HEDGE FUNDS: When all else fails in the winter garden, turn your attention to planting hedges and Shaping Straggly Shrubs into tidy topiary

摘要

If an untidy desk is the sign of a creative mind, why doesn't that theory extend to an untidy garden? Untidy gardens are as frowned upon by neighbours as loud stereos and chatty canines - and never more so than in winter. In spring, floppy perennial borders are actually considered charming. In summer, an unkempt lawn simply says you're at the beach. But in winter, when gardens are stripped bare of any floral frippery, there's nowhere to hide from the inevitable seasonal slobbishness - unless you plant a hedge. Hedges are like wardrobe doors: they're designed to conceal complete chaos behind a tidy facade.