In very cold and windy winters they tend to be deciduous, but they can be very effectflj hedges in many situations. Clipping twice a year, in May-June and August! produces a better hedge than annual clipping and three or four cuts durinflj the summer can be even better. Crataegus monogyna, the native quickthorn, hawthorn, whitethorn or May I-and the closely related c. oxyacantha-is equally cheap, comes easily from seed, and are the basis of most farm or country hedges. Properly trimmefl once a year, in July, it can soon make an animal-proof hedge that will Щ withstand all frosts and all but the most severe salt-laden gales. The Я rounded shape of the farm hedge need not be copied. That shape comes I from hedge-bottom weeds and the old methods of trimming. FerfecttH satisfactory erect or broad-based hedges can be produced if care is exerciseflj from the start. This common hedge is, of course, deciduous and because оИ its ubiquity is not considered very attractive, but it has its place as MM boundary hedge. Several cultivars of Ilex aquifolium, the common holly, and a number of its I exotic relations have much to commend them as boundary and interna] И hedges to provide year-round cover. The native species raised from seed В may not be entirely uniform but it will be sufficiently so to form a useftH hedge. Specimens raised from cuttings can be relied upon to have complete! ly even growth and appearance, if the soil and its preparation have been Я satisfactory. Although it is not quick growing, a foot (30cm) of growth parflj year after establishment will soon produce a useful hedge that will stand fori years at almost any height and width; and several clones of the hybqH Ilex x altaciarensis such as 'Atkinsonii' and 'Hodginsii' can do better than that. For those who like them there are variegated-leaved forms with yellow Я or white margins or centres. They will provide extra light and colour ondulfl winter days. Plant at least i8in(45cm) apart and trim annually in August. 1 Berberises, or barberries, are also prickly subjects that make useful garden Я hedges. Berberis darwinii and В. x stenophylla, both evergreens, are the mostfl commonly seen as full-size hedges. Both have the added advantage ofl bright yellow flowers in spring if the annual trimming is done soon after Я flowering and the resulting short growths are not again removed. SeveflJ other members of this genus can make less formal hedges from 3 to 8ft(r to 2.5m) in height and some of them have the added advantage of redberriefl and coloured foliage in the autumn. The small-leaved shrubby honeysuckles, Lonicera nitida and its neaflj relations, became popular hedge plants some years ago. They are evergreeflj and very cheaply propagated by cuttings but do not reach or remain erect afl any great height-4ft(i.25m) is really an effective maximum, and they must Я be closely clipped very frequently from early May to late August.