Planting the Garden Feature

The planting around the principal garden feature must be different from that of the shrub border used for enclosure. The feature requires richer material, usually some ever greens, both conifers-pines, firs, and spruces-and hollies.

These are too exotic and expensive for general use throughout the border, but they give the finish needed to accentuate the focal point. This is also the place for colorful azaleas and hybrid rhododendrons, which here will not have to compete with herbaceous material in front or rampant shrubs behind. At the sides or among the larger evergreens, sourwood, fringe tree, cercis, and flowering dogwood give both bulk and light ness. A tall cedar, an arborvitae, or even a Lombard poplar way at the back, just off axis, will focalize the whole picture. (Plate 25.)

Hedges

Where privacy must be achieved and there is insufficient room for a shrub border, or where definite clipped lines are important to the design, use hedges. Usually they are less ex pensive than shrub borders, and always less than masonry walls or fences. On the other hand a hedge, if it is to look well, is more trouble to maintain than any other garden en closure.

The type of hedge depends on the degree of formality of the garden. Hedges can be either informal or formal, or any thing between. Try to choose a hedge with a clear idea of what final effect you want. If you are after a sharp trim look, choose one of the few suitable plants, like Hicks yew. It stands continual close clipping. If you can be content with a less rigid line, your choice is wider. Almost any shrub or small tree planted in a straight line at regular intervals will pro duce a hedge, but for a trimmed hedge, avoid forsythia, flow ering quince, or spirea whose flowers are borne close to the branches or in terminal clusters. All grace and charm is lost when they are clipped. Other shrubs, whose flowers are un important, like the viburnums, may be clipped quite closely. Although the flowers are lost, the hedge is attractive nonethe less.

Most people, when you say hedge, think of California privet or Japanese barberry, both good but overused. Subur ban landscapes would be improved if an embargo were de clared on these two for ten years. The ibota and Amur privets are hardier than California privet, and also adapted to clip ping. Among the evergreens, hemlock, upright yew, arbor vitae, and Japanese holly are the best. Stephanadra flexuosa (hardy south of New York), Viburnum prunifolium and den tatum, Euonymous alatus and its dwarf relative compacta, Lonicera tatarica and morrowi, beech, hawthorn, and horn beam, all make good deciduous hedges either closely clipped or slightly restrained. Regels privet is particularly fine, if only slightly restrained by the cutting back of overlong branches. It will reach a height of eight to ten feet, and can then be cut back to a foot or so, and allowed to start all over again. Such treatment creates a more graceful hedge than constant shearing or clipping.