beris thunbergD with its red berries {
and rich. green foliage turning red.
in the autumn, is hardy and fool ;.
proof, and there is the lovely ever
green variety, julianae. the lustrous
green Of whose summer foliage turns
to bronze and then crimson at the
approach Of cool weather, and which
deserves to be much more widely
used. II
And for edgings and hedges In
small spaces nothing could be more
satisfactory than the dainty bar p
berry (Berberis minor which is .
delicate replica in miniature Of its
larger relative, the Japanese variety
For dog proof and boy proof
hedge nothing is quite 50 much to-
the point as the hardy orange CPon-l
cirrus trifoliata) and the fire-thorrt
(pyracantha). Both have thof1i6
that discourage any attempt to
break through and the glossy. ever
green foliage of the orange and the
scarlet fruit Of the .pyracantha add
both beauty and interest to their
usefulness. -s
Still In the deciduous class are
the roses where a large hedge Is
required, the rugged rugosas and the
shrub roses, such as Sara Van Fleet
and Agnes, serving well.
The problem Of hedging q very
shady place is amply met by the
aralia (dimorphanthus) and IN
sunny positions and for towering
hedges. the old-fashioned althea or
its hybrid with snow-white bios
SONS, or the spireas or Nlacs, work
out delightfully."-.
And II there is an open, wind.
swept position to be coped with,
there Is no better answer than the
lovely Russian olive (Eleagnus au-
gustifolia).
The evergreens offer the best ma
terial for wind breaks. the hemlocks,
arborvitae and spruces qualifying
satisfactorily.
Two Of the most aristocratic Of
the evergreens, the Japanese holly
Nlex crenata microphilla) and a
particularly lovely yew (Tsxus brew
ifolia) are beautifully adapted to
hedge purposes.
without picture of English box
wood Buxus sunruticosa) the ro-
mantle planting of old gardens, with
their colorful colonial associations.
the hedge that is literally q green
wall when the plants have merged
with the passing Of time.
In planting hedge, It is much
the best procedure to dig q trench.
making 1t q feet deep and 2 feet
wide and spading in plenty Of food
at the bottom-bone meal or horse
or cow manure. 1t is advisable to
run q line from end to end of the
trench to plant against. insuring q
straight line. And for best results.
start hedge with young plants.
putting in deciduous material when
1t Is perfectly dormant in the au-
tumn, and planting evergreens be-
tween August Is and September IS.