,,handbooks ,,of ,,practical ,,gardening--,,xviii ,,edited ,,by ,,harry ,,roberts ,,the ,,book ,,of ,,topiary ,illustration3 ,,view ,,in ,,levens ,,gardens ,,showing ,,gardener',s ,,house ,,the ,,book ,,of ,,topiary ,,by ,,charles ,h4 ,,curtis1 ,f4,r4,h4,s4 ,,assistant ,,editor ,,of ,,the 8,,gardeners' ,,magazine02 ,,previously ,,assistant ,,superintendent ,,of ,,the ,,royal ,,horticultural ,,society',s ,,gardens1 ,,chiswick2 ,,and ,,formerly ,,at ,,the ,,royal ,,gardens1 ,,kew ,,and ,w4 ,,gibson ,,head ,,gardener ,,at ,,levens ,,hall1 ,,westmoreland 8,the man who sneers at me for admiring1 as ,i do1 a well cut peacock1 may take my assurance in advance that ,i will neither kick him nor abuse him2 but pity him ,i must40 ,,shirley ,,hibberd4 ,,john ,,lane3 ,,the ,,bodley ,,head ,,london ,,and ,,new ,,york4 ,,mcmiv ,turnbull ,spears1 ,printers1 ,edinburgh ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,contents ,,page ,,introduction #a ,,topiary #d ,,early ,,history #f ,,golden ,,age ,,of ,,topiary #ab ,,crusade ,,against ,,topiary #ba ,,addison ,,and ,,pope #bd ,,revival ,,of ,,the ,,art #cb ,,the ,,formation ,,of ,a ,,topiary ,,garden #cg ,,planting ,,and ,,manuring #dd ,,management ,,of ,,old ,,trees #ej ,,the ,,management ,,and ,,training ,,of ,,young ,,trees #eh ,,the ,,general ,,management ,,of ,a ,,topiary ,,garden #gj ,,index #gi ,,list ,,of ,,illustrations ,,view ,,in ,,levens ,,gardens3 ,,showing ,,gardener',s ,,house ,frontispiece ,,box ,,tree ,,cottage1 ,,rustington ,to face page #b 7,from a drawing by ,mr ,w4 ,graham ,robertson7 ,a ,,pig ,,in ,,box ,,at ,,compton ,,wynyates #d 7,photo4 by ,mr ,f4 ,goode7 ,a ,,farm-,,yard ,,fowl ,,at ,,compton ,,wynyates #f 7,photo4 by ,mr ,f4 ,goode7 ,a ,,leathern ,,bottel ,,in ,,box ,,at ,,compton ,,wynyates #f 7,photo4 by ,mr ,f4 ,goode7 ,,levens ,,gardens3 ,,the ,,broad ,,walk #h ,,boats1 ,,pyramids1 ,,and ,,peacocks #aj 7,by courtesy of ,messrs ,cheal7 ,,the ,,harlington ,,yew #ab 7,by courtesy of 8,the ,gardener's ,magazine07 ,,peacocks1 ,,tables1 ,,spirals1 ,,and ,,boats ,,in ,,yew ,,and ,,box #ad 7,by courtesy of ,messrs ,cheal7 ,,beech ,,hedge ,,and ,,bowling-,,green ,,at ,,levens #af ,,early ,,eighteenth ,,century ,,view ,,of ,,lord ,,hamilton',s ,,grounds ,,near ,,the ,,thames #ah 7,by courtesy of 8,the ,agricultural ,economist07 ,,muntham ,,court1 ,,sussex #bb 7,by courtesy of 8,the ,agricultural ,economist07 ,,yew ,,tree ,,with ,,bird #bd 7,by courtesy of ,messrs ,cutbush7 ,,crown ,,garden1 ,,muntham ,,court1 ,,sussex #bh 7,by courtesy of 8,the ,agricultural ,economist07 ,,queen ,,elizabeth',s ,,crown ,,and ,,jug1 ,,elvaston ,,castle #cj 7,by courtesy of 8,the ,gardener's ,magazine07 ,,hens1 ,,ducks1 ,,and ,,peacocks ,,in ,,box ,,and ,,yew #cb 7,by courtesy of ,messrs ,cheal7 ,,yew ,,tree ,,with ,,bird--,,another ,,form #cd 7,by courtesy of ,messrs ,cutbush7 ,,clipped ,,yews ,,at ,a ,,cottage ,,entrance #cf 7,from ,jekyll's 8,old ,west ,survey40 ,by courtesy of ,messrs ,longmans1 ,green ,co47 ,,crosses ,,and ,,jugs ,,in ,,yew #ch 7,by courtesy of ,messrs ,cheal7 ,,variously ,,shaped ,,yew ,,trees #dj 7,by courtesy of ,messrs ,cutbush7 ,a ,,peacock ,,cut ,,in ,,yew ,,at ,,compton ,,wynyates #da 7,photo4 by ,mr ,f4 ,goode7 ,,old-,,fashioned ,,box ,,garden1 ,,chastleton ,,house #db 7,by courtesy of ,miss ,whitmore ,jones7 ,,cottage ,,at ,,ditcheat1 ,,somerset #dd 7,photo4 by ,mr ,hulbert7 ,,cross ,,in ,,yew ,,in ,,st ,,boniface ,,churchyard1 ,,bonchurch1 ,,isle ,,of ,,wight #dh ,,yews ,,at ,,montacute1 ,,somerset #ej 7,photo1 by ,mr ,f4 ,goode7 ,,the ,,post ,,office1 ,,ditcheat #eb 7,photo1 by ,mr ,hulbert7 ,,old ,,example ,,of ,,topiary ,,in ,,box ,,at ,,compton ,,wynyates #ed 7,photo1 by ,mr ,f4 ,goode7 ,,levens ,,gardens3 ,,general ,,view #ef ,a ,,verdant ,,peacock #fj 7,photo1 by ,mr ,charles ,thonger7 ,,seat ,,at ,,the ,,priory1 ,,glastonbury #fb 7,photo1 by ,mr ,hulbert7 ,,levens ,,gardens3 ,,umbrella1 ,,indian ,,wigwam1 ,,and ,,east ,,walk #ff ,,arm-,,chair ,,in ,,box ,,at ,,compton ,,wynyates #fh 7,photo4 by ,mr ,f4 ,goode7 ,,the ,,cottager',s ,,pride #gj 7,photo4 by ,mr ,f4 ,goode7 ,a ,,swan ,,in ,,box ,,at ,,compton ,,wynyates #gb 7,photo4 by ,mr ,f4 ,goode7 ,,cottage ,,topiary ,,at ,,north ,,weald1 ,,essex #gb ,,levens ,,gardens3 ,,showing ,,letter ,b ,,and ,,lion #gf ,,note4--,the ,publisher will be glad if readers will send him1 at ,vigo ,street1 ,w41 photographs or notes of any remarkable specimens of ,topiary1 for inclusion in a new edition4 ,,introduction ,it is extremely fortunate that the ,editor made no limitations1 beyond that of space1 when giving me the invitation to contribute a historical account of the ,art of ,topiary1 as a sort of preface to the practical advice given in later chapters by ,mr ,gibson1 who has charge of the wonderful collection of clipped trees at ,levens ,hall4 ,this is fortunate1 because it would have been difficult either to wholly praise or wholly blame an art that for at least a century and a half provided ,english gardens with their outstanding feature4 ,it were easy for us to dismiss the whole subject of ,topiary by affecting a great superiority and referring to it only as a monument of perverted taste1 but that would neither provide interest nor give instruction1 and it is hoped that both these ends may be served so far as the space at disposal will permit4 ,as it is an undoubted fact that for about one hundred and fifty years ,topiary was both fashionable and popular1 it follows that1 whatever our taste may be1 a consideration of the subject cannot be lacking in interest4 ,never did a horticultural fashion retain its hold upon a gardening public so long as ,topiary1 but as fashions rarely come spontaneously but are rather arrived at by a kind of evolutionary process1 so the art of ,verdant ,sculpture must have had its ,early ,history1 followed by a development of design limited only by the ingenuity of the gardener4 ,then came what one may call the ,golden ,age of ,topiary1 when every garden having any pretensions whatever to importance was more or less notable according to the degree of formality found in its design and furnishing4 ,the inevitable reaction followed next1 and had its beginning in a ,crusade which found able supporters in those two brilliant essayists and satirists1 ,addison and ,pope4 ,the old order changed1 and considering its age1 it changed with a rapidity for which there seems to be no parallel in horticulture4 ,no doubt many trees were permitted to grow naturally after years of close cropping and carving1 but doubtless also many thousands were uprooted and destroyed by the landscape gardeners who were practising--notably ,bridgeman and ,kent--when the decline of ,topiary set in4 ,and not only were clipped trees destroyed1 but many a splendid close trimmed hedge of box and yew was swept away1 leaving the garden unsheltered and unsecluded4 ,extremes met1 as was but natural1 when once the tide of fashion turned1 and it has been left for the present times to properly adjust the balance between extreme formality on the one hand and too close a copy of nature on the other4 ,we can appreciate the shelter and beauty of a well trimmed hedge in the garden1 and1 in its proper place1 we find no fault with a straight terrace walk4 ,still further1 we are collecting old sundials or fashioning new ones on old models1 and in some of the best gardens of the day the garden seats have a comfortable old-time appearance4 ,the principle of associating like with like is gaining ground1 and in numerous fine establishments the interest of the place is wonderfully increased and extended by gardens devoted to certain subjects4 ,we have ,rose ,gardens1 ,rhododendron ,gardens1 ,bamboo ,gardens1 ,michaelmas ,daisy ,gardens1 etc41 and lastly1 we have ,topiary ,gardens4 ,these latter do not now as heretofore overpower everything else2 they are simply part of a whole scheme for providing a continuation of pleasure1 beauty and interest2 they serve as a reminder of a quaint stage in the progress of horticulture1 and show what a wonderful vitality is possessed by yew1 box1 and some few other evergreen shrubs4 ,illustration3 ,,box ,,tree ,,cottage ,,rustington ,this little book1 then1 is not placed before the public with any fervent hope that it will incite garden lovers to at once sally forth with shears and scissors to attack the nearest yew tree2 nor is it issued with a desire that garden makers may be induced to plant clipped trees extensively4 ,further1 the 8,book of ,topiary0 can hardly be said to 8supply a long felt want0 in the general sense in which that very hackneyed phrase is used4 ,why comes it1 then8 ,what are its claims to popular consideration8 ,it comes to provide an hour's reading upon one of the most distinct and interesting branches of horticulture that the art has ever produced4 ,its claims to consideration are1 chiefly1 that in it are gathered together the main incidents that go to make up the history of ,topiary1 and it presents to readers the cultural experience of one whose opportunities for gaining such experience are unequalled4 ,topiarian history is somewhat difficult to piece together1 and1 so far as the writer is aware1 no attempt has hitherto been made to place such a history before the gardening public4 ,it is1 therefore1 modestly suggested that this work is somewhat unique among books dealing with horticultural subjects1 and it is hoped it may be found to deserve a position in every garden library4 ,c4 ,h4 ,,curtis4 ,,topiary 8,if ,i do not defend the taste through thick and thin1 ,i am prepared to admit that much may be said in its favour1 and it is far from my intention to denounce it as either extravagant or foolish4 ,it may be true1 as ,i believe it is1 that the natural form of a tree is the most beautiful possible for that particular tree1 but it may happen that we do not always want the most beautiful form1 but one of our own designing1 and expressive of our ingenuity40--,shirley ,hibberd4 ,modern horticultural works1 and especially those that are of the ,dictionary type1 do not as a rule take any notice whatever of ,topiary1 and those in which it is noticed deal with the subject with a brevity that is provoking1 inasmuch as the student is little or none the wiser for the information given4 8,johnson's ,gardeners' ,dictionary0 is silent on the subject1 and 8,cassell's ,popular ,gardening0 may be searched in vain for any reference to it4 ,mr ,g4 ,nicholson1 ,f4,l4,s41 ,v4,m4,h41 in his celebrated 8,dictionary of ,gardening10 writes1 under ,topiary1 8,although the absurd fashion of cutting and torturing trees into all sorts of fantastic shapes has1 happily1 almost passed away1 yet1 as the art of the ,topiarist was for a considerable period regarded as the perfection of gardening1 some mention of it is desirable here4 ,when the fashion first became general in ,britain1 it is probably impossible to ascertain2 but it reached its highest point in the sixteenth century1 and held its ground until driven out of the field in the last 7eighteenth7 century by the natural or picturesque style4 ,from an archological point of view1 it is not to be regretted that examples of ,topiary work on a large scale still exist in several ,british gardens40 ,turning to the very recent 8,cassell's ,dictionary of ,gardening0 an all too concise account is found1 but ,mr ,w4 ,p4 ,wright admits therein that ,topiary 8finds favour in many quarters to-day1 although it only differs in degree and not in principle from the best examples of the ,topiary art of the sixteenth century40 ,illustration3 ,a ,,pig ,,cut ,,in ,,box ,,at ,,compton ,,wynyates ,encyclopdias tell us very little of ,topiary1 and even that monumental work the 8,encyclopdia ,britannica0 contains within its portly tomes no reference to so historically interesting a subject1 unless it be curiously hidden away4 ,and even that very useful work 8,chambers's ,encyclopdia0 passes over ,topiary as though such an art never existed4 ,to students of ,etymology the word ,topiary itself is of considerable interest4 ,for the present work it must suffice to say that it is derived from the ,latin topiarius1 pertaining to ornamental gardening4 ,one dictionary definition or meaning of the word is 8shaped by cutting or clipping0 and horticulturists will agree that this definition is both clever and descriptive1 for ,topiary work consists in giving all kinds of more or less fanciful forms to trees1 hedges1 and arbours4 ,an interesting reference is made in the 8,history of ,oxfordshire0 to the use of the phrase 8,topiary ,work40 ,it is stated therein that 8at ,hampton ,court1 which was laid out about the middle of the reign of ,henry ,,viii4 by ,cardinal ,wolsey1 there was a labyrinth1 which still exists1 covering only the quarter of an ,acre of ground1 yet its walks extending by their volutions over nearly half a mile4 ,the walls also were covered with ,rosemary4 ,it was also long celebrated for its trees cut into grotesque forms1 which ,dr ,plot admired and dignified with the name of ,topiary ,works40 ,,early ,,history 8,little low hedges1 round like welts1 with some pyramids1 ,i like well2 and in some places fair columns1 upon frames of carpenters' work40--,bacon4 ,just how far back in the history of gardens and gardening the art of ,topiary was first practised there is no means of telling1 but we know that gardening was first practised as a source of food supply1 and that pleasure gardening did not occupy a very prominent position among the arts and sciences until civilisation had made considerable advances4 ,architecture had progressed in a wonderful manner and reached a high state of perfection long before horticulture assumed any great importance4 ,to use ,lord ,bacon's elegant words1 8when ages grow to civility and elegancy1 men come to build stately1 sooner than to garden finely1 as if gardening were the greater perfection40 ,this being so1 it does not seem so very unreasonable to presume that the ancient builders of stately edifices would not in designing the surrounding gardens1 plant trees and shrubs likely to mask1 soften1 or detract in any way from the architectural features created at so great an expenditure of time and money4 ,they would the rather be likely to plant the more formal trees near the mansion1 keeping the more graceful at a distance4 ,the love of the formal among the ,greeks may be evidenced from the writings of ,theocritus1 the pastoral poet of ,greece1 who compares the beauty of ,helen to that of a ,cypress4 ,following up this idea1 a reason for keeping evergreen and other trees closely clipped is apparent4 ,from the mere clipping of these subjects so as to keep them in harmony with the architecture1 to the cutting of evergreens into fantastic shapes1 is not a very wide transition1 but whether the latter style was first adopted by the ,grecian or the ,roman gardeners does not appear4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,farm-,,yard ,,fowl ,,at ,,compton ,,wynyates ,illustration3 ,a 8,,leathern ,,bottel0 ,,cut ,,in ,,box ,,at ,,compton ,,wynyates ,we do know1 however1 that the ,romans practised ,topiary freely and that they were also fine architects and builders4 ,even in the formation of sheltering groves of forest trees to provide welcome shade from the bright sunshine1 the ,romans adopted the formal quincunx method of disposing the trees4 ,how much more1 then1 would they have been ready in that age of undeveloped taste in the design and planting of gardens to welcome a method of training and culture that enabled them not only to bring the garden up to the mansion without any resultant loss of architectural effect1 but also permitted them to carry architecture into the garden and apply it in a more or less fantastic manner to the trees themselves4 ,on the authority of ,martial we learn that the art of ,topiary was first introduced to the ,romans by ,cneus ,matius4 ,matius was the friend of ,julius ,csar and a particular favourite of ,augustus1 but whether he originated or borrowed the idea we know not4 ,as a court favourite1 however1 he must have had ample opportunity for propagating this particular method of gardening1 and doubtless then1 as now1 a fashion set at court was quickly followed by all who wished to be up-to-date4 ,good or bad1 the taste spread1 and even such a man of taste and letters as ,pliny the ,roman ,consul considered it quite the proper thing to use ,topiary work extensively in his famous ,tuscan ,villa4 ,in a letter written by ,pliny the ,younger to his friend ,apollinaris 7,ep4 v4 #f7 is a fine description of this garden4 ,melmoth's translation pictures the front of the ,portico as opening on to a sort of ,terrace 8embellished with various figures1 and bounded with a ,box ,hedge1 from which you descend by an easy slope1 adorned with the representation of divers animals in ,box1 answering alternately to each other3 this is surrounded by a walk enclosed with tonsile evergreens1 shaped into a variety of forms4 ,behind it is the ,gestatio1 laid out in the form of a ,circus1 ornamented in the middle with ,box1 cut into numberless different figures1 together with a plantation of shrubs prevented by the shears from running too high3 the whole is fenced in by a ,wall1 covered with ,box1 rising in different ranges to the top40 ,after dealing with trees1 roses1 etc41 he continues3 8,having passed through these winding alleys1 you enter a straight walk1 which breaks out into a variety of others divided off by ,box hedges4 ,in one place you have a little meadow2 in another the ,box is cut into a thousand different forms2 sometimes into letters expressing the name of the master2 sometimes that of the artificer2 whilst here and there little ,obelisks rise intermixed alternately with fruit trees1 when on a sudden you are surprised with an imitation of the negligent beauties of rural ,nature1 in the centre of which lies a spot surrounded with a knot of dwarf ,plane ,trees40 ,it must not1 however1 be assumed that the ,romans were entirely without appreciation of natural beauty and scenery4 ,far from it4 ,but they loved lavish displays of art1 and this also led them to use the gardens immediately surrounding their dwellings as a gallery in which to arrange their collections of sculptured trees4 ,roman poets and philosophers alike have left in their writings ample evidence that the beauties of nature were greatly admired by their countrymen1 but at that period1 when ,rome was the mistress of the world1 ,italy was well supplied with natural sylvan scenery1 and consequently1 where it was not at all necessary to cultivate this particular form of gardening1 the desire for contrast and display led to a very widespread adoption of the art of ,topiary4 ,illustration3 ,,levens ,,gardens ,,the ,,broad ,,walk ,from the gardens of the wealthy ,romans the taste for clipped trees and general formality of design was carried throughout the ,empire4 ,doubtless the monks who carried the arts of gardening throughout the ,european continent took with them and put into practice a taste for ,topiary4 ,in their wall-encircled monastic gardens dense hedges would rise both for the provision of shelter and to afford additional seclusion1 and in a modest way these would in all probability be embellished by verdant sculptures4 ,but it was much later than this that ,topiary commenced to be one of the chief features of garden design1 for with the corruption of the ruling powers came the decline of the ,roman ,empire1 and then followed the ,dark ,ages wherein the clash of arms1 coupled with deep superstition1 put gardening1 as a pleasure1 out of the question1 so that except in some few cases it was only conducted at all because of the necessity of providing a meagre food supply4 ,for long1 long years war-like occupations were1 either from choice or necessity1 in the ascendant4 ,but there presently came a time when peace again reigned and arts and commerce flourished2 gardening revived1 and in ,italy where still remained many examples of the grandeur of ,ancient ,rome1 it soon flourished in