THE PLANTING OF HEDGES

Te Ao Hou, April 1958, Page 56

THE PLANTING OF HEDGES With regard to the distance apart when planting hedges, it should always be remembered that the closer they are planted, the more compact, tighter and dwarfed the hedge will be. If for instance one was planting a hedge for shelter on a westerly boundary, this is in reference to pines, macrocarpa, lawsoniana, etc., the distance would vary from nine—eleven feet with an ultimate height of fifteen—twenty feet, therefore when planting shelter, which is desired to ornament the home, hedging varieties such as floribunda escalloma, honicera, etc., plantings vary from twelve to eighteen inches. Posibly one of the reasons for thrifty and poorly developed hedges, is the fact, that the necessary care at planting and the maintenance of the plants after is not given the care that is required. Always prepare the land by digging a strip at least three feet wide, sometime before planting, and then apply a liberal application of bone-dust, raking the fertilizer into the soil. When plants arrive from the nurseryman, immediately transfer to their permanent position being extremely careful not too deeply or too shallow. The correct depth being noted on the stems where the colour changes from a creamy shade to a deeper shade. The light colour defines the area which has been beneath the soil in the nursery, and the darker portion where the sun and air have hardened the texture. Always remember to firm plants by treading so as to eliminate air pockets in the soil and to some extent assist the plant to re-establish its rooting system. During the following growing season, the area cultivated should be hoed on numerous occasions with a push type of hoe for the purpose of eliminating rank weed growth, which competes with the plants and also tends to restrict young lateral growth near ground level up. Too often do we see established hedges with large basal gaps which present a most unattractive appearance.