29 MARCH 1946, Page 14

In My Garden

A recent discourse by a great specialist on garden hedges attracted me, for the garden hedge is a grand subject ; but I was disappointed to find myself disagreeing with a good part of his advice. He claimed that Lonicera nitida, that most popular of newer plants, made a good stiff hedge up to six feet. My experience is that it is delightful up to a foot in height, as an alternative to box, and thoroughly bad above three feet. Again, he recommended deciduous hedges as being much quicker in growth than evergreens ; and said that you planted yews only for posterity. Now in my experience no plant makes a hedge so quickly as the Thujas. T. Lobbii is only a little less quick than Macro-carpa, whose quality may be described as tender treachery. Both are as quick as quick. Yew, if well done, is not at all slow. Is there a best hedge plant? In my list beech would perhaps come at the top. A neighbour has a lovely hedge