the establishments of the wealthy princes4 ,although ,charlemagne revived the art of gardening in ,france in the eighth century1 he was not the kind of man to care much for garden display2 he rather introduced useful fruits and encouraged the cultivation of herbs and fruits wholly from an economic point of view4 ,so we are compelled by the lack of historical information to pass on to much later times ere we can again take up the tale of ,topiary4 ,loudon points out that the ,roman style of gardening was lost in ,england when the ,romans abandoned this country at the beginning of the fifth century1 but he surmises that1 following the revival of gardening in ,france by ,charlemagne1 ,william the ,conqueror would probably re-introduce it at the end of the eleventh century4 ,some little progress was made in the reigns of ,henry ,i4 and ,henry ,,ii41 and it was the former who formed the ,park at ,woodstock 7#aabc71 probably the first of which there is any record4 ,in accord with the prevailing taste1 it contained a labyrinth1 which appears to have chiefly constituted the ,bower so intimately associated with the fate of ,rosamund4 ,but during the twelfth century there was very little of either design or taste in the arrangement of gardens4 ,these latter were of limited extent and1 because of the feudal broils that enlivened the monotony of existence1 they were for the most part attached only to the larger establishments1 and in them were confined within the ,glacis1 or first line of defence1 which was a necessity of the times4 ,beyond the inevitable moat1 orchards arose1 wherein the horticulturally inclined among the baron's retainers could indulge their taste for ornamental gardening2 a taste which consisted then1 according to ,johnson1 and continued to a much later age1 8in having plants cut into monstrous figures1 labyrinths1 etc40 ,illustration3 ,,boats1 ,,pyramids ,,and ,,peacock ,so common a part of garden design did labyrinths and mazes become at this period and during the thirteenth century1 that we find scarcely a plan among the many given by ,de ,cerceau in his 8,architecture10 issued about #abej1 in which either a round or a square one does not appear4 ,this brings us into the thirteenth century1 an age wherein the taste for architecture and gardening spread northwards and especially took a firm hold in ,holland1 where then1 and later1 the wealthy merchant princes liberally encouraged almost all branches of horticulture4 ,thus encouraged the florists entered heartily into the business of supplying their patrons1 and1 aided by a suitable climate and the various inventions born of necessity1 they made ,holland famous throughout the world for its commercial horticulture4 ,so careful1 however1 were the ,dutch of every inch of land1 much of it reclaimed1 that they laid out their gardens with mathematical precision and consequent primness1 carrying this principle into the very trees and plants themselves4 ,it was in the early part of the fourteenth century that ,pierre de ,crescent1 of ,bologna1 wrote his work on ,agriculture1 wherein he describes the kinds of pleasure gardens suitable for various classes of the community1 and a suggestion of formality of design and the use of ,topiary is made in his observation that a royal garden should contain a menagerie1 and also an aviary placed among thickets1 arbors and vines4 ,,golden ,,age ,,of ,,topiary 8,i confess that ,i should never care to adorn my garden with topiary or with carpet bedding2 but ,i hope always to be cautious in making declarations in respect of such matters1 that ,i may not appear to despise another man's pleasures1 or vainly desire to set up a standard of my own in opposition to the delightful variety that is ensured by the free exercise of individual taste and fancy40--,shirley ,hibberd4 8,while perhaps not admiring these birds and beasts1 we must1 ,i think1 in a measure agree with ,loudon1 that many old-fashioned gardens have suffered in losing the quaint forms of cropped yews1 which added a certain charm to them40--,john ,lowe1 ,m4,d41 in 8,yew ,trees of ,great ,britain and ,ireland40 ,the dawn of the sixteenth century saw the commencement of what may be called the ,golden ,age of ,topiary4 ,it was also the beginning of an age of romance1 of stirring deeds1 of great discoveries2 an age when men of genius were numerous1 when history was being rapidly made1 and when the art of gardening began to flourish freely4 ,though the times were stirring ones and there was not always 8peace within our borders10 commerce grew and wealth increased1 so that gardening became more and more popular and steadily grew more and more elaborate in design4 ,to the existing style were added the extravagances of the ,french and the formalities of the ,dutch schools1 but these things did not all come to pass at once4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,harlington ,,yew 7,as clipped #agbi-agij7 ,it is most probable that the ,old and ,formal ,english ,gardens as we know or imagine them1 were the development of at least two hundred years1 and probably the type had not been reached until the reign of ,charles ,,ii41 notwithstanding such gardens are frequently alluded to as ,elizabethan4 ,this idea seems the more reasonable after a perusal of ,withington's 8,elizabethan ,england10 for though the ,editor gives us ,harrison's description of ,gardens and ,orchards1 ,woods and ,marshes1 ,parks and ,warrens1 there is never a word that can be construed into a reference to ,topiary1 not even in his account of 8the palaces belonging to the prince40 ,nevertheless1 quaint gardens were formed before the time of ,elizabeth1 ,shakespeare1 ,drake1 ,raleigh1 and ,gerard4 ,a curious conceit in these old-time gardens was the formation of a mound in the pleasure grounds1 where none previously existed1 and this seems to have been quite the correct thing in the way of garden design even as late as ,evelyn's day1 for we learn that he arranged for a 8mountaine0 in the family gardens at ,wotton1 in ,surry4 ,leland1 in his 8,itinerary0 7#aedj71 refers to this feature in garden design in connection with the garden at ,wrexhill ,castle1 near ,howden1 in ,yorkshire4 ,he says3 8,the ,gardens within the mote1 and the ,orchards without were exceeding fair4 ,and yn the ,orchardes were mounts1 opere topiorii1 writhen about with degrees like the turnings in cokil shelles1 to come to the top without payn40 ,that ,topiary had already a considerable hold upon the garden-loving public at this early date cannot be doubted4 ,very few of these ancient gardens remain unaltered at the present time1 but in that most interesting book1 8,a history of ,gardening in ,england10 the ,hon4 ,alicia ,amherst gives the plans of ,sir ,henry ,dryden's gardens at ,canons ,ashby1 ,northamptonshire1 which show that clipped yews are prominent features1 as two rows of four trees each line one of the approaches1 and these trees have a diameter of about ten feet4 ,the author states that this garden1 originally made in #aeej1 was altered in #agjh1 8and has defied the changes of fashion for nearly two centuries40 ,gerard 7#aede-afjg71 the famous old ,herbalist who was gardener to ,lord ,burghley in the reign of ,elizabeth1 does not enlighten us as to the use of clipped trees1 but ,parkinson1 another and equally famous ,herbalist1 who was born in #aefg and died about #afdj1 does give us a little information on the subject4 ,parkinson was ,apothecary to ,james ,i41 and ,charles ,,ii4 made him ,botanicus ,regius ,primarius2 he therefore had the advantage of exceptional opportunities for studying the plants of his time and their uses4 ,indeed some of the quaintest things ever printed are the accounts of the 8,virtues0 of the several parts of the plants described by ,parkinson and by ,gerard4 ,pointing out that the yew was largely used both for 8shadow and an ornament10 ,parkinson seems to regret that the privet had not received proper attention at the hands of ,topiarists simply because of its widespread use as a hedge plant1 and he advocates its further employment by remarking that 8to make hedges or arbours in gardens 444 it is so apt that no other can be like unto it1 to be cut1 lead1 and drawn into what forme one will1 either of beasts1 birds1 or men armed or otherwise40 ,because of its comparatively slow rate of growth the yew has been the subject usually employed by topiarists1 while box is a good second in point of popularity4 ,both these trees or shrubs have the additional merit of longevity4 ,wordsworth points out both the slow growth and longevity of the yew in his lines3-- 8,there is a yew-tree1 pride of ,lorton ,vale1 ,which to this day stands single1 in the midst ,of its own darkness1 as it stood of yore1 ,not loth to furnish weapons for the bands ,of ,umfraville or ,percy ere they marched ,to ,scotland's heaths2 or those that crossed the sea ,and drew their sounding bows at ,azincour1 ,perhaps at earlier ,crecy1 or ,poictiers4 ,of vast circumference and gloom profound ,this solitary tree6--a living thing ,produced too slowly ever to decay2 ,of form and aspect too magnificent ,to be destroyed40 ,illustration3 ,,peacocks1 ,,tables1 ,,spirals ,,and ,,boats ,,in ,,yew ,,and ,,box ,,at ,j4 ,,cheal ,,and ,,sons1 ,,crawley ,heslington1 near ,york1 still boasts an ancient ,topiary garden1 where all the clipped trees are of yew4 ,this1 as well as the clipped hedges of ,rockingham1 and the hedges and clipped trees at ,erbistock1 date1 according to the ,hon4 ,alicia ,amherst1 from about #aefj4 ,other trees and shrubs were also used by the tonsile artists1 and even ,rosemary was not omitted4 ,barnaby ,googe 7about #aegh7 observed that the women folk planted it and trimmed it into shapes 8as in the fashion of a cart1 a peacock1 or such things as they fancy40 ,william ,harrison1 ,rector of ,radwinter1 and ,canon of ,windsor1 who wrote 8,a ,description of ,england0 contained in 8,holinshed's ,chronicles10 has already been referred to4 ,he was a most observant man and one who in his own picturesque language 8had an especiall eye unto the truth of things02 from #aehf to #aeic he was ,canon of ,windsor1 and therefore anything he has to say about gardens is of unusual interest4 ,his keen patriotism shines brightly through all his writings1 and his high opinion of his own land is not in any way reduced when he comes to discourse upon gardens1 for he writes3 8,i am persuaded that1 albeit the gardens of the ,hesperides were in times past so greatly accounted of1 because of their delicacy1 yet1 if it were possible to have such an equal judge as by certain knowledge of both were able to pronounce upon them1 ,i doubt not but he would give the prize unto the gardens of our days1 and generally over all ,europe1 in comparison of those times wherein the old exceeded40 ,early in the succeeding century1 however1 we come upon some more positive evidence of the use of ,topiary work4 ,lawson1 in #afah1 shows more clearly that ,topiary had become an important branch of the art of gardening1 and that the designs carried out by some of the artists were1 to say the least of it1 remarkable4 ,as indicative of the progress already made1 he states3 8,your gardener can frame your lesser wood to the shape of men armed in the field1 ready to give battell3 or swift-running ,grey ,hounds to chase the ,deere1 or hunt the ,hare4 ,this kind of hunting shall not waste your corne1 nor much your coyne40 ,in the reign of ,charles ,,ii4 7#affi-afhe71 garden design and garden ornamentation reached a degree of extravagance not previously attempted and not subsequently repeated4 ,this was the time when ,le ,notre rose to be the most famous gardener in ,europe1 a time when ,louis ,,xi4 was ,king of ,france 7#afdc-agae74 ,during this period there was a great striving after effect on the part of all possessed of ample means1 while both aristocrat and plebeian desired and loved to be dazzled by brilliance or enchanted by the novel and singular4 ,from ,johnson we learn that during a residence at the court of ,france1 ,charles ,,ii4 became enamoured of the ,french style of ornamental gardening introduced by ,le ,notre4 ,this style differed chiefly from that already in vogue in its magnificence2 everything was carried out more elaborately and regardless of expense4 8,the alleys were lengthened1 but still there were alleys1 jets d'eau1 mazes1 parterres and statues1 clipt trees and mathematically formed borders as of yore40 ,it is said that the extravagance in garden ornamentation at ,versailles was designed and carried into effect by ,le ,notre at a cost of two hundred million francs1 or over #h1bej1jjj4 ,the great features were huge marble-edged water-basins1 elaborate fountains1 an abundance of masonry for the terraces1 and clipped yew and box1 making a sum total described at a much later date by ,mr ,wm4 ,robinson1 in his 8,parks and ,gardens of ,paris0 as 8the deadly formalism of ,versailles40 ,illustration3 ,,beech ,,hedge ,,and ,,bowling-,,green ,,at ,,levens ,charles ,,ii4 encouraged elaborate garden design1 and1 with it1 ,topiary2 it was under his orders that ,le ,notre himself laid out the semi-circular garden at ,hampton ,court4 ,gibson1 who made a tour of ,london gardens in the reign of the 8,merry ,monarch10 shows by his writings that the chief features of these establishments were the terrace walks1 evergreen hedges1 8shorn shrubs in boxes10 and orange and myrtle trees4 ,in the earlier part of the seventeenth century the gardens of ,bilton and ,chilham were designed1 with an accompaniment of clipped trees1 while later in the century ,sir ,william ,temple1 who negotiated the triple alliance between ,england1 ,sweden1 and the ,netherlands1 laid out a ,dutch garden at ,moor ,park4 ,he had a large affection for the ,dutch style of gardening1 but was nevertheless quick to see that big formal gardens and their elaborate designs and masonry cost more to maintain in prim order than many who possessed them could well afford4 ,it was also about this time that the now famous ,topiary garden at ,levens ,hall1 in ,westmoreland1 was laid out by ,beaumont1 one of ,le ,notre's disciples4 ,according to the inscription under his portrait at ,levens ,hall1 ,beaumont was 8,gardener to ,james ,,ii4 and ,colonel ,james ,grahme4 ,he laid out the gardens at ,hampton ,court and at ,levens40 ,it was probably in some alteration of the ,hampton ,court gardens that ,beaumont took part4 ,topiary gardening reached its height during the reign of ,william and ,mary 7#afhi-agjb74 ,william ,,iii41 ,prince of ,orange1 brought with him a taste for clipped yews1 and also for elaborately designed iron gates and railings4 ,he accentuated the prevailing taste4 ,turning again to ,johnson1 we find garden design 8was now rendered still more opposed to nature by the heavy additions of crowded hedges of ,box1 ,yew1 etc41 which1 however1 by rendering the style still more ridiculous1 perhaps hastened the introduction of a more natural taste which burst forth later40 ,some further idea of the prevalence of clipped trees is obtained from ,celia ,fiennes1 who1 in her chronicles of a journey 8,through ,england on a ,side ,saddle in the time of ,william and ,mary10 makes frequent reference to alleys of clipped trees and to yew and cypress cut into 8severall forms40 ,william ,,iii4 commenced the ,kensington ,gardens1 and to alter a disfiguring gravel pit he employed the services of those famous ,brompton nurserymen1 ,london and ,wise4 ,in our time such a spot would in all probability be converted into a dell1 with water and rock gardens1 but ,london and ,wise erected a mimic fortification1 making the bastions and counterscarps of clipped yew and variegated holly4 ,that this production was 8long an object of wonder0 can be easily understood1 though whether it was one for 8admiration0 is open to question1 notwithstanding that it had many admirers and was known as the 8,siege of ,troy40 ,vegetable sculpture seems now to have reached its limit of popularity and design4 ,hazlitt1 in his 8,gleanings in old ,garden ,literature10 hits off the situation admirably when he writes3 8,but it was to the ,hollanders that ,london and his partner were indebted for that preposterous plan of deforming ,nature by making her statuesque1 and reducing her irregular and luxuriant lines to a dead and prosaic level through the medium of the shears4 ,gods1 animals1 and other objects were no longer carved out of stone2 but the trees1 shrubs and hedges were made to do double service as a body of verdure and a sculpture gallery40 ,illustration3 ,,early ,,eighteenth ,,century ,,view ,,of ,,lord ,,hamilton',s ,,grounds ,,near ,,the ,,thames ,evelyn1 the celebrated diarist1 who lived throughout the greater part of the seventeenth century1 and just over five years of the eighteenth1 strongly censured the prevalent method of clipping fruit trees into regular form1 as well he might1 but he claimed to be the first to bring the yew into fashion for hedges1 declaring it to be 8as well for a defence as for a succedaneum to cypress1 whether in hedges or pyramids1 conic spires1 bowls or what other shapes40 ,and further he adds1 8,i do again name the yew1 for hedges1 preferably for beauty and a stiff defence1 to any plant ,i have ever seen40 ,evelyn's residence from #afeb to #afid was ,sayes ,court1 ,deptford1 a home made famous to students of history because of its occupation by ,peter the ,great1 of ,russia1 in #afih1 to whom it was sub-let by ,admiral ,benbow4 ,peter the ,great did not take the same care of the garden as ,evelyn had taken1 and his destruction1 in part at least1 of a famous holly hedge1 caused the owner to regard the ,russian ,czar as a 8right nasty tenant40 ,an old writer informs us1 with reference to ,sayes ,court1 that ,evelyn had 8a pleasant villa at ,deptford1 a fine garden for walks and hedges1 and a pretty little greenhouse with an indifferent stock in it4 ,he has four large round philareas1 smooth clipped1 raised on a single stalk from the ground1 a fashion now much used4 ,part of his garden is very woody and shady for walking2 but not being walled1 he has little of the best fruits40 ,the beginning of the end was not now far to seek4 ,one of our greatest modern landscape gardeners1 ,mr ,h4 ,e4 ,milner1 has written3 8,precise designs of clipped box and yew are not out of place1 if the building has a character that is consonant with such an accompaniment40 ,not satisfied with a few clipped trees in suitable positions1 or with a part of the garden devoted to examples of ,topiary1 owners and gardeners alike1 in the times ,i have briefly reviewed1 seemed to have laboured to fill their gardens with illustrations of geometric figures1 in box or yew2 with the quaintest patterns and weirdest shapes1 caricaturing birds and beasts1 and imitating architecture and things of common use4 ,distorted vegetation met the eye everywhere1 and there was little of the natural and beautiful to relieve the general monotony4 ,it was the excessive use of ,topiary that led to its own downfall and caused ,batty ,langley to ask1 8,is there anything more shocking than a stiff1 regular garden80 ,,crusade ,,against ,,topiary 8,the ,dutch ,garden in front of ,hampton ,court ,palace is unobjectionable1 because it is in character with that part of the building and as a royal garden it ought to remain as it is1 were it only to serve as an illustration of the style of gardening in the time of ,william and ,mary40--,charles ,m#8,intosh4 ,whenever a fashion runs to extremes its end is not far to seek4 ,on the one hand1 a fashion becomes too general for those who have a taste for novelty1 and especially for those who can afford at almost any cost to have something not available to the general public4 ,on the other hand1 a fashion carried to excess becomes inconvenient and ridiculous1 therefore it at once becomes offensive to those who are regarded as having good taste4 ,and so it came about that when ,topiary work had spread itself over all the gardens of the time and could hardly go further either in extent or design1 