Hedging

This summer of rain our evergreen hedges have rioted, sprouting enthusiastically, reaching upward and outward, unruly, wayward. Time for hedging!

So much water and months of temperate weather have invigorated our well-established yews and hemlocks. As we’re only a week and a half from flipping the calendar from summer to autumn, we decided it was time — overdue, perhaps — for re-trimming our hedges.

And so today I send out thanks today to Sean Hoehn and Steve Cooley of S&S Property Services for hedging our evergreens back into prim, proper, and healthy condition just in time for the seasonal swap from the lush greens of summer to the colorful palette of fall foliage.

In the image above our waist-high yew hedge in front of Rosslyn is once again tidy and crisp edged befitting the balance, symmetry, and restrained formality of the front façade. The yews in the next photo — closer to shoulder height and tending toward whimsy more than formality — flank the east entrance to Rosslyn’s carriage barn. Less balanced and less symmetrical, these old shrubs were flanking the home’s entrance staircase when we purchased the property in 2006. We excavated them and transplanted them to the carriage barn with the able assistance of Bob Kaleita. A decade and a half later they continue to thrive.

We also have hemlock hedges at Rosslyn, one new last summer and the other established in our 4th or 5th year of ownership, as I recall. The former is still establishing, but the latter — southwest of our mudroom entrance, and providing screening for our parking area — was also trimmed and looks smart once again.

Seen from the east (public viewshed of the house from the sidewalk and the road), this hedge edits out the parked cars while framing the transition from front yard to backyard. Seen from the west (below) it defines the parking area and integrates the massing of the house with the southern tree line. It allows a degree of privacy while helping to define one of the many layers to this property. North of our driveway the century plus old stone wall delineates the front yard from the backyard, and on the southern side, this hemlock hedge extends that transition.

I’m a big fan of hedges and hedging. But I’m missing the mark in this post, talking around my topic, occasionally touching the point that I’d like to make, but only briefly, glancingly before veering off again into nebulous nouns and verbs. Some days words wander wider than the wrangler. Perhaps a puzzle piece of poetry instead?

Hegemony of Hedges

Here’s to hedging,
handsomely edging
with evergreen
shrubbery and trees.
Bordering, bounding,
framing, and screening,
an architecture
alive, dynamic,
always evolving. 
From planning
and planting
to training
and trimming,
our yews and hemlocks,
our arborvitae
integrate buildings 
with gardens and grounds;
brick walls and slate roof
with ancient stone walls,
timeless fences, gates;
sunrises and lake
with sunsets, tree lines,
meadows, and mountains.
Here’s to hedging,
landscapers’ sketching
home’s pieces and parts
into vistas and parks. 

Not quite there. Jottings. A placeholder for another day, a more rested rain, a keener wit…