There's a beautiful hedge along...
Illustration
There's a beautiful hedge along the back property line where we live, but it wasn't always beautiful. When we first moved here nine years ago it was obvious that the previous owner had never pruned or trimmed it. The hedge had grown in all kinds of unruly directions to a height of about 10 feet. I figured the best thing to do was to cut it down and dig out the roots. My wife, however, urged me to seek the advice of a horticulturist. So I called the university the next day and they sent a young woman to take a look at the hedge. She identified the type of hedge plant and said that it normally made a lovely hedge if cared for properly. She said that I should cut the hedge down to a height of about eight inches, let it grow again, and shape it with careful pruning.
There's nothing to lose, I thought, so I cranked up my chain saw and mowed down the hedge as she had advised. Now, nine years later, it is kept beautifully trimmed at a height of four feet. Birds love to nest in its thick leaves and berries.
I'm glad that I followed the advice of that young horticulturist. At the time I was cutting it down with the chain saw, however, I had my doubts. This seems like a pretty strange way to beautify a hedge, I thought.
If that hedge could think, it might have responded to my chain saw with something like, "Strange in his deed and ... alien is his work!"
- Kaul
There's nothing to lose, I thought, so I cranked up my chain saw and mowed down the hedge as she had advised. Now, nine years later, it is kept beautifully trimmed at a height of four feet. Birds love to nest in its thick leaves and berries.
I'm glad that I followed the advice of that young horticulturist. At the time I was cutting it down with the chain saw, however, I had my doubts. This seems like a pretty strange way to beautify a hedge, I thought.
If that hedge could think, it might have responded to my chain saw with something like, "Strange in his deed and ... alien is his work!"
- Kaul