there came the inevitable reaction4 ,the same sort of thing has happened even in quite modern times4 ,one need not be very old to have seen the famous trained specimen plants that used to grace the highly successful exhibitions at the ,royal ,botanic ,society's gardens1 at the ,crystal ,palace1 and elsewhere4 ,yet these giants have passed away1 and in their places we have larger stocks of smaller and more easily grown subjects--in other words1 the fashion has changed4 8,bedding-out0 reached such a height of fashionable popularity that it threatened to exclude the beautiful hardy perennial flowers from many a garden2 it taxed the patience and ingenuity of the gardener and the purse of the employer almost to breaking point--it passed from reasonableness to absurdity4 ,then came a new order of things2 perennials have been brought back and improved2 hardy flowers are the fashion4 ,when ,topiary threatened to exclude all else from the garden there arose several apostles of freedom1 and these conducted a crusade against the art4 ,among those whose writings are more or less regarded in these days mention may be made of three--,bacon1 ,addison1 and ,pope4 ,the former early raised a protest1 for in the times of ,shakespeare and ,queen ,elizabeth1 when ,topiary was the prevailing taste if not the general fashion1 he wrote1 8,i for my part do not like images cut in juniper or other garden stuff2 they be for children40 ,it was ,bacon also who said3 8,as for the making of knots or figures that they may lie under the windows of the house on that side which the garden stands1 they be but toys2 you may see as good sights many times in tarts40 ,but1 alas1 ,bacon was curiously inconsistent4 ,he would away with ,topiary1 but he puts forward as the best type of a garden one that is square1 enclosed in an arched hedge1 8with a turret over every arch1 and a cage of birds in each turret1 and over every space between the arches some other little figure with broad plates of round coloured glass1 gilt1 for the sun to play on40 ,those who so aptly quote ,bacon when they pour out the vials of their wrath upon ,topiary through the medium of the public press1 may also be further reminded that ,bacon would have in his ideal garden a fountain 8embellished with coloured glass and such things of lustre40 ,illustration3 ,,muntham ,,court1 ,,sussex ,but however much we may chuckle over the inconsistencies of ,bacon it must be remembered that the age in which he lived 7#aefa-afbf7 was remarkable rather for ostentatious display than for good taste1--as we count good taste1--and consequently his horticultural purview was limited and obscured4 ,as the poet ,mason puts it3-- 8,the age of tourney triumphs1 and quaint masques1 ,glar'd with fantastic pageantry1 which dimm'd ,the sober eye of truth1 and dazzled ev'n ,the sage himself2 witness the high arch'd hedge1 ,in pillar'd state by carpentry upborne1 ,with coloured mirrors deck'd1 and prison'd birds40 ,bacon was in many things far in advance of the ,tudor times in which he lived1 so far indeed1 in respect of our present subject1 that no outstanding protest against ,topiary appears to have been made by those who endeavoured to promote sound public taste1 until nearly another century had elapsed4 ,then the literary genius of ,addison was directed against the evils and extravagances of his age4 ,,addison ,,and ,,pope 8,addison1 ,thou polished sage1 or shall ,i call thee bard1 ,i see thee come3 around thy temples play ,the lambent flames of humour1 bright'ning mild ,thy judgment into smiles2 gracious thou com'st ,with ,satire at thy side1 who checks her frown1 ,but not her secret sting40--,mason4 8,with bolder rage ,pope next advances2 his indignant arm ,waves the poetic brand o'er ,timon's shades1 ,and lights them to destruction2 the fierce blaze ,sweeps through each kindred vista1 groves to groves ,nod their fraternal farewell and expire40--,mason4 ,although ,addison and ,pope were contemporaries it was the former who led the crusade against formal gardening in general and the art of ,topiary in particular4 ,less satirical than his one-time friend1 ,addison nevertheless pointed out with remarkable clearness that the gardens of the early part of the eighteenth century were not nearly so beautiful as they might have been1 owing to the excessive use of clipped trees and the extreme care which the gardeners of that time took to secure the utmost regularity in their planting and uniformity in design4 ,illustration3 ,,yew ,,tree ,,with ,,bird ,addison was counted one of the most brilliant of the ,essayists of his time1 and among the numerous contributions made by him to the ,spectator is a lengthy one 8,on the ,pleasures of the ,imagination40 ,this took the form of eleven ,papers1 or epistles1 published in regular order from ,june #ba1 to ,july #c1 #agab4 ,it is in the fourth paper that he deals more particularly with gardens and therein he shows that the works of nature are more pleasant to the imagination than are those of art1 and that the works of art are most pleasing the more closely they resemble those of nature4 ,he does not openly denounce ,topiary and other formal gardening1 but with subtle skill contrasts it with a picture of a more natural style1 and does so in a manner that enforces the beauty of the latter and indicates the origin of that taste in landscape gardening which many a gardener of the nineteenth century thought was peculiarly his own4 8,we have observed10 says ,addison1 8that there is generally in nature something more grand and august than what we meet with in the curiosities of art4 ,when1 therefore1 we see this imitated in any measure1 it gives us a nobler and more exalted kind of pleasure than what we receive from the nicer and more accurate productions of art4 ,on this account our ,english gardens are not so entertaining to the fancy as those in ,france and ,italy1 where we see a large extent of ground covered over with an agreeable mixture of garden and forest1 which represent everywhere an artificial rudeness1 much more charming than that neatness and elegancy which we meet with in those of our own country4 ,it might indeed be of ill consequence to the public1 as well as unprofitable to private persons1 to alienate so much ground from pasturage and the plough1 in many parts of a country that is so well peopled1 and cultivated to a far greater advantage4 ,but why may not a whole estate be thrown into a kind of garden by frequent plantations1 that may turn as much to the profit as the pleasure of the owner8 ,a marsh overgrown with willows1 or a mountain shaded with oaks1 are not only more beautiful1 but more beneficial1 than when they lie bare and unadorned4 ,fields of corn make a pleasant prospect2 and if the walks were a little taken care of that lie between them1 if the natural embroidery of the meadows were helped and improved by some small additions of art and the several rows of edges set off by trees and flowers that the soil was capable of receiving1 a man might make a pretty landscape of his own possessions40 ,continuing1 the ,essayist adds3 8,writers who have given us an account of ,china tell us the inhabitants of that country laugh at the plantations of our ,europeans1 which are laid out by the rule and line2 because they say1 anyone may place trees in equal rows and uniform figures4 ,they choose rather to show a genius in works of this nature1 and therefore always conceal the art by which they direct themselves4 ,they have a word1 it seems1 in their language1 by which they express the particular beauty of a plantation that thus strikes the imagination at first sight1 without discovering what it is that has so agreeable an effect4 ,our ,british gardeners1 on the contrary1 instead of humouring nature1 love to deviate from it as much as possible4 ,our trees rise in cones1 globes1 and pyramids4 ,we see the marks of the scissors upon every plant and bush4 ,i do not know whether ,i am singular in my opinion1 but for my own part1 ,i would rather look upon a tree in all its luxuriancy and diffusion of boughs and branches1 than when it is thus cut and trimmed into a mathematical figure2 and cannot but fancy that an orchard in flower looks infinitely more delightful than all the little labyrinths of the most finished parterre4 ,but1 as our great modellers of gardens have their magazines of plants to dispose of1 it is very natural for them to tear up all the beautiful plantations of fruit trees1 and contrive a plan that may most turn to their own profit1 in taking off their evergreens1 and the like movable plants1 with which their shops are plentifully stocked40 ,it will be perfectly obvious that when ,addison found it necessary to draw comparisons between a free and natural style of gardening1 and the artificial methods carried out with mathematical precision in his time1 to the distinct advantage of the former system1 that geometric gardening1 coupled with the excessive use of ,topiary work1 had made ,english gardens dreadfully monotonous4 ,essays were fashionable in the early years of the eighteenth century1 and1 remembering that their publication was extended over a considerable period1 it must be presumed that they were freely read and discussed1 and thus exerted a very considerable influence upon public opinion1 just as a well thought out and carefully written leading article does in our own time4 ,we may take it1 then1 that the gardeners of his time were considerably impressed by ,addison's quiet denunciation of the existing style1 and no doubt a revolution had already commenced in the minds1 if not in the gardens1 of the wealthy1 when1 a little more than a year later1 ,pope published in the ,guardian 7,tuesday1 ,september #bi1 #agac71 his famous essay on 8,verdant ,sculpture40 ,not so subtle in his irony nor so engaging in his literary style as ,addison1 ,pope was however the more forcibly satirical1 maliciously spiteful1 and elfishly humorous4 ,his keen wit seized upon the proper psychological moment for following up ,addison's comparatively mild exposure with an attack that did as much as1 or more than1 anything else to bring about that rapid decline of ,topiarian art that quickly followed4 ,pope had evidently the genius of a great soldier1 who delivers his fiercest attack when the enemy is wavering4 ,as ,pope's essay is not by any means well known1 neither is it especially easy of access1 ,i need not apologise for quoting freely from it4 ,pope1 however1 believed with ,dryden that satire was-- 8,the boldest way1 if not the best1 ,to tell men freely of their foulest faults1 ,to laugh at their vain deeds and vainer thoughts10 and in the course of his essay he allowed his sarcastic mockery to find expression here and there in a manner common enough in his time but which would be likely to offend the ears of modern polite folk1 consequently ,i have in a few instances forestalled the editorial blue-pencil4 8,i lately10 writes ,pope1 8took a particular friend of mine to my house in the country1 not without some apprehension that it could afford little entertainment to a man of his polite taste1 particularly in architecture and gardening1 who had so long been conversant with all that is beautiful and great in either4 ,but it was a pleasant surprise to me1 to hear him often declare1 he had found in my little retirement that beauty which he always thought wanting in most of the celebrated seats1 or1 if you will1 villas1 of the nation4 ,this he described to me in those verses1 with which ,martial begins one of his epigrams3 8#8,our friend ,faustinus' country seat ,i've seen3 ,no myrtles1 placed in rows1 and idly green1 ,no widow'd plantain1 nor clipp'd box-tree1 there ,the useless soil unprofitably share2 ,but simple nature's hand1 with nobler grace1 ,diffuses artless beauties o'er the place4' 8,there is certainly something in the amiable simplicity of unadorned nature1 that spreads over the mind a more noble sort of tranquillity1 and a loftier sensation of pleasure1 than can be raised from the nicer scenes of art40 ,after a reference to ,homer's account of the ,garden of ,alcinous1 and ,sir ,william ,temple's remarks upon it1 ,pope proceeds3 8,how contrary to this simplicity is the modern practice of gardening6 ,we seem to make it our study to recede from ,nature1 not only in the various tonsure of greens into the most regular and formal shapes1 but even in monstrous attempts beyond the reach of the art itself4 ,we run into sculpture1 and are yet better pleased to have our trees in the most awkward figures of men and animals1 than in the most regular of their own4 ,illustration3 ,,crown ,,garden1 ,,muntham ,,court1 ,,sussex 8#8,here interwoven branches form a wall1 ,and from the living fence green turrets rise2 ,there ships of myrtle sail in seas of box2 ,a green encampment yonder meets the eye1 ,and loaded citrons bearing shields and spears4' 8,i believe it is no wrong observation1 that persons of genius1 and those who are most capable of ,art1 are always most fond of ,nature3 as such are chiefly sensible1 that all art consists in the imitation and study of nature4 ,on the contrary1 people of the common level of understanding are principally delighted with the little niceties and fantastical operations of ,art1 and constantly think that finest which is the least natural4 ,a citizen is no sooner proprietor of a couple of yews1 but he entertains thoughts of erecting them into giants1 like those of the ,guildhall4 ,i know an eminent cook1 who beautified his country seat with a coronation dinner in greens2 where you see the champion flourishing on horseback at one end of the table1 and the queen in perpetual youth at the other40 8,for the benefit of all my loving countrymen of this curious taste1 ,i shall here publish a catalogue of greens to be disposed of by an eminent town gardener1 who has lately applied to me upon this head4 ,he represents1 that for the advancement of a polite sort of ornament in the villas and gardens adjacent to this great city1 and in order to distinguish those places from the mere barbarous countries of gross ,nature1 the world stands much in need of a virtuoso gardener who has a turn to sculpture1 and is thereby capable of improving upon the ancients of his profession in the imagery of evergreens4 ,my correspondent is arrived to such perfection1 that he cuts family-pieces of men1 women1 or children4 ,any ladies that please may have their own effigies in myrtle1 or their husband's in horn-beam4 ,he is a puritan wag1 and never fails when he shows his garden1 to repeat that passage in the ,psalms1 8,thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine1 and thy children as olive-branches round thy table40 ,i shall proceed to his catalogue1 as he sent it for my recommendation4 8,adam and ,eve in yew2 ,adam a little shattered by the fall of the tree of knowledge in the great storm3 ,eve and the serpent very flourishing40 8,the tower of ,babel1 not yet finished40 8,st ,george in box2 his arm scarce long enough1 but will be in condition to stick the dragon by next ,april40 8,a green dragon of the same1 with a tail of ground-ivy for the present4 ,n4,b4 ,these two not to be sold separately40 8,edward the ,black ,prince in cypress40 8,a laurestine bear in blossom1 with a juniper hunter in berries40 8,a pair of giants1 stunted1 to be sold cheap40 8,a ,queen ,elizabeth in phylyrea1 a little inclining to the green sickness1 but of full growth40 8,a topping ,ben ,jonson in laurel40 8,divers eminent modern poets in bays1 somewhat blighted1 to be disposed of1 a pennyworth40 8,a quickset hog1 shot up into a porcupine1 by its being forgot a week in rainy weather40 8,a lavender pig1 with sage growing in his belly40 8,noah's ark in holly1 standing on the mount2 the ribs a little damaged for want of water40 ,illustration3 ,,queen ,,elizabeth',s ,,crown ,,and ,,jug1 ,,elvaston ,,castle ,such was the crusade against ,topiary2 in its train came swift destruction4 ,bridgeman and ,kent were the landscape gardeners who1 influenced by the writings of their time and desirous of instituting a new order of things1 brought about the great change in garden design4 ,they not only cleared away the sculptured trees but destroyed splendid1 close hedges as well1 throwing open to all eyes1 and to all the winds1 gardens that had hitherto been delightfully enclosed and secluded4 ,of ,bridgeman there is very little information forthcoming1 but ,loudon tells us 8,he banished verdant sculpture and introduced morsels of a forest appearance in the gardens at ,richmond40 ,kent was a versatile ,yorkshireman1 who was successively painter1 architect and landscape gardener2 ,claremont1 ,esher1 laid out about #agbe-agce1 was one of his designs4 ,he was the friend of ,lord ,burlington and1 even more than ,bridgeman1 he carried into effect the ideas of ,pope4 ,the great successor to ,kent was ,brown1 who was head gardener at ,stowe till #agej1 and subsequently1 after being employed by the ,duke of ,grafton1 he was head gardener at ,hampton ,court and ,windsor4 ,at this time he became very much in request as a landscape gardener1 and so continued well on towards the end of the eighteenth century4 ,his sympathy with ,topiary may be gathered from the remark made by ,sir ,wm4 ,chambers in #aggb1 that 8unless the mania were not checked1 in a few years longer there would not be found three trees in a line from ,land's ,end to the ,tweed40 ,in the course of about fifty years1 from #agdj to #agij1 the gardens of ,england1 with a few exceptions1 were completely altered1 and the style that had been in vogue for full one hundred and fifty years was almost wholly obliterated4 ,later designers added many improvements1 and a more graceful style succeeded that of ,kent and ,brown1 but ,topiary as a part of garden design was practically non-existent for about a hundred years4 ,then commenced the modern revival of the ,art4 ,,revival ,,of ,,the ,,art 8,there is a tendency to restore some of the screens which formed so characteristic a feature of the ,dutch style1 with a view to obtain a greater degree of privacy1 and more shelter for both visitors and plants4 ,with this restoration of sheltering hedges and verdant belts has evidently come a desire for examples of ,topiary art1 and already there are several modern gardens where they are to be found firmly established40--,george ,gordon1 ,v4,m4,h4 8,topiary ,work fell into disrepute in the nineteenth century1 owing to the persistence with which the more natural styles of gardening came to the front1 but even now this phase of #8gardening' exercises a considerable fascination upon a large section of the public2 witness the interest excited of late years by the exhibits of trimmed trees which have appeared at the ,london shows40--,walter ,p4 ,wright4 ,notwithstanding the wonderful alteration and improvement that have taken place in ,british gardens since ,kent began to make a clearance of ,topiary work1 several notable collections survived the general slaughter and these are to-day among the most interesting of the varied forms of gardening seen in the country4 ,the gardens at ,levens ,hall and at ,elvaston ,castle may be especially particularised in this connection1 but for the moment we will deal with the revival rather than the survival of the art4 ,during the past twenty years the practice of including at least a few specimens of clipped trees in any new garden of pretensions has been steadily growing1 and within the last ten years several ,topiary gardens of considerable extent have been laid out and planted4 ,these are chiefly in the large establishments of the wealthy patrons of horticulture1 and they are so situated that they are in harmony with formal surroundings1 or disposed where they form a distinct item of horticultural interest and do not in any way mar the more natural beauties of adjacent subjects4 ,illustration3 ,,hens1 ,,ducks1 ,,peacocks1 ,,etc41 ,,in ,,box ,,and ,,yew ,,at ,j4 ,,cheal ,,and ,,sons1 ,,crawley ,precisely why there has been a revival of this old art ,i am not prepared to say4 ,it must suffice that there is such a revival1 and a very distinct one1 as any one who visits gardens and exhibitions and nurseries frequently will readily discover4 ,at the leading ,london and provincial exhibitions two old established firms of nurserymen have frequently and extensively exhibited examples of ,topiary2 these are ,messrs ,wm4 ,cutbush ,son1 ,highgate1 ,n41 and ,messrs ,j4 ,cheal ,sons1 ,crawley1 ,sussex2 and it may be safely asserted that if there were no taste or demand for clipped trees the respective proprietors would not incur the necessarily heavy expense of displaying this particular line of goods4 ,in the revival of ,topiary in ,england no single person has taken a deeper interest than ,mr ,herbert ,j4 ,cutbush1 and though his interest is confessedly a business one it is none the less worthy of mention4 ,for many years ,mr ,h4 ,j4 ,cutbush has frequently visited ,holland and he has travelled through and through the little country until he knows it1 horticulturally1 far better than even many eminent ,dutch nurserymen do4 ,he discovered that some of the best trained and best furnished specimens of sculptured yew and box were to be found in the farmhouse gardens1 in small1 almost unknown villages1 far from the usual routes of tourists and business-men1 and this led to still further explorations4 ,during the first years of the revival ,mr ,h4 ,j4 ,cutbush crossed over to ,holland nearly every week end making himself acquainted with the farmers1 and with the few growers who regularly supplied the ,dutch nursery trade4 ,he got to know where examples were being steadily developed1 securing options on these and purchasing all that were well advanced4 ,as already hinted1 the ,dutch 8,boomkmeckers10 or nurserymen who cultivate clipped trees as a special business1 are by no means a numerous class1 they chiefly reside in the ,boskoop district4 ,churches of box and peacocks of yew are not imported without the expenditure of a good deal of time and money1 and obviously there is some risk in removing large examples4 ,one big tree that for sixty years had been the chief ornament of a ,dutch blacksmith's garden was only purchased after a whole day spent in persuasion and the consumption of much ,schiedam1 and after the purchase was made another week was spent in lifting and packing and removing the tree to the ,london steamer4 ,there is a great variety of form in the ,dutch clipped trees1 but spires surmounted with birds seem to be among the most common and are as easy to produce as most4 ,for these1 and for the peacocks and the spiral or serpentine columns1 yew is almost invariably used4 ,tables1 with tops either circular1 oval or square1 may be had in box or yew1 and the leg of the table may be plain or ornamented according to taste4 ,the arm-chairs in box have quite a comfortable and inviting appearance4 ,sitting hens1 geese1 and ducks are common designs1 and to protect the verdant poultry one may obtain equally verdant dogs1 with or without kennels1 but though the mastiff may be of quite ferocious mien he can be warranted not to bite2 moreover he will require very little in the way of food and the noise he makes will disturb no one4 ,illustration3 ,,yew ,,tree ,,with ,,bird--,,another ,,form ,churches are quite common designs among topiarists1 but it is interesting to notice that seldom is there a doorway provided1 and obviously if there is no congregation there will be no collection taken4 ,the churchyard is also provided for1 inasmuch as verdant tombstones and ,latin crosses are grown in considerable numbers1 and some of these would be vast improvements upon many of the ugly head-stones and other memorials of a more solid character that crowd our graveyards4 ,pyramids1 mop-heads1 and blunt cones are among the commonest designs2 they do not call for the exercise of much ingenuity1 but when these pyramidal trees are cut into several regular and well graded tiers their cost increases considerably4 ,another form of tree that naturally suggests itself to the ,dutch grower1 who all his life is used to water and boats1 is that of a sailing ship1 or barge2 but these are not so easy to evolve from either box or yew1 and they call for a good deal of training in addition to the cutting and clipping necessary to keep them shapely4 ,thin wires and a few light bamboo rods usually complete the training outfit necessary1 but taking the whole range of topiarian design1 training1 in the sense of tying out1 is not much practised4 ,compared with the designs enumerated in the catalogue that ,pope's fancy created1 the modern list of verdant sculptures is a very modest one4 ,true we may have ,jugs and ,beakers1 ,wreaths as well as ,crosses1 and ,swans as well as ,peacocks1 varying in price from three guineas to ten guineas each1 but the moderns do not attempt to pourtray ,adam and ,eve1 nor do they caricature the poets and statesmen of the age1 in living box and yew4 ,prices are governed chiefly by the size and age 7height and density71 and the design of the specimen4 ,the yew tree being of slower growth than the box is1 size for size1 the most expensive of the two1 and well furnished examples that have not exceeded marketable size vary in age from twenty to sixty years4 ,even when designed in box the birds are about ten or twelve years old1 dogs twelve to fourteen years1 and taller designs from fifteen to eighteen years4 ,some of the finer examples found in the country districts of ,holland need to have their root system cut around one year1 so that they may be safely lifted1 transported to this country and transplanted in the following season4 ,it may very reasonably be asked1 ,where are to be seen the signs of this modern revival of ,topiary1 apart from horticultural exhibitions8 ,to that ,i make answer by pointing to some establishments famous throughout the land for their gardens4 ,at ,ascott1 ,mr ,leopold de ,rothschild has a thoroughly well furnished and quite modern ,topiary ,garden1 and those who are disposed to severely criticize the modern revival of an old garden art must bear in mind that ,mr ,rothschild's gardens at ,gunnersbury and ,ascott have been and are still being referred to as fine examples of the most advanced and tasteful style of natural and adapted gardening4 ,another example is to be found at ,friar ,park1 ,henley-on-,thames1 the residence of ,mr ,frank ,crisp4 ,this is a comparatively new garden but it contains much that is beautiful and a very great deal that is interesting1 and its collection of clipped trees is not the least interesting feature of an establishment that also contains one of the best collections of alpine plants in the ,southern ,counties4 ,if these are not sufficient answer to the question1 ,i hasten to add ,witley ,court1 ,stourport1 the residence of ,lady ,dudley2 and ,danesfield1 ,marlow1 the home of ,mr ,r4 ,w4 ,hudson4 ,besides these there are numerous other gardens throughout the land where ,topiary1 as a modern development1 occupies no mean position1 the extent of the collections of clipped trees being determined chiefly by the space at disposal4 ,illustration3 ,,clipped ,,yews ,,at ,a ,,cottage ,,entrance ,,the ,,formation ,,of ,a ,,topiary ,,garden ,the ,topiary1 ,dutch1 or ,formal ,garden1 as it is sometimes called1 belongs to a period long since gone by4 ,it is uncertain who was the first person to introduce the formal garden into ,england1 and it is doubtful whether this style of gardening had its origin in ,holland or in ,france4 ,the present ,gardens of ,levens ,hall were laid out between the years #agja and #agjd2 but it is pretty certain that the art of ,topiary gardening was practised in ,england before the gardens at ,levens were remodelled in that style4 ,before the year #agjd1 ,monsieur ,beaumont1 who had been already employed by ,king ,james ,,ii4 to lay out the gardens of ,hampton ,court ,palace1 was engaged by ,colonel ,james ,graham1 at that time ,treasurer to ,james ,,ii41 to introduce the art of ,topiary work into his gardens at ,levens1 and it is probable that these two places were the first in this country in which the genuine art was practised4 ,beaumont1 it may be mentioned1 was a pupil of the famous ,le ,notre4 ,the laying out of any garden in which clipped trees are intended to be the principal feature1 is open to a serious objection--the only objection1 as ,i think1 that can reasonably be entertained against ,topiary work4 ,i allude to the very great length of time it takes to bring the ,topiary ,garden to perfection4 ,it is certain that the individual who takes both trouble and pains to lay out his garden can never expect to see his work perfected2 for1 even in its natural state1 the yew is an extremely slow-growing tree1 and when it is subjected to continual clipping and pruning year after year1 its growth is considerably impeded4 ,but1 even after allowing for this objection1 ,i think it is a style of gardening that should be more encouraged1 and1 if possible1 made more popular than it is at the present time4 ,i am fully aware that there are many authorities in the gardening world who condemn the ,formal ,garden as unnatural2 but ,i am certain that there is a charm and a beauty of its own in ,topiary work not to be met with in the modern garden4 ,no doubt it would be a pity were every person's tastes to be alike1 and fortunately opinions differ in gardening as in other matters4 ,we will suppose1 however1 that1 notwithstanding the objections ,i have named1 some reader of mine has decided to make for himself a ,dutch1 or ,topiary ,garden--for both styles are practically the same4 ,the choosing of a situation1 if a choice can be had1 is of primary importance4 ,a place should be selected where the trees to be planted can obtain the fullest possible amount of sunlight4 ,at the same time1 it should be completely sheltered from every wind that blows4 ,it must be remembered that although the yew is a tree which will grow and flourish in almost any out-of-the-way corner when left alone in its natural state1 it is quite a different matter when each individual tree in the garden is intended to be as fine and as perfect a specimen of ,topiary work as it is possible to make it2 and1 like everything else in a ,topiary garden1 a tree should be trained as well as possible1 or else let alone altogether4 ,illustration3 ,,crosses ,,and ,,jugs ,,in ,,yew ,it is very easy to perceive the great difference between trees which have been planted partly or wholly in the shade and those that have always enjoyed a full measure of sunlight4 ,there is a strong and vigorous growth about the latter which is not to be found in those planted in a shady spot4 ,it may not always be practicable to plant each tree in a garden where it will receive the full benefit of the sun2 but it is an object which should ever be kept in mind1 and carried out as far as possible4 ,the yew is a tree which repays good treatment1 especially when year after year it is subject to clipping and never suffered to grow in its natural state4 ,the situation chosen for a ,topiary ,garden should be a hollow1 or piece of ground slightly sunk below the general level of the surrounding land4 ,if this should be impracticable1 it would be advisable to make a terrace on at least one side of the ground marked out for the garden1 preferably the north side1 as a terrace on the north side cannot interfere with the full benefit of the sun1 or obscure it from the trees in any way4 ,there is no place whence ,topiary work is seen to greater advantage than from a terrace1 or1 indeed1 from any elevated spot from which one can look down on the garden4 ,a terrace1 in my opinion1 has a double recommendation1 inasmuch as besides adding beauty to the garden it also affords good shelter2 and shelter is a necessary consideration4 ,in fact it is of almost as much importance to provide efficient shelter as it is to get the greatest possible amount of sunlight1 which ,i have always considered to be absolutely indispensable to the welfare of the various species of trees planted in a ,topiary garden4 ,nothing is more injurious to the yew tree than strong winds from whichever direction they may happen to blow1 and more especially are they hurtful if the garden be situated near the sea4 ,if such be the case1 and the garden be not well sheltered1 the salt spray every now and then blown up even several miles inland1 has a very deleterious effect on the trees4 ,i have seen old and splendid specimens of the yew disfigured for several years from this cause alone2 and the older the tree the more damaging is the effect4 ,whatever the kind of shelter provided1 it should be planted1 or erected1 in such a way as not to obscure the general view of the garden4 ,espaliers1 with fruit trees trained on them1 were formerly used to a great extent in ,topiary gardens2 but they are a kind of shelter little to be recommended1 as1 though certainly not unsightly1 and having the advantage of being useful1 they are somewhat out of place and scarcely in keeping with other features of the garden4 ,hardy flowering shrubs may always be planted4 ,they make a very good shelter1 and are at the same time ornamental1 while they have the additional advantage of being useful for cutting purposes4 ,but in close proximity to the garden1 there is nothing which affords more effectual shelter or is more in harmony with its general character than hedges of yew or horn-beam of about ten to twelve feet in height4 ,this1 as a rule1 is quite high enough to answer the purpose of shelter2 if allowed to grow higher1 the strength and substance of a hedge is almost certain to be sacrificed4 ,this1 of course1 applies in a greater degree to yew than to horn-beam4 ,large timber trees1 such as oak1 lime1 beech or sycamore1 cannot very well be planted within the garden1 though they may easily be so in the grounds1 or even outside them4 ,they should not be planted singly1 but either in large clumps or thick enough to form a wood which1 in course of time1 may afford shelter to the whole garden4 ,the next thing requiring the attention of the ,topiary gardener1 and one which must be considered in a special degree1 is the general formation of the garden4 ,this is a matter of vital importance1 and1 in common with all branches of garden architecture1 needs great forethought and technical skill4 ,in commencing a ,dutch or ,topiary garden1 everything should be laid out in a formal way2 always1 of course1 taking care to avoid unnecessary stiffness in design4 ,illustration3 ,,variously ,,shaped ,,yew ,,trees ,illustration3 ,a ,,peacock ,,cut ,,in ,,yew ,,at ,,compton ,,wynyates ,in the carrying out of the ,topiary work1 ,man is striving to a very great extent against ,nature1 and ,nature is never an easy adversary to fight4 ,natural beauty1 therefore1 must not be considered too deeply in the formal laying out of a ,topiary garden4 ,i am far from wishing to imply that ,nature should be entirely neglected2 but in the general formation and practical management of a ,topiary garden1 a quaint and unique appearance is the thing that must be aimed at1 and sometimes even a grotesque effect4 ,hence ,nature must occasionally be relegated to a secondary position4 ,natural beauties1 however1 appeal to everybody1 and if it can be found possible to combine the two1 so much the better4 ,if it is intended to lay out a garden in which plenty of space can be allowed for planting1 let us say1 a hundred or more trees1 a large piece of ground will be found to be necessary4 ,it is always advisable to devote plenty of ground to the work1 as it is a great mistake to plant the trees too close together4 ,although the trees when in a small state may not appear to be crowded1 if sufficient space has not been allowed for their growth and development1 the garden will afterwards present a cramped and heavy appearance which will greatly mar its general effect as time goes on4 ,the system of planting entirely in grass is not1 ,i think1 to be greatly recommended1 although a few single trees planted here and there on the lawns may look well4 ,for various reasons which shall be explained hereafter1 ,i believe it to be better to combine the ,topiary proper and the flower garden4 ,when it has been decided how many trees it is intended to plant1 and how much space is available for the work1 the ground should be mapped out in six or eight large squares or quarters4 ,these squares need not be all of one uniform size1 or of exactly the same shape4 ,as a general rule1 the person who is laying out the garden will have to be guided by circumstances as regards the shape and size of these divisions4 ,there are so many different designs of garden architecture that it is of very little use trying to describe any particular form4 ,i would recommend1 however1 that the design chosen be as simple a one as possible4 ,the flower-beds should be made of rather a large size1 and afterwards may be planted with roses1 and herbaceous and bedding plants2 they will also serve the additional purpose of containing the clipped trees4 ,i do not1 of course1 mean that all the beds should be of uniform size or shape2 but the beds in which trees are to be planted should be from twenty-five to forty feet in length1 and from five to seven feet wide4 ,a bed of these dimensions will be found to answer all purposes fairly well1 whatever be the design adopted1 and whatever shape may be given to the beds themselves4 ,all the paths1 with the exception of the main walks between the quarters or divisions1 should be grass2 and those main walks should have a substratum of some hard material and be covered on the surface with loose gravel4 ,some objection may be raised to grass walks as being of an unserviceable nature for general garden work2 but1 if the main walks are made as suggested1 the amount of work and trampling on the grass paths will be reduced to very small proportions1 and even when necessary to do any heavy work over the latter1 such as wheeling manure or other traffic of a similar nature1 dry or frosty weather can usually be chosen as the most convenient moment4 ,illustration3 ,,old-,,fashioned ,,box ,,garden1 ,,chastleton ,,house ,in making the flower-beds1 box should always be used for edging2 never stones or ornamental tiles1 as anything of this description is altogether out of keeping with the general features of a ,topiary garden4 ,there may be a slight objection to box edging on account of the difficulty of getting it to grow well in certain soils4 ,generally speaking1 ,i have never had the slightest difficulty in getting it to flourish and remain in a healthy condition1 provided it gets proper treatment4 ,i have some boxwood at ,levens which has not been relaid for nearly1 if not quite1 a hundred years2 and yet it is in a strong1 healthy state4 ,when the portion of the garden intended to be devoted to ,topiary gardening has been laid out1 attention should be given to the other portion of the grounds2 and1 as none of the old formal gardens were considered to be complete without a bowling-green and hedges of yew1 horn-beam1 or holly1 a bowling-green should be made and then enclosed by one or another of these species of hedge4 ,any additional space not required for lawns or terraces should be made into fruit and vegetable quarters4 ,if it can be found convenient to have the vegetable garden separate from the other1 so much the better2 as any space not absolutely required may then be utilised for fruit trees only4 ,old apple trees1 with their gnarled stems and branches1 with here and there a branch of mistletoe hanging among them1 are picturesque objects enough among any surroundings4 ,in the grounds1 as well as in the garden1 grass walks should predominate between the hedges1 and in the quarters devoted to fruit trees and vegetables4 ,indeed1 wherever a path or walk is necessary1 it should be grassed1 if possible4 ,,planting ,,and ,,manuring ,before planting operations are taken in hand1 the beds should first be thoroughly prepared1 and made ready for the reception of the trees4 ,as with everything else connected with the management of a garden1 a good beginning1 followed by careful attention and proper treatment1 generally means a successful result4 ,although the yew is a gross feeding tree1 it will thrive fairly well in almost any poor soil2 but it is advisable only to plant in a soil of a nature that will1 as far as possible1 suit the requirements of the various trees it is intended to carry4 ,everything that can be done at this period to ensure the future success of the garden should be carefully attended to4 ,it must be borne in mind that a ,topiary garden when completed will in all probability endure for an indefinite length of time--perhaps for hundreds of years4 ,any extra labour or expense devoted to the work of initiation will1 therefore1 be fully repaid in the future4 ,if the land that has been selected for the garden is composed of loam of a rich1 mellow nature1 all that is necessary will be to trench the ground two or three 8spits0 deep4 ,if the soil is of a limestone composition it will be to the advantage of the yew trees1 as these seem to grow well and vigorously in a soil of this kind4 ,but if1 on the other hand1 the soil be of a poor1 hungry nature1 it will be advisable to remove it altogether1 to the depth of two or three feet1 replacing it with good loam of a more suitable character4 ,illustration3 ,,cottage ,,at ,,ditcheat1 ,,somerset ,nothing will answer this purpose better than the top 8spit0 off old pasture or meadow land4 ,the top 8spit0 only should be used1 and this should not be removed to a greater depth than five or six inches4 ,turf taken off at this depth will generally contain all that is best in the soil of either pasture or meadow land4 ,although not absolutely necessary1 it will be found advantageous if the loam be obtained six or eight months previous to the time when it will be required for use4 ,it should be removed from the fields1 and carefully stacked1 in order to kill the grass and partially decay the turf4 ,partially decayed loam is in all respects better than that which has just been procured from the fields4 ,the trees make better roots in it1 and it is also easier to chop with the spade--a thing which will be found necessary to do before it can be put on the beds4 ,the grass has also to be considered2 and unless this is covered by a good depth of ordinary garden soil1 it will prove exceedingly troublesome during at least the first year after planting4 ,of course1 if the garden be a large one1 and operations can be carried out on a large scale1 the removal of the old soil and replacement by other and more suitable loam will entail a considerable amount both of labour and expense4 ,but1 as ,i have before observed1 nothing should be left undone at this period of the work that will help to ensure its future success4 ,there is1 however1 another and more simple method of replacing the soil1 and one which may answer the purpose equally well4 ,after the beds have been made1 the places may be marked out where it is intended to plant the trees4 ,the soil may then be removed and a hole made of from four to five feet in diameter and from two to three feet in depth1 according to the size of the tree it is proposed to plant4 ,by following this method the labour and cost of removing the entire soil from the beds and replacing it with new loam will be to a great extent reduced1 and results obtained which should be almost1 if not quite as satisfactory4 ,the remaining soil left in the beds1 no matter how poor it may be1 can soon be made rich enough for either herbaceous or bedding plants by a liberal use of manure4 ,when the beds have been prepared for the reception of the trees1 planting should be at once proceeded with1 provided1 of course1 that the planting season be at hand4 ,like all other forms of tree-planting1 it should be done as soon as possible after the proper time arrives2 or1 to be more explicit1 from the middle of ,october to the middle of ,november4 ,although the work of lifting and transplanting yew trees and box can be carried on with perfect safety up to the end of the year or even up to the end of ,january1 the earlier season is undoubtedly the better4 ,the soil has then more chance to get settled about the roots before the advent of hard weather4 ,i have seen yew trees lifted and transplanted even in ,june1 but do not consider it to be by any means a suitable time for the work1 and it is not a practice to be recommended4 ,if left so late in the year as ,june1 constant attention must be paid to watering1 else the result will be disastrous4 ,if the trees have been growing for a few years in a reserve nursery-garden close at hand1 they can be lifted and replanted without undue exposure to the open air or drying winds2 but if they have to be brought from afar1 and have had to undergo a long railway journey1 they are almost certain to be found on arrival to be dry at the roots4 ,in this case1 they should be at once unpacked and submerged in a tank of water for a few hours1 and then heeled into the ground as near as possible to the place where planting is to be carried on1 and afterwards lifted and replanted as required4 ,no rank manure of any kind should be used either mixed with the soil1 or applied to the roots of the trees1 or the result will be injurious4 ,if manure of any kind be employed1 nothing is better for the purpose than coarse bones used in moderate quantities--about one barrow load of bones to twenty or twenty-five barrows of loam4 ,it will be necessary to exercise great skill and forethought in arranging and planting the various trees with which it is intended to adorn the garden4 ,everything should be done to make the garden as unique1 and at the same time as bright and attractive as possible4 ,now that such excellent varieties of golden yew are obtainable1 a fairly large number of these should be planted4 ,they should not1 however1 be allowed to predominate over the common green yew2 but if a few be planted1 it will help to relieve the sombre appearance of the ordinary ,english yew4 ,box is another kind of tree that lends itself admirably to ,topiary work1 and one that should not be forgotten during the planting period1 as a few of the different varieties of box will greatly add to the general effect4 ,there are also the different varieties of holly and golden privet2 but1 as regards the former1 unless it is purely for the sake of contrast1 which is admired in all gardens1 ,i should recommend its omission from the list of trees to be planted1 as it does not lend itself to clipping4 ,its chief fault1 however1 is its untidy nature1 which causes it to be a nuisance in a garden4 ,it is perpetually shedding its leaves throughout the summer1 when every garden should be looking its neatest4 ,no trees are more suitable for ,topiary work than the different varieties of yew and the boxwood1 as these are the most easily clipped and trained4 ,although the yew is an exceedingly slow-growing tree1 it will1 even with continual clipping1 grow into a tree of large dimensions2 and1 if the whole garden has been planted at one time1 instead of adding trees at intervals of a few years1 there will be too much uniformity about it4 ,this should be avoided as far as possible1 and if a few box trees have been planted here and there1 they will help to break the evenness of the garden1 since box can be kept down to almost any size desired by the aid of constant clipping4 ,when the work of marking out the places and planting the trees is being done1 avoid anything that will afterwards have a tendency to over-crowding4 ,allow plenty of space for each tree to develop into whatever size or shape may be desired1 and then have plenty of space for each tree to be plainly and distinctly seen4 ,trees that are too thickly planted never have the same appearance as those that have been allowed sufficient space2 neither is over-crowding beneficial4 ,it has a great tendency to draw the trees up too quickly1 at the expense of strong and robust growth4 ,when the planting operations are finished1 each tree should be given a good mulching of farmyard manure4 ,nothing is more beneficial to the health and vigour of the trees than half decayed manure from the farmyard1 applied as a mulching either to old or newly-planted trees4 ,it is the best stimulant that can be applied1 as it answers the two-fold purpose of imparting health and vigour to the trees and protecting the roots from frost during winter1 although there is perhaps very little danger of frost doing any damage to the roots of the yew on account of its extreme hardiness4 ,it is always safer to protect trees that have been recently planted1 and the manure will certainly not be wasted4 ,illustration3 ,,cross ,,in ,,yew ,,over ,,the ,,grave ,,of ,l4,t4-,,general ,,arbuthnot1 ,k4,c4,b41 ,k4,t4,s41 ,,in ,,st4 ,,boniface ,,churchyard1 ,,bonchurch1 ,,isle ,,of ,,wight ,if the garden is an old established one and full of old trees1 these will be greatly benefited by the aid of occasional top dressings of some sort of manure1 or the trees will begin to show signs of deteriorating in course of time4 ,more especially will top dressing be necessary if the ground or beds where the trees are planted is not liberally manured every year4 ,but if manure is liberally applied1 the necessity for top dressing the roots will not be so great2 for the yew extends its roots for a long distance and therefore absorbs a great deal of whatever kind of manure is applied to the ground4 ,although chemical manures may be used for the sake of convenience1 or lack of farmyard manure1 they are not strongly recommended4 ,of course if farmyard manure cannot be obtained1 then chemical manure of some sort will have to be resorted to1 but this will not have the same desired effect in imparting vigour to the trees4 ,the principal objection to farmyard manure arises on account of its unsightliness in the garden2 but that can be remedied to a great extent by removing a few inches of soil from the roots and applying a layer of the manure1 and afterwards replacing the soil4 ,liquid manure of any kind will be of the greatest benefit to old trees1 and there is no doubt that chemical manure if applied to the roots at all1 should be given in liquid form during spring or summer1 when the weather is dry4 ,it will greatly assist the trees in making good growth4 ,the clipped yew is of such a close nature that it takes very heavy rains to penetrate the roots4 ,,management ,,of ,,old ,,trees ,it is perhaps when the work of clipping and training the trees begins1 that the most difficult part of the practical management of a ,topiary garden is experienced2 but as in this chapter ,i intend to deal only with old trees1 ,i will leave the training and shaping of young trees to be described in another chapter4 ,it is a matter that requires both skill and experience1 both on the part of the man who is handling the shears1 and of the gardener who is superintending1 and who is also responsible for the work4 ,there is nothing which looks worse in a garden than trees not properly clipped1 and no clipped work can be called properly done if all or even any shear marks are visible to the eye4 ,clipping and training of trees in a ,topiary garden is work that should either be done properly or else not at all4 ,if the greatest possible amount of care is not bestowed on the trees1 they will very soon grow out of shape1 and1 of course1 become unsightly2 and nothing is wanted in a garden that is not pleasing to the eye4 ,if the garden is a very extensive one and contains a large number of old specimen trees1 the work of clipping them and cleaning up afterwards is an undertaking that requires a great deal of time and labour1 as the work is not of a nature that will allow men to hurry over it1 and it is moreover a labour of skill and patience4 ,illustration3 ,,yews ,,at ,,montacute1 ,,somerset ,in an old ,formal ,garden1 where ,topiary work is considered the principal feature1 it is advisable to allow only men who are thoroughly experienced in the work to do the clipping4 ,in fact1 if the shape and symmetrical appearance of the trees are to be kept as nearly as possible perfect1 experienced men are necessary4 ,of course1 in any garden it will sometimes happen that the gardener may have to put a novice to do some part of the clipping1 as fortunate indeed is the gardener in charge of a ,topiary garden who can rely year after year on three or four men who are thoroughly trained and accustomed to the art of ,topiary clipping4 ,when it is found necessary to employ a person to do any part of the clipping who has not had any previous experience1 he should only be allowed to begin on trees of the least importance1 and those most concealed from view4 ,the beginner will always find that a round or oval shaped tree is a great deal less difficult to work upon than a square one1 or a hedge4 ,therefore1 if possible1 he should be allowed to get his hand in on round trees4 ,it is always a wise plan when a novice is learning the work1 to have a thoroughly experienced person working close at hand--but not on the same tree--to assist him and see that as few mistakes as possible are made4 ,no hard and fast line can be drawn as to the exact date when the clipping season should begin1 but it should be as soon as possible after the trees have completed their growth1 as at that season the young shoots are soft1 and not so difficult to clip4 ,in any case it should not be later than the middle of ,september1 especially if there is a large amount of clipping to be done4 ,if it can be found convenient to start a fortnight or three weeks earlier1 so much the better4 ,more especially does this apply to beech or horn-beam1 as they finish their growth sooner than the yew1 and if they are not clipped immediately1 the young shoots get hard and1 of course1 are more difficult to manage4 ,where there is enough clipping to keep three or four men at work for nine or ten weeks1 the sooner the work is commenced after ,september comes in the better1 as it enables the work to be got through before the severe frosts of winter set in4 ,when the trees are of a large size--a thing that is generally the case in old gardens--scaffolding of some sort will be necessary1 and for this purpose there is nothing better than trestles made to close up into as little space as possible1 for the double purpose of storing them away in winter or at any time they are not required for use1 and for the sake of convenience in carrying them about the garden4 ,the trestles should be made in at least three different sizes1 two of each size1 or more if necessary4 ,these1 with the aid of a single plank laid across two equal sized trestles1 will generally suffice for the work4 ,of course1 the plank that is used must be strong enough to carry a man1 and wide enough to give him plenty of standing room4 ,if the trees are old and practically perfected in shape1 the work of clipping is not such a difficult matter as when the trees are in course of training4 ,but it is usually the case that although many of the trees are old there are young ones coming on that have to be shaped4 ,in the case of old trees1 as a general rule1 all that is required is to take off the year's growth2 clipping back to the old growth of the previous year4 ,hard clipping of old trees is a practice that should to a certain extent be carried out1 unless it is desired to enlarge the size of the tree4 ,if this is the case1 from one inch and a half to two inches of the year's growth should be left on1 but not more4 ,altering the shape of old trees is a thing that should be avoided as far as possible1 especially if the trees are well shaped and in a healthy condition4 ,it sometimes happens that one or more trees in the garden may have been allowed through careless management or some other cause to grow out of shape2 or perhaps an old tree may be obscuring the view in some way or other4 ,in the case of such a thing happening1 it will be necessary to use the pruning knife or saw rather severely1 both of which can be used with perfect safety when they are in the hands of a person who thoroughly understands the yew2 provided1 of course1 he does not go to extremes1 the yew is a tree that will stand a fair amount of rough treatment1 and one that can be twisted and cut into almost any shape desired4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,post ,,office1 ,,ditcheat1 ,,somerset ,i have seen old specimen trees that had grown out of shape1 or were1 perhaps1 shutting out the view in some part of the garden1 taken down and re-trained1 or cut down with the pruning saw1 or knife1 as the case might be2 and yet in a very few years they had quite recovered and grown into nice1 well shaped trees1 full of vigour and well furnished with young growth4 ,rather will the tree1 if it is carefully managed1 be improved by the severe pruning it has been subjected to4 ,of course1 after an operation like the one ,i am describing1 great care will have to be taken that every use is made of the young growth1 as the main object to be kept in view is to get the tree well furnished again in as little time as possible4 ,there will be very little1 if any need for using the shears the first year after the cutting back has been done2 but if the young growth is at all rank1 it should be carefully thinned with an ordinary pruning knife1 always taking care that only the weaker shoots are removed1 leaving the stronger ones to grow for use another year1 when they can be tied in and cover up1 as far as possible1 the old and bare wood4 ,when tying young shoots1 tarred string will be found most suitable4 ,it answers the purpose very well and it is easier to tie than wire1 although it has a tendency to decay quickly through being always exposed to the weather4 ,in the case of young shoots the pressure is not great and string will generally last as long as the tie is required1 as the shoots soon become matted and interwoven together2 but if a strong branch should happen to get displaced in any way1 the use of string as a tying material should be avoided and copper wire should always be substituted in its place4 ,in the case of an old branch the pressure is greater1 and whatever material has been used in the work1 it will as a rule be intended to last for years4 ,for the purpose of tree tying of any description copper wire is to be recommended2 it has not the same injurious effect on the trees as ordinary galvanised wire2 but whatever is used1 cork should always be placed between the wire and the wood as a preventive against cutting the tree4 ,when clipping an old tree that is a perfectly square one1 it is a good practice to use either a line or some kind of straight edge4 ,if the man who is doing the work uses one or the other he can generally give the tree a better and more finished appearance than if he trusts to the eye only4 ,perhaps of all the different kind of shapes there are to clip in the ,topiary garden1 hedges require the most skill and care1 and only the most experienced men should be allowed to undertake the work of clipping them4 ,hedges in the garden are mostly planted in such a way that their entire length is visible1 and of course the most casual observer can see at a glance whether they are properly clipped or if there are any shear marks visible on them4 ,if the hedge is composed mostly of curves1 then of course the clipping is not such a difficult matter4 ,a long1 straight hedge and one that is almost entirely made up of curves1 differ in the same respect with regard to the ease with which they can be clipped1 exactly in the same way as a round or an oval tree4 ,when clipping a straight hedge a person should never trust entirely to the eye1 and lines should always be used2 and for the purpose nothing is better than ordinary garden lines4 ,illustration3 ,,old ,,example ,,of ,,topiary ,,in ,,box ,,at ,,compton ,,wynyates ,in the case of hedges that are cut into battlements at the top1 these should have a line stretched lengthways along the ground1 another along the base of the battlements1 and another along the top of the battlements2 and whatever size and width the battlements are1 say1 for instance1 two feet high and two feet in width between them1 a stick cut exactly two feet in length or a two-foot rule should be used to measure the exact height and distance between the battlements2 and if those precautions are taken1 any person with a fair knowledge of the art of clipping can hardly with ordinary care and attention get wrong2 as1 after all1 the work of clipping ,topiary trees is not so difficult as might be expected4 ,there are several points that should always be remembered4 ,symmetry and shape are necessary to make a good tree2 and this may be said to be the first and most important factor in the work4 ,another point is to take particular care that the shears do not cut off more than is necessary4 ,by that ,i mean1 never to allow the shears to cut deep enough into the tree to make a hole4 ,another very important point to aim at is to give the tree as smooth and even an appearance as possible after the work is finished4 ,i am perfectly aware that1 in a large collection of yews or other clipped trees1 there are always some that it is impossible to clip properly1 on account of weak growth1 or some other cause4 ,for instance1 trees that are growing in a part of the garden where they are fully exposed to wind and storm are almost certain to get into an unhealthy condition4 ,the growth becomes weak and stunted1 or perhaps the branches get worked out of place1 or even die out altogether4 ,in the case of trees of that description1 no matter how much tying is done or how carefully they are clipped1 they can never be made to have the same appearance as those that are full of young growth and are in a healthy and vigorous state4 ,where the garden has been planted with mixed trees--such as yew1 holly1 boxwood and horn-beam1 the clipping should all be done in the autumn so as to give the garden a tidy and uniform appearance4 ,autumn is not generally considered the right season of the year for holly clipping1 but if there are some1 more or less1 planted among the yews in the ,topiary garden1 it is necessary that they should be clipped at the same time as the other subjects1 for the sake of appearance4 ,but if hollies are planted by themselves in some isolated part of the garden1 whether in hedges or bushes1 the work of clipping them should be carried out towards the latter end of ,may or beginning of ,june2 then hard clipping every other year will suffice for them4 ,at ,levens we clip the holly hedges which are not actually in the ,topiary garden hard back to the old wood every alternate year1 and other years we merely go over them with a pair of shears and cut away the long shoots4 ,i am rather of the opinion that hard clipping of hollies every year is more injurious than beneficial to the trees4 ,it is evident to anyone who has seen an old ,dutch or ,topiary garden1 that1 in the formation and laying out of the grounds1 boxwood has always been considered one of the principal features1 and in most of them it remains so to this day4 ,where box succeeds well and remains in perfect health1 no care or attention should be spared to keep it so1 for there is no edging that can be used in the garden to be compared with it for beauty4 ,it has1 however1 some drawbacks1 the principal one of which is the excellent accommodation it affords to snails and other garden pests2 but its advantages more than counterbalance its defects4 ,like the hollies1 every other year is sufficient for clipping it1 and there is no more suitable month for the work than ,june4 ,there should be no clipping done to boxwood until all danger of frost is gone1 as it is extremely dangerous to clip before that period has passed4 ,there is nothing more injurious to newly clipped boxwood than sharp frosts4 ,i have seen boxwood that was over a hundred years old clipped in ,april1 with the result that a few sharp frosty nights killed the whole of it4 ,illustration3 ,,levens ,,gardens ,,general ,,view ,excepting during the clipping season1 there is very little work to be done to the trees in a ,topiary garden1 unless it is top-dressing them with some sort of manure1 or keeping a look-out for branches that have become loose through wind or some other cause4 ,if this occurs1 the branches should be immediately tied back into their places before any injury takes place to the tree4 ,there is another danger that should be strictly guarded against in winter1 and that is1 the danger the trees undergo in the event of heavy falls of snow4 ,when the trees are old and large and in every way adapted for carrying a heavy weight of snow1 no time should be lost in getting it removed as quickly as possible2 the sooner the men get to work the better1 even before the snow has ceased if it is at all likely to be a heavy fall4 ,the labour of having to go over the trees two or three times must not be considered if they are to be saved from injury4 ,it is much better to keep constantly knocking the snow off with light switches1 than take the risk of having the trees crushed out of shape and broken4 ,,the ,,management ,,and ,,training ,,of ,,young ,,trees ,in my last chapter ,i dealt almost exclusively with the management of old trees4 ,in this chapter ,i intend to devote the space principally to the treatment that will have to be followed in the training and shaping of young trees in the ,topiary garden4 ,i shall try to give as clear and concise an idea as possible to those who are contemplating laying out a garden1 or who may already have done so1 in which ,topiary work is intended to be the main feature1 although the training and shaping of young trees does not belong entirely to a garden in course of formation4 ,generally in old gardens1 trees will be found in the course of being trained4 ,if the garden has been laid out and the trees carefully planted on the lines advised in a previous chapter1 a record should be carefully made as to the exact date when each tree was planted and also regarding the shape that each tree in the garden is intended to represent when it is finished4 ,a record of that description1 made at the period of the work1 will prove of great interest in after years1 both to those who own the garden and to others who are either interested in it or may happen to visit it4 ,a record of the date of planting and the shapes that the trees were originally meant to represent1 seems to have been a thing quite neglected during the formation of the old ,topiary gardens1 which seems to me to be a very great pity4 ,to a great extent the general management of young trees is altogether different from the management required to be given to old trees2 inasmuch as the difficulties are more numerous1 and the care and attention necessary to be bestowed on them more manifold4 ,our forefathers with the greatest skill and care laid out and formed the old established ,topiary gardens of the present day1 and afterwards year by year trained and shaped the fine old specimens of the ,topiary art now to be seen in some of the old gardens1 so that when a person is walking through one of these gardens1 and examining the quaint and curious shapes of the trees1 he cannot fail to admire them and to reflect upon the amount of skill and labour that has been bestowed on them4 ,it would be curious1 indeed1 if he failed to pause1 and consider the amount of patience the gardeners of earlier years were endowed with4 ,in many respects the gardener of the present time has the advantage in ,topiary work at least over his brother of one or two hundred years ago4 ,whether the gardeners of the present day are more skilled in that special art1 is a question which ,i am not prepared to answer2 but ,i am certain that there is no mistaking the abilities of the old gardeners in the art of training trees4 ,the work they have left behind them proves this beyond a doubt4 ,the gardener of the present day has more variety of shapes to choose from1 and a larger and more varied selection of trees to work upon4 ,if the trees were a good size and well grown when they were planted1 the work of clipping and training them may be commenced the following year1 according to the shape into which it is intended to form the tree4 ,it is not advisable that any clipping or training be done to the trees the same autumn or winter that they are planted4 ,it should be deferred until the following autumn1 in order to allow of fresh root action taking place4 ,some of the trees can be clipped into certain shapes when they are quite small2 but for other shapes a much larger tree is necessary to commence work upon4 ,it is a very wise policy to go to a little extra expense on the original outlay of the trees1 rather than buy small trees that will be of no use whatever for the work for which they are ultimately intended4 ,if the suggestion that ,i made in a previous chapter has been acted upon1 viz41 the buying in of the required number of trees some years before the work of making the garden is taken in hand1 and bringing them on in the home nursery beds until they have become a suitable size1 and until the time arrives when they are required for planting in their permanent places in the garden1 the actual cost of the trees will be reduced to a minimum1 and better and more suitable trees secured than if they had been purchased direct from some of the nurserymen4 ,although no actual shaping need be done to them until they are planted in their places in the garden where they are to remain1 a little pruning and regulating of the shoots may be carried out4 ,if that is done1 it will be found to be a great advantage in adapting the trees to their future work4 ,the buying of young trees from the nurserymen and growing them on in nursery beds in the reserve garden1 until they are required for planting in the garden1 is a system regularly practised here1 and one that is well worth a trial4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,verdant ,,peacock ,to the person desirous of having a ,topiary garden there are two courses open4 ,the first is1 he can either train and shape his own trees1 or else he can purchase from one or other of the nurserymen who make clipped yews a speciality1 a ready-made collection4 ,trees that are clipped into all manner of shapes can now be purchased from some of the nurserymen either at home or imported from the ,continent4 ,the system of buying trees that are already shaped is an excellent way of getting a ,topiary garden made and furnished with trees in the quickest possible time4 ,but it is a plan that is not to be universally recommended or practised4 ,in the first place1 trees of that description generally have the very great drawback of being very expensive4 ,only those who have to deal with the training of yews have any idea how much labour and care is spent on a tree in shaping it into even the smallest bird2 and it therefore stands to reason that the time and labour nurserymen spend on clipping and training ,topiary trees1 and preparing them for the market1 must be paid for by the purchaser4 ,but there is another1 and perhaps an even greater objection in buying trees already trained4 ,surely the person who loves his garden and takes a great personal interest in ,topiary work1 would never think of planting it with trees that have already been cut into shapes by other hands4 ,although there is no question about the excellence of nursery trained trees1 ,i would strongly recommend that the person who spends the time and money in forming and laying out a ,topiary garden1 should have the patience to undertake and carry through the training of his own trees4 ,a far greater source of pleasure will be derived from watching your own trees grow1 and from seeing them clipped and trained each year into the particular shape that it is intended they should represent4 ,it has been very often said1 and said with a great deal of truth1 that a person can with care and management train the yew into almost any shape desired4 ,even figures or letters are easy to form out of yew4 ,in handling the yew1 you have a kind of tree to work upon that lends itself in the most convenient way to the work of clipping and training into all the quaint and curious shapes that are found in the ,topiary gardens4 ,the adaptation of the tree for the work1 and the ease with which it can be twisted and bent into almost any conceivable shape1 places it far before any other for the particular work ,i am describing4 ,therefore no fear need be entertained that there will be any lack of variety of shapes in the garden2 provided1 of course1 that due care is exercised at the commencement of the work1 and that each individual tree is clipped and trained to represent an entirely different design or figure1 as the case may be4 ,as a matter of fact1 in any garden that contains1 say1 one hundred trees or even more1 out of all that number no two trees need be exactly alike4 ,each can be made to represent an absolutely different shape4 ,of course there is no reason1 except as a matter of taste1 why each tree should be made to represent quite a distinct shape from its neighbour4 ,it might be considered a better plan to plant the trees in pairs1 side by side1 or on the opposite sides of a walk1 and then train and shape them into pairs resembling each other in every way4 ,training in pairs is an arrangement that might find favour with some1 and to a certain extent might be adopted with advantage in the garden1 especially at the ends of paths4 ,if it is decided to clip some of the trees in pairs resembling each other1 they should be those that are planted near the ends of the path1 one on each side4 ,if there are two trees planted one on each side of the path1 the effect is better if they are clipped into identically the same shape than would be the case if they both represented something different4 ,but ,i think1 on the whole1 if there is anything to choose between the two styles1 the one tree one shape style should have the preference1 if only for the sake of variety4 ,illustration3 ,,seat ,,at ,,the ,,priory1 ,,glastonbury ,in the matter of shapes1 it is no use trying to lay down a hard and fast rule1 as every person who owns1 or intends to own1 a ,topiary garden1 will almost to a certainty please himself as to the designs into which he will have his trees shaped4 ,however1 ,i will try to give my readers some little idea of the different shapes it is possible to make out of the yew tree4 ,in the first instance1 almost any letter of the alphabet can1 with comparative ease1 be represented2 and nearly all of them can be done with a single tree1 although in the case of some letters1 two or even three trees may be required to form the letter as quickly as possible4 ,in the shaping of the letter ,a1 for instance1 two trees will be necessary for the purpose4 ,suppose it is intended to make a capital letter ,a4 ,in the first place select two well furnished trees five or six feet in height1 and not more than nine inches in diameter at the base1 and plant them as already advised1 four1 five1 or even six feet apart1 according to the size it is intended to make the letter4 ,one at least of the two trees should have two leading shoots growing from it2 one to be trained straight up to form the inside of the letter1 and the other to be trained across to form the middle of the letter4 ,but1 if both trees are furnished with two leading shoots1 one of each can be trained across to form the cross part of the letter4 ,if two trees can be got1 with two leading shoots1 as ,i pointed out1 they will equalise the balance of the letter better1 and give a more even appearance to the tree4 ,in the case of the letter ,b1 one tree only will be required for the purpose1 if the letter is intended to be1 say1 eight or nine feet high4 ,to be exact1 we will suppose it is intended to form the letter ,b1 nine feet high4 ,the tree that is chosen for the purpose should have only one single stem for half of the way up the tree4 ,it should then branch into three leaders or main shoots1 as from this point three branches or stems will be required to make up the different portions of the letter4 ,the strongest or main stem of the tree should be made use of to form the straight side of the letter4 ,then utilise the two remaining stems in forming the two halves of the ,b4 ,the one that is growing in the most suitable position for the purpose can be bent round to form the top half2 while the other stem is made to do the same in the case of the bottom part4 ,in very much the same way the letters ,c1 ,d1 ,e and ,f can be trained1 or even any letter of the alphabet4 ,there is not a single letter from ,a to ,z that it is not possible to train into shape2 some are perhaps more difficult than others to do1 but they can all be done1 and well done1 if they are carefully handled4 ,the principal thing to remember is the selecting of trees that are most suitable for the purpose4 ,always aim at finding trees with the requisite number of shoots that will be required to form the different parts of the letter it is intended to make4 ,if it is the intention of the ,topiarist to form one or more letters of the alphabet1 trees for the purpose should if possible be selected some years before being wanted1 and should be prepared for the work intended4 ,trees that are so prepared beforehand will immediately they are planted in the garden be in a fit condition to shape into letters at once4 ,if the trees are treated in this way1 it will in a marked degree do away with the necessity of keeping the letters for several years in the garden in the ugly first stages of formation4 ,there must1 of course1 be always a time when any tree that is being trained looks unsightly to the person who is new to the art of ,topiary work4 ,in the training of letters especially1 it will be found much safer1 and certainly a great deal easier1 if iron frameworks are used4 ,this certainly simplifies the work to a great extent4 ,by using a light framework1 a more equally proportioned letter can be made than will be the case if the more rough and ready method of using wooden supports be practised4 ,of course it is quite possible to train almost any letter1 and succeed in making a fairly good job of it1 with the aid of a little assistance in the shape of a few wooden supports1 etc4 ,but wood is never very satisfactory1 for this reason--that when it is used1 it will have to be in most cases green1 in order to make it pliable and easy to bend4 ,green wood has a tendency to decay very soon1 and the first strong winds that come will very likely break the supports1 and blow the whole thing to pieces1 or at least damage it so as to make it require to be re-trained again4 ,in the process of training yew or any other tree into letters1 the appearance of each letter will be greatly improved if from one and a half to two feet of stem be left between the ground and the commencement of the letter4 ,this stem should be afterwards planted round with small boxwood trees1 and clipped so as to form a pedestal1 which may be of any shape desired4 ,there are two ways or shapes into which letters can be trained1 either the round or the square4 ,the square way of training them is the one ,i would strongly recommend to my readers1 from an ornamental point of view1 but it is at the same time the most difficult method4 ,as ,i explained in my last chapter1 anything with square edges is more difficult to clip exactly right than a round object4 ,in the ,topiary garden1 the variety of shapes that it is possible to train are so many and varied that ,i will only give a few of those that can either be copied from the old gardens1 or formed from the ,topiarist's own ideas4 ,in the first instance1 there are the various shapes of the figures required in the game of chess4 ,birds of any description are easy to form into shape in either yew or boxwood4 ,when they are well trained and properly shaped1 nothing has a better appearance in the ,topiary garden than the various shapes of birds4 ,the shaping of animals is more difficult to manage2 but ,i have seen some good specimens1 notably a lion and crown1 the ,howard crest1 that we have got in the garden here at ,levens4 ,then there are the various other shapes that are to be found in the old ,topiary gardens1 such as barristers' wigs1 ,indian wigwams1 summer-houses1 helmets1 busbys1 bottles of almost any description or size1 umbrellas1 hats or spirals of various forms4 ,these may be either trained as single trees1 or formed into arches4 ,among the newer shapes that ,i have seen1 which have recently been introduced into the ,topiary art1 are yachts1 boats1 jugs1 etc4 ,the different sizes and shapes of jugs are so varied1 that any person who fancies the training of them in his garden need not lack variety of form1 and they are shapes that are1 comparatively speaking1 very easy to train4 ,there are also a great many very pretty shapes that can be formed out of the yew or the boxwood tree without being intended to represent anything in particular1 further than that they are trained and shaped simply as ornaments to help to add further to the embellishment of the garden4 ,it is not my intention to try to explain the various ways of training all the different shapes ,i have pointed out4 ,that in itself would require a chapter2 as the different ways of training a yew or any other tree are so numerous1 to attain what is practically the same end1 that the person responsible for the work will have to be guided greatly by circumstances and according to the particular tree he has got to work upon4 ,in every ,topiary garden there should be at least four or five different arches of various designs4 ,there are very few things that are more effective in any garden than a few well trained arches1 and in the ,topiary garden1 if they are not more effective than in the modern garden1 they are at any rate more in keeping with the general surroundings of the place4 ,if it has been decided to train several arches in the garden1 each one should be quite a different shape from its neighbour4 ,there is such a variety of different shapes to be seen in almost any garden where arches are trained1 that there is no occasion for two arches in one garden to be similar in design4 ,illustration3 ,,levens ,,gardens ,,umbrella1 ,,indian ,,wigwam ,,and ,,east ,,walk ,when the shapes have been carefully thought out1 let no time be lost in making a start on the clipping and training of them1 especially if the trees are far enough advanced in growth to begin work on4 ,it is simply loss of time to allow the trees to keep growing1 year after year1 when they might be having some training done to advantage towards the clipping and shaping of them4 ,it is a very great mistake to allow young trees to grow for several years after they are large enough to be fit for training4 ,as soon as ever a tree is large enough to begin work on according to the shape the tree is intended to be1 a start should be made1 or else it will be found when the work is begun1 that some branches that have taken three or four years to grow will have to be cut away altogether1 after serving no other purpose than exhausting in an unnecessary manner the strength of the tree2 whereas if the tree had been clipped sooner1 these branches could have been utilised in forming its various parts1 or else removed from the tree4 ,in the making of a ,topiary garden1 nothing should be done to the trees in a hurry2 but on the other hand1 no more time should be lost than can possibly be avoided in hastening on the work of shaping1 and in getting the garden furnished in the quickest possible time4 ,no young shoots or branches should be cut away that can possibly be used in the construction of the various shapes2 but in the training of young trees special care should be given to them1 and particular notice taken that they are not allowed to make too rapid growth4 ,in a very few years trees will be injured to a great extent through being allowed to grow too quickly4 ,more especially does this apply to hedges4 ,no matter how much it is desired to get a hedge quickly grown in a certain place1 whether for shelter or anything else1 it is the greatest possible mistake to sacrifice strength and substance to a desire to promote rapid growth1 a result that is certain to occur if a hedge is allowed to grow eight or ten feet before it is stopped4 ,nothing should be done to a hedge in the way of clipping the same autumn or winter it is planted1 and perhaps not even the following autumn2 but each year afterwards it should be stopped1 and never allowed to make more than three or four inches of growth each year4 ,by following the system of stopping the growth every year1 the length of time required to grow a hedge eight or ten feet in height is greatly extended4 ,but the result will amply repay the extra time that has been taken to grow it2 you will get a hedge full of strength and substance1 and well furnished with young growths from top to bottom4 ,but if the other system is followed of allowing the hedge to get to its full height before any clipping is done1 you will have a hedge that is lacking in strength and substance1 easily blown out of shape by every wind1 and also one that it is very difficult to clip in anything like a proper way1 on account of its many strong branches growing towards the outside1 that should have been removed to make room for a thicker growth4 ,each year when the work of clipping is being done1 a sharp look-out should be kept for all small branches or shoots that are inclined to grow towards the outside of the tree or hedge1 and these must be removed whenever they are seen4 ,in equal force does this apply to both hedges and trees1 and it is a part of the work in a ,topiary garden which if not carefully attended to1 will very soon cause a great deal of harm4 ,those shoots in the course of a few years will grow into strong branches1 and become a regular nuisance in the way of keeping them constantly tied in2 and eventually it is possible that they will have to be removed altogether1 as it is not always easy to keep branches of that description tied back within the general level of the hedge4 ,nothing1 moreover1 gives a worse appearance to a hedge or tree than one of these bare branches projecting beyond the general level1 perhaps entirely devoid of young growth4 ,in the case of one of these branches that ,i have described having been allowed to grow for some years1 and then found necessary to be removed by being cut out altogether1 the disfigurement that will be caused to the hedge or tree will be very apparent for some years afterwards2 whereas1 if such branches had been removed each year as they made their appearance1 no disfigurement would have resulted through their removal2 rather would the growth be improved to a great extent1 inasmuch as1 where each shoot or branch is cut off a number of young growths will break away1 which will help to give the hedge a firm and compact appearance1 a thing that is greatly to be desired in all clipped hedges or trees4 ,for the general work of clipping and training trees in the ,topiary garden1 ,i would strongly recommend that the old-fashioned shears be used4 ,there are several different makes of clipping shears to be got now4 ,some of them have been given a trial here2 but for general purposes they were not found to be very well suited to the work4 ,there are exceptions1 of course1 where they might be used with advantage1 as1 for instance1 in the case of a privet hedge1 where the surface is smooth and even and the growth soft and easily cut4 ,but for all general purposes1 the old style of shears is the best4 ,it is very often the case that in the work of clipping a well trained tree1 it is necessary to cut the growths off one by one1 and it is in a similar instance that the old-fashioned shears with their sharp points have the advantage over the newer make of machine4 ,illustration3 ,,arm-,,chair ,,in ,,box ,,at ,,compton ,,wynyates ,,the ,,general ,,management ,,of ,a ,,topiary ,,garden ,in previous chapters ,i have dealt almost entirely with the general formation of a ,topiary garden2 the soils and manures that are most suitable for the cultivation and welfare of the yew2 and ,i tried to give my readers some idea of the general treatment required in the management of both old and young trees4 ,in this chapter it is my intention to explain1 as clearly as possible1 the yearly management of a ,topiary garden4 ,the general routine of work in the ,formal or ,dutch garden is very much the same as in any other garden1 with1 of course1 the exception of the clipping and training of the trees4 ,that in itself adds a very great amount of extra labour to the general work4 ,but fortunately it is work that requires to be done at the slackest time of the year for gardening1 viz41 the autumn4 ,if the garden is an old established one1 the arranging and planting of the different beds will have been carried out many years previous1 very possibly at the time the trees were planted1 at the foundation of the garden1 although there is no doubt they will have been subject to many alterations during the years that have elapsed since the time when the garden was first formed4 ,but in this chapter it is with the planting and arranging of the various flowering plants in the beds of a garden that has been laid out on the principle recommended in an earlier chapter of this work--on the formation of the ,topiary garden--that ,i intend chiefly to deal with4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,cottager',s ,,pride ,the planting of the beds and their various contents is in the ,topiary garden a very important part of the work1 and one that requires both a great amount of skill and forethought1 as to a great extent on the arranging of the various kinds of flowering plants in the different beds will depend the future beauty of the garden4 ,of course ,i do not mean to imply that the arrangement of the various beds is of as much importance as the planting of the trees1 as they differ in this respect so far1 that once the trees in a ,topiary garden are planted1 they should under no circumstances whatever be altered2 but in the case of the beds1 they may be subject to many alterations1 as circumstances may occur4 ,the yew by itself is not a very bright or attractive tree1 but when you see it planted in the ,topiary garden and clipped into all kinds of unique shapes and figures1 and all the available space in the beds is utilised for the purpose of massing either herbaceous or bedding plants1 the effect is extremely beautiful2 it is then that one sees a garden with a charm and beauty about it that is very seldom if ever met with in the more modern garden4 ,it is quite evident that1 in most of the old formal gardens1 glass accommodation has never to any great extent been considered necessary4 ,yet there is nothing of more importance to the gardener in charge of a large ,topiary garden than plenty of glass accommodation for storing the various bedding plants during winter and spring4 ,in former years both the persons who owned the ,topiary gardens1 and the gardeners as well1 seem to have depended to a great extent on the different varieties of annuals for the embellishment of their gardens4 ,but annuals in a garden such as the one ,i am speaking of1 never have the same effect among the yews as the more bright and showy bedding plants4 ,i quite agree with a great many people in their contention that glass structures are altogether out of place in the ,topiary garden4 ,but provision should be made for them in some way or other1 and as a rule some place can be found for the erection of a few houses without clashing with the other features of the garden4 ,if the garden has been laid out on a large scale1 and contains a quantity of large beds1 as regards the work of arranging and deciding what each bed is to be planted with1 the person who is responsible will have to be guided by circumstances to a certain extent according to the accommodation that is already at hand1 or is to be provided for the raising of bedding plants4 ,in every garden1 and especially in the ,topiary garden1 the beds should be so arranged that they will yield as far as possible a continual show of bloom for as many months of the year as flowers will bloom in the garden4 ,a continual supply of bloom for the longest possible time is the principal object to be aimed at4 ,of course in the arrangement of the beds it will be necessary to plant some of them with herbaceous plants2 others may be planted with roses2 as both roses and herbaceous plants look well in any garden4 ,but in the using of perennial plants of any kind1 ,i would strongly recommend that they should be planted more in the background and in large borders1 instead of in the more important beds in the garden4 ,these last should be reserved for bedding plants1 as no matter whether roses1 or any other kind of plants1 be used1 the same brilliant and desirable effect can never be obtained as is to be had from the more showy and more easily massed bedding plants4 ,in the planting of herbaceous or any variety of plants1 exceptional care should be taken to keep the plants far enough away from the trees1 so as to avoid all injurious effects from the summer's growth coming in contact with the yews4 ,if the practice of planting close up to the trees is followed1 on purpose to avoid bare patches in the borders1 the result will be disastrous to the more important part of the garden1 viz41 the ,topiary work4 ,but as bare patches are always unsightly in the border1 they should be avoided as far as possible by planting the very dwarf growing herbaceous plants in close proximity to the trees4 ,it is a plan that can very well be followed in perennial planting1 but it is more difficult to manage in the more important work of bedding out for the summer months1 especially if large and tall growing plants are extensively used4 ,illustration3 ,a ,,swan ,,cut ,,in ,,box ,,at ,,compton ,,wynyates ,illustration3 ,,cottage ,,topiary ,,at ,,north ,,weald1 ,,essex ,if it should happen1 as ,i remarked before in this chapter1 that the glass accommodation is limited1 it is of particular importance that the utmost use be made of what there is at hand for the storing and propagating of bedding plants1 more especially if the requirements of the place are such as to make an autumn display of bloom one of the most important features in the garden4 ,if such is the case1 it will be necessary when the bedding season arrives1 to be careful that only such plants are used as will be at their best in the autumn1 more especially in the most important beds4 ,no attempt whatever should be made at carpet bedding2 it is a style of bedding that has very little to recommend it at any time and certainly none in the ,topiary garden2 for one reason it is much too stiff for a garden where there are a great many clipped yews4 ,of course in a new garden that has been recently laid out and where both the trees and the box edging are in a small state1 the system of carpet bedding may be practised by those who wish to entirely discard ,nature from their gardens4 ,but if the garden is an old one1 full of old specimen yews1 the larger and taller growing the bedding plants are that are used for bedding out purposes1 the better4 ,i will name a few of the bedding plants that are extensively used in the gardens here at ,levens2 but of course1 as is well known1 the gardens here are among the oldest examples of ,topiary work in ,england4 ,there are some varieties of bedding plants that are far more effective than others when planted among yews1 and among the most suitable1 there is nothing that has more effect than the brilliant scarlet ,lobelia cardinalis and its varieties4 ,some objection may perhaps be taken to the plant by some people1 but when planted in large masses among the sombre yews in a ,topiary garden1 ,i have not the slightest hesitation in saying it has no equal3 when growing in large masses with a background of green yew and the sun shining on the dark foliage and brilliant scarlet flowers1 the effect is really beautiful4 ,perhaps the only drawback to the various varieties of ,lobelia cardinalis is the difficulty experienced by some in keeping it over winter2 but if instead of following the old system of partly drying it off in winter1 directly it is lifted out of the beds1 one places it in a frame or greenhouse with a gentle heat and gives it a fair amount of water1 thus encouraging it to start into growth at once1 the difficulty will to a very great extent be done away with4 ,another favourite plant here1 and one that is greatly used for bedding out purposes in the ,topiary garden1 is the beautiful old-fashioned plant ,salvia patens4 ,like the scarlet lobelias1 ,salvia patens should be largely grown in every garden where there are a lot of yews4 ,the brilliant blue of the flowers against the dark green of the yew trees has a very striking effect indeed1 either when planted in masses by itself or mixed in the beds along with the scarlet lobelia or the tall yellow ,calceolarias amplexicaulis4 ,but the foliage of the ,salvia patens has not the same showy appearance as that of the ,lobelia cardinalis1 but this is a point that can be overlooked1 as the brilliant blue of the flowers fully compensates one for the lack of beauty in the plant1 and it rarely happens among the general stock of bedding plants that one can find plants with foliage and flowers equally effective4 ,but in my opinion1 if a fault is to be found with the ,salvia patens as a bedding plant1 it is its inability to withstand wet weather4 ,through that cause it is very often denuded of its flowers1 but it very soon revives with a few bright days4 ,among other plants that are extremely useful for bedding purposes in the ,topiary garden are the taller growing varieties of fuschias that are hardy enough to stand planting out in the flower garden1 and more especially if the yews are old and large2 fuschias planted either in clumps or massed alone in large beds with a groundwork of violas1 or some other suitable plants1 will give a very striking effect among yews1 and they have the additional advantage of giving a good show of bloom during a mild autumn long after the majority of bedding plants have finished flowering1 which is a quality that ought to recommend them in any garden as well as the ,topiary one4 ,in most gardens1 variety of plants is considered a necessity in the work of bedding out1 and space will not permit me to point out the special qualities of each and every different variety of plant that may be used in the embellishment of a ,topiary garden1 but ,i will give the names of a few that ,i have found most suitable and effective for bedding out in a garden where the yew tree is extensively grown4 ,the different types of antirrhinums1 both dwarf and tall growing varieties1 calceolarias1 cannas1 begonias1 heliotropes1 yellow and white marguerites1 gladioli1 and the various varieties of geraniums4 ,geraniums1 and more especially the ivy leaved varieties1 should be given a place in the garden if beds that are suitable for them blooming well can be found for them4 ,grown as pyramids or trained over a wire framework three or four feet high1 the effect is very pretty4 ,in all the bedding arrangements of a ,topiary garden1 a natural appearance is a thing that should be studied and as much as possible sought4 ,always remember that in the practice of clipping and training yews into all kinds of shapes1 ,nature is to a very great extent discarded1 therefore there is all the more reason why it should be as much as possible encouraged among the plants in the flower garden2 all stiffness should be avoided and as little tying as possible done2 though of course a certain amount of tying will be necessary to keep the wind and storm from breaking the plants1 unless1 indeed1 the garden is a sheltered one4 ,there is another point that should be aimed at in the old formal garden1 and that is1 to always keep the garden well supplied with old-fashioned flowers4 ,i certainly do not mean it to be understood that none of the new and beautiful varieties of the different species of garden plants that are being introduced every year should not be given a place in the garden1 but what ,i want to be understood is this1 that there should not be a wholesale clearing out of the old favourites to make room for the new ones4 ,as ,i pointed out before1 the general routine of work in the ,topiary garden is1 with the exception of the clipping and training part of the work1 practically the same as in any other garden4 ,if there is a kitchen garden1 a necessity that almost every garden1 whether ,topiary or otherwise1 is almost certain to have attached to it1 the work of looking after and attending to the various kinds of vegetables will have to be seen to1 and a trim and tidy appearance kept in it1 more especially if it is combined with the ,topiary garden4 ,illustration3 ,,levens ,,gardens1 ,,showing ,,letter ,b ,,and ,,lion ,if the garden has been laid out on the principle recommended in the chapter dealing with the ,formation of a ,topiary ,garden1 and the paths in the flower garden and grounds are composed principally of grass1 a fair amount of care and attention will have to be given to them to keep them in proper order4 ,grass paths are1 and always have been1 one of the principal features of the formal garden1 and no amount of labour and care should be considered wasted in keeping them in good condition4 ,grass paths require far more labour and attention in keeping them in proper order than those that are composed of some hard substratum1 especially if there is a considerable amount of traffic on them2 if such is the case1 it will be necessary to go over them every spring and re-turf places that have got worn out1 afterwards well rolling them2 then during the summer and autumn months they will require constant attention in the way of mowing and in keeping the edges well clipped so as to maintain a clean and tidy appearance4 ,in the ,topiary garden it should always be remembered that everything should be kept in as trim and formal a condition as possible1 with the exception of the different varieties of plants or shrubs that have been planted for the purpose of giving colour to the garden2 amongst those1 ,nature should as far as is consistent be encouraged2 but the walks1 beds and borders1 and everything else in the garden should be made to present as formal an appearance as possible4 ,if the garden is a formal one1 let as much as possible in it be made to have a formal appearance4 ,in writing on the ,topiary garden1 ,i have perhaps made it appear to some of those who may read it as hideously unnatural1 and ,i am aware there are plenty who maintain that it is a style of gardening that has nothing to recommend or encourage about it4 ,but those who think that the formal garden is without its charm make a very great mistake1 as in every old world garden there is a charm that belongs to it only4 ,in the woods and the parks let us by all means study and cultivate ,nature as far as possible2 but in the gardens we should have the trees to present as neat and formal an appearance as possible1 a thing that can only be had by the aid of constant clipping or pruning4 ,for a great many years past1 in this country at least1 the ,topiary garden has been to a very large extent a thing that belongs to other ages2 especially does this apply to the formation of new gardens2 but there is not wanting evidence at the present day that it is again coming into favour1 and deservedly so4 ,the ,topiary garden has its drawbacks1 principally on account of the great number of years it takes to bring it to perfection and the amount of extra labour that requires to be spent over the clipping at various periods of the year4 ,there is one thing to remember about the ,topiary garden1 it is all work4 ,perhaps at the present time ,topiary gardening is a subject of far greater interest to rich men in ,america than it is over here1 and as gardening might practically be said to be in its infancy in that great country1 there is hardly any reason why the art of ,topiary work may not have a great future in store for it in ,america4 ,,index ,a4 ,addison1 #bd1 #be4 ,age of clipped trees1 #ce4 ,alphabet in ,topiary work1 #fc1 #fd4 ,amherst's1 ,hon4 ,alicia1 8,history of ,gardening in ,england10 #ac1 #ae4 ,ascott1 ,topiary garden at1 #cf4 ,b4 ,bacon1 ,lord1 #f1 #bb4 ,batty ,langley1 #bj4 ,beaumont1 #ag1 #cg4 ,box edgings1 #dc4 ,box trees1 #dg1 #ef4 ,bridgeman1 #cj1 #ca4 ,brown1 #ca4 ,c4 ,canons ,ashby1 #ac4 ,catalogue of ,topiary1 ,pope's1 #bi1 #cj4 ,cheal ,sons1 ,messrs ,j41 #cc4 ,clipping1 #ej1 #ed4 ---- best time for1 #ea4 ---- worst time for1 #ef4 ,cutbush ,son1 ,messrs ,wm41 #cc4 ,cutbush1 ,mr ,herbert ,j41 #cc4 ,d4 ,danesfield1 ,marlow1 #cf4 ,de ,cerceau1 #aj4 ,details of general management1 #gj4 ,dutch commercial ,topiary work1 #cd4 ,dutch verdant sculpture1 #ah4 ,e4 ,early history of ,topiary1 #f4 ,elizabethan gardens1 #ab1 #bb4 ,elvaston ,castle1 #cb4 ,evelyn1 ,john1 #ac1 #ah4 ,f4 ,fantastic ,topiary designs1 #cj4 ,flowers and ,topiary1 #da1 #db1 #gj1 #ge4 ,formation of a ,topiary garden1 #cg1 #fj1 #fa4 ,friar ,park1 ,topiary garden at1 #cf4 ,g4 ,gerard1 #ad4 ,golden age of ,topiary1 #ab4 ,gordon1 ,mr ,g41 on modern ,topiary1 #cb4 ,grass paths1 #gf1 #gg4 ,grecian formal gardens1 #f1 #g4 ,h4 ,hampton ,court1 #e1 #ag1 #ba4 ,harrison1 ,wm41 #ac1 #ae4 ,hedges1 #ed1 #fh4 ,heslington1 #ae4 ,hibberd1 ,shirley1 on ,topiary1 #d1 #ab4 ,holinshed's ,chronicles1 #ac1 #ae4 ,holly1 #dg1 #ef4 ,hunting scene in ,topiary work1 #af4 ,k4 ,kensington ,gardens1 #ah4 ,kent1 #ca4 ,l4 ,labyrinths and mazes1 #aj4 ,lawson1 #ae4 ,le ,notre1 #af4 ,levens ,hall1 ,westmoreland1 #ag1 #cb1 #cg1 #gc4 ,limit of ,topiary1 #ah4 ,london ,wise1 #ah4 ,lowe1 ,mr ,john1 on ,topiary1 #ab4 ,m4 ,manuring1 #de4 ,mason on ,addison and ,pope1 #bd4 ,milner1 ,mr ,h4 ,e41 on ,topiary1 #ai4 ,m#8,intosh on ,topiary1 #ba4 ,moor ,park1 ,dutch garden at1 #ag4 ,mulching1 #dh4 ,n4 ,nicholson1 ,mr ,g41 on ,topiary1 #d4 ,o4 ,old trees1 #ej4 ,p4 ,parkinson1 #ad4 ,planting1 #de4 ---- time for1 #df4 ,pliny's garden1 #g4 ,pope1 #bd4 ,prices of ,topiary designs1 #ce4 ,privet1 #ad1 #df4 ,r4 ,revival of ,topiary1 #cb4 ,roman ,topiary work1 #g4 ,rosamund's ,bower1 #aj4 ,rosemary1 #e4 ,s4 ,salvia patens1 #gd4 ,satire on ,topiary1 #be1 #bg1 #bi4 ,sayes ,court1 ,deptford1 #ai4 ,shears1 #fi4 ,siege of ,troy1 #ah4 ,site for ,topiary garden1 #ch4 ,soil ---- ----1 #dd4 ,t4 ,temple1 ,sir ,wm41 #ag1 #bh1 #ca4 ,topiary and flower gardening1 #da1 #db1 #gj1 #ge4 ,topiary designs1 modern1 #cd1 #ce1 #fc4 ,topiary1 etymology of1 #d4 ---- gardens1 formation of1 #cg4 ---- ---- modern1 #cf4 ---- in ,america1 #gh4 ---- overdone1 #ai4 ,training1 #ei1 #fb1 #fc1 #fd1 #fe1 #ff1 #fg4 ,tying1 #ec4 ,v4 ,verdant sculpture1 #bg4 ,versailles1 #af4 ,w4 ,william and ,mary1 ,topiary in the reign of1 #ag4 ,witley ,court1 #cf4 ,wright1 ,mr ,w4 ,p41 on ,topiary1 #cb4 ,y4 ,yew tree1 #ae1 #dg4 ---- ---- golden1 #dg4 ,young clipped trees1 #eh4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,handbooks of ,practical ,gardening ,,edited ,,by ,,harry ,,roberts ,price #bs4 #f;d4 net each4 ,crown #hvo4 ,illustrated4 ,price #a4jj ,vol4 ,i4--,,the ,,book ,,of ,,asparagus4 ,with sections on ,celery1 ,salsify1 ,scorzonera1 and ,seakale2 and a chapter on their cooking and preparation for the table4 ,by ,,charles ,,ilott1 ,f4,r4,h4,s41 ,lecturer on ,horticulture to the ,cornwall ,county ,council4 8,the work of a specialist4 ,mr ,ilott gives us--for a matter of half-a-crown--the ripe experience of a life-time40 ,the ,speaker4 ,vol4 ,,ii4--,,the ,,book ,,of ,,the ,,greenhouse4 ,by ,j4 ,c4 ,,tallack1 ,f4,r4,h4,s41 ,head ,gardener at ,shipley ,hall4 8,a serviceable handbook for the practical gardener1 written with exceptional knowledge of horticultural work40 ,the ,outlook4 ,vol4 ,,iii4--,,the ,,book ,,of ,,the ,,grape4 ,with a chapter on the ,history and ,decorative ,value of the ,vines4 ,by ,h4 ,w4 ,,ward1 ,f4,r4,h4,s41 late ,head ,gardener at ,longford ,castle4 8,a mine of useful information40 ,the ,st ,james's ,gazette4 ,vol4 ,,iv4--,,the ,,book ,,of ,,old-,,fashioned ,,flowers4 ,by ,,harry ,,roberts1 ,author of 8,the ,chronicle of a ,cornish ,garden40 8,all who wish for a real old-fashioned garden should certainly study this most excellent and practical book40 ,the ,bookman4 ,vol4 ,v4--,,the ,,book ,,of ,,bulbs4 ,by ,s4 ,,arnott1 ,f4,r4,h4,s41 of ,carsethorne1 near ,dumfries4 ,together with an introductory chapter on the ,botany of ,bulbs by the ,editor4 8,skilled and instructive4 ,it notably enriches the series in which it appears40 ,the ,scotsman4 ,vol4 ,,vi4--,,the ,,book ,,of ,,the ,,apple4 ,by ,h4 ,h4 ,,thomas1 ,assistant ,editor of ,the ,garden1 late of the ,royal ,gardens1 ,windsor4 ,together with chapters by the ,editor on the ,history and ,cooking of the ,apple and the ,preparation of ,cider4 8,this is a most useful volume1 which every grower1 whether for his own use or for the market1 should consult40 ,the ,spectator4 ,vol4 ,,vii4--,,the ,,book ,,of ,,vegetables4 ,by ,,george ,,wythes1 ,v4,m4,h41 ,head ,gardener to the ,duke of ,northumberland4 ,together with chapters on the ,history and ,cookery by the ,editor4 8,thoroughly practical4 ,the book can be highly recommended40 ,the ,morning ,post4 ,vol4 ,,viii4--,,the ,,book ,,of ,,orchids4 ,by ,w4 ,h4 ,,white1 ,f4,r4,h4,s41 ,orchid ,grower to ,sir ,trevor ,lawrence1 ,president of the ,royal ,horticultural ,society4 8,there are few writers so well qualified to write with authority upon these flowers40 ,the ,scotsman4 ,vol4 ,,ix4--,,the ,,book ,,of ,,the ,,strawberry4 ,with chapters on the ,raspberry1 ,blackberry1 ,loganberry1 ,japanese ,wineberry1 and ,allied ,fruits4 ,by ,,edwin ,,beckett1 ,f4,r4,h4,s4 8,mr ,beckett deals with his subject in a thorough practical manner 444 and fully maintains the general excellence shown in the previous volumes of this series40 ,the ,morning ,post4 ,vol4 ,x4--,,the ,,book ,,of ,,climbing ,,plants4 ,by ,s4 ,,arnott1 ,f4,r4,h4,s41 ,author of 8,the ,book of ,bulbs40 8,this is a concise1 practical1 and well-informed exposition of skilled knowledge as to the training of creepers1 c40 ,the ,scotsman4 ,vol4 ,,xi4--,,the ,,book ,,of ,,pears ,,and ,,plums4 ,by the ,rev4 ,e4 ,,bartrum1 ,d4,d4 8,the writer knew as much about the growing of ,pears and ,plums as ,dean ,hole knows about the cultivation of ,roses40 ,the ,scotsman4 ,vol4 ,,xii4--,,the ,,book ,,of ,,herbs4 ,by ,,lady ,,rosalind ,,northcote4 ,vol4 ,,xiii4--,,the ,,book ,,of ,,the ,,wild ,,garden4 ,by ,s4 ,w4 ,,fitzherbert4 ,vol4 ,,xiv4--,,the ,,book ,,of ,,the ,,honey-,,bee4 ,by ,,charles ,,harrison4 ,this book will be of great assistance to the beginner as showing the practical side of bee-keeping4 ,it contains numerous illustrations which will be of interest to experienced bee-keepers as well as to the novice4 ,vol4 ,,xv4--,,the ,,book ,,of ,,shrubs4 ,by ,,george ,,gordon1 ,v4,m4,h41 ,editor of ,the ,gardener's ,magazine4 ,a special feature of this book lies in the distinction which it makes between shrubs and trees peculiarly suited to garden cultivation1 and those appropriate to the park and woodland4 ,the author desires to encourage the culture of shrubs in gardens1 and indicates those most suitable for various purposes and situations4 ,vol4 ,,xvi4--,,the ,,book ,,of ,,the ,,daffodil4 ,by the ,rev4 ,s4 ,,eugene ,,bourne4 ,the author supplies valuable information on the cultivation of daffodils gained by the results of his own personal experience4 ,vol4 ,,xvii4--,,the ,,book ,,of ,,the ,,lily4 ,by ,w4 ,,goldring4 ,a description of1 and a practical guide to1 the cultivation of all the lilies usually to be found in ,british gardens4 ,vol4 ,,xviii4--,,the ,,book ,,of ,,topiary4 ,by ,,charles ,h4 ,,curtis and ,w4 ,,gibson1 ,head ,gardener at ,levens ,hall4 ,a textbook of the topiary art1 together with some account and famous examples of the application of that art4 ,vol4 ,,xix4--,,the ,,book ,,of ,,town ,,and ,,window ,,gardening4 ,by ,mrs ,f4 ,a4 ,,bardswell4 ,a handbook for those lovers of flowers who are compelled to live in a town4 ,the book should be helpful even to those who are quite ignorant in the art of growing plants1 and advice is given as to the plants most suitable to the various adverse conditions which town gardens afford4 ,vol4 ,,xx4--,,the ,,book ,,of ,,rarer ,,vegetables4 ,by ,,george ,,wythes1 ,v4,m4,h41 ,head ,gardener to the ,duke of ,northumberland1 and ,,harry ,,roberts4 ,this work deals with a number of vegetables possessing choice flavour1 that are little grown in modern gardens4 ,not only does the book explain the best methods of cultivation1 but also describes the ways in which the several vegetables should be cooked and dressed for the table4 ,vol4 ,,xxi4--,,the ,,book ,,of ,,the ,,iris4 ,a practical guide to the cultivation of the ,iris1 and also a description of and key to all the garden species and varieties4 ,the book will interest equally the botanical student1 the practical gardener1 and the lover of beautiful flowers4 ,vol4 ,,xxii4--,,the ,,book ,,of ,,garden ,,furniture4 ,a practical handbook to the selection1 construction1 and arrangement of the various buildings1 trellises1 pergolas1 arches1 seats1 sundials1 fountains1 and other structures4 ,vol4 ,,xxiii4--,,the ,,book ,,of ,,the ,,carnation4 ,by ,c4 ,p4 ,,brotherston and ,,martin ,r4 ,,smith4 ,vol4 ,,xxiv4 ,,the ,,book ,,of ,,the ,,scented ,,garden4 ,by ,f4 ,w4 ,,burbidge4 ,vol4 ,,xxv4 ,,the ,,book ,,of ,,garden ,,design4 ,by ,,charles ,,thonger4 ,,john ,,lane1 ,publisher3 ,,london3 ,,vigo ,,street1 ,w4 ,,new ,,york3 #fg ,,fifth ,,avenue ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,j4 ,,cheal ,,sons ,,the ,,nurseries ,,crawley1 ,,sussex ,,have ,,the ,,largest ,,stock ,,in ,,the ,,country ,,of ,,home-,,trained ,,topiary ,,trees ,,great ,,variety ,,of ,,patterns ,,and ,,sizes ,,illustrated ,,catalogue ,,free ,,mr ,,john ,,lane will send ,post ,free to any address1 a copy of the ,booklet entitled 8,books ,for and ,about ,gardens10 containing particulars of his ,publications of interest to lovers of gardens1 gardening1 etc41 with ,illustrations by ,f4 ,l4 ,griggs1 ,e4 ,h4 ,new1 ,donald ,maxwell1 ,r4 ,h4 ,moor1 etc4 ,,john ,,lane1 ,,publisher1 ,,london ,,and ,,new ,,york ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,wm4 ,,cutbush ,,son',s ,,specialities ,,carnations4--,the finest stocks of ,malmaisons1 ,tree or ,winter-flowering1 and ,border ,varieties1 in strong1 clean1 and healthy ,plants2 also large collections of ,pinks1 ,cloves1 c4 ,,roses4--,an immense stock of ,standard1 ,dwarf1 and ,climbing ,roses1 and also many thousands grown in pots4 ,,fruit ,,trees4--,grand perfect trees in ,standard1 ,pyramid1 ,dwarf1 and ,horizontal-trained1 and ,cordon form1 and also a quantity grown in pots for indoor culture4 ,the ,peaches1 ,nectarines1 and ,apricots are especially fine1 and include many extra-sized trees for next season's fruiting4 ,also ,fruiting and ,planting ,vines1 ,figs1 ,mulberries1 c4 ,,cutbush',s ,,cut ,,bushes4--,an immense quantity of ,yews and ,box clipped into many curious shapes1 such as ,birds1 ,ships1 ,tables1 ,spiral ,columns1 ,dogs1 c4 ,also an exceedingly fine stock of ,box and ,yew ,trees in ,pyramid form1 and ,standard and ,pyramidal ,bay ,trees in perfect condition established in tubs4 ,,shrubs ,,and ,,conifers4--,an extensive collection of ,conifer and ,deciduous and ,evergreen ,shrubs1 bushy and well-rooted plants in all sizes4 ,also an immense stock of ,yews1 up to #f feet in height1 specially prepared for hedge planting4 ,,stove ,,and ,,greenhouse ,,plants4--,an extensive stock of ,palms1 ,climbers1 and ,decorative ,plants generally1 and also a large quantity of well-grown ,autumn and ,winter-flowering ,plants4 ,,forcing ,,plants1 c4--,the collection of ,plants for ,forcing is considered the finest in existence1 and a great speciality is made of ,azaleas1 ,deutzias1 ,lilacs1 ,wistarias1 ,guelder ,rose1 ,staphylea1 and many other varieties of ,plants for ,forcing purposes4 ,large quantities of ,plants and ,roots can be supplied in retarded form1 such as ,lily of the ,valley1 ,liliums1 ,azalea mollis1 c41 for flowering at any season of the year4 ,,alpine ,,and ,,herbaceous ,,plants4--,an unique and up-to-date collection1 including many ,grand ,novelties offered for the first time4 ,nymphas and other ,plants for the ,aquatic1 ,bog1 and ,wild ,garden being extensively grown4 ,,hardy ,,climbers4--,an immense quantity of ,ivies1 ,honeysuckles1 ,wistaria1 ,ampelopsis1 ,clematis1 ,jasmines1 c41 c41 in all sizes up to #aj feet high4 ,,trees4--,a large and varied collection of ,hardy ,ornamental ,trees2 also grand stocks of ,limes1 ,planes1 ,poplars1 ,elms1 ,sycamores1 ,birch1 c41 grown singly1 specially for ,park and ,avenue ,planting4 ,,landscape ,,gardening ,,and ,,planting4--,plans and ,estimates may be had for the ,laying-out and ,planting of ,new1 or the ,renovation of ,existing ,gardens in any part of the ,kingdom4 ,,seed ,,and ,,bulb ,,departments4--,special attention is given to the selection of the finest produce of the ,dutch1 ,french1 ,american1 and other growers1 and being probably the largest importers in this country1 we are in a position to offer the finest quality bulbs upon special terms4 ,every care is taken in the saving and selection of ,seeds4 ,catalogues ,post ,free on ,application4 ,,wm4 ,,cutbush ,,son ,nurserymen by ,special ,warrant to ,his ,majesty ,king ,edward ,,vii4 ,,highgate ,,nurseries1 ,,london1 ,n41 ,,and ,,barnet1 ,,herts4 ,telegraphic ,address-- ,telephone-- 8,,cutbush1 ,,london40 ,,no4 #afj ,,north ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,illustration 8,,one ,,all ,,gardening0 ,a most useful book for ,amateur ,gardeners4 #bjj pages profusely ,illustrated4 ,,published ,,annually1 ,,price #b;d4 ,,edited ,,by ,,edward ,,owen ,,greening4 ,,published ,,at #ib ,,long ,,acre1 ,w4,c4 ,,for ,,sale ,,at ,,all ,,bookstalls1 ,,newsagents1 ,,etc4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,the ,,country ,,handbooks4 ,a ,series of ,illustrated ,practical ,handbooks dealing with ,country ,life4 ,suitable for the ,pocket or ,knapsack4 ,under the ,general ,editorship of ,,harry ,,roberts4 ,fcap4 #hvo4 7#f by #d in474 ,price1 bound in ,limp ,cloth1 #c_/- net4 ,price1 bound in ,limp ,leather1 #d_/- net4 ,new ,volumes4 ,vol4 ,,vi4 ,,the ,,woman ,,out ,,of ,,doors4 ,by ,m,,nie ,,muriel ,,dowie4 ,vol4 ,,vii4 ,the ,stable ,handbook4 ,by ,t4 ,f4 ,,dale4 ,with ,numerous ,illustrations4 ,a concise1 practical handbook on the feeding1 grooming1 training1 housing1 and general management of horses1 written by a well-known breeder4 ,especially useful to the owner of one or two horses4 ,,the ,,little ,,farm4 ,by 8,,home ,,counties40 ,with ,numerous ,illustrations4 ,the aim of this book is to give the townsman1 who wishes to have a little place of his own in the country1 true notions of the conditions under which even the smallest farm needs to be managed4 ,special attention is given to fruit-growing and to the management of small stock4 ,volumes already ,published4 ,vol4 ,i4 ,,the ,,tramp',s ,,handbook4 ,by ,h4 ,,roberts4 ,vol4 ,,ii4 ,,the ,,motor ,,book4 ,by ,r4 ,j4 ,,mecredy4 ,vol ,,iii4 ,,the ,,tree ,,book4 ,by ,,mary ,r4 ,,jarvis4 ,vol4 ,,iv4 ,,the ,,still ,,room4 ,by ,,mrs ,,roundell4 ,vol4 ,v4 ,,the ,,bird ,,book4 ,by ,a4 ,j4 ,r4 ,,roberts4 ,vol4 ,,viii4 ,,the ,,fisherman',s ,,handbook4 ,by ,,edgar ,s4 ,,shrubsole4 ,vol4 ,,ix4 ,,the ,,sailing ,,handbook4 ,by ,,clove ,,hitch4 ,vol4 ,x4 ,,the ,,kennel ,,handbook4 ,by ,c4 ,j4 ,,davies4 ,vol4 ,,xi4 ,,the ,,gun ,,room4 ,by ,,alex4 ,,innes ,,shand4 ,an ,illustrated ,prospectus1 ,post ,free1 on application4 ,,john ,,lane1 ,publisher3 ,,vigo ,,street1 ,,london1 ,w4 ---------------------------------------- -------------------------------- ,,transcriber',s ,,notes #a4 ,silently corrected typographical errors and variations in spelling4 #b4 ,archaic1 non-standard1 and uncertain spellings retained as printed4 #c4 ,enclosed italics font in underscores4