which must be considered in a special degree, is the general formation
of the garden. This is a matter of vital importance, and, in common with
all branches of garden architecture, needs great forethought and
technical skill. In commencing a Dutch or Topiary garden, everything
should be laid out in a formal way; always, of course, taking care to
avoid unnecessary stiffness in design.
[Illustration:
VARIOUSLY SHAPED YEW TREES
]
[Illustration:
A PEACOCK CUT IN YEW AT COMPTON WYNYATES
]
In the carrying out of the Topiary work, Man is striving to a very great
extent against Nature, and Nature is never an easy adversary to fight.
Natural beauty, therefore, must not be considered too deeply in the
formal laying out of a Topiary garden. I am far from wishing to imply
that Nature should be entirely neglected; but in the general formation
and practical management of a Topiary garden, a quaint and unique
appearance is the thing that must be aimed at, and sometimes even a
grotesque effect. Hence Nature must occasionally be relegated to a
secondary position. Natural beauties, however, appeal to everybody, and
if it can be found possible to combine the two, so much the better.
If it is intended to lay out a garden in which plenty of space can be
allowed for planting, let us say, a hundred or more trees, a large piece
of ground will be found to be necessary. It is always advisable to
devote plenty of ground to the work, as it is a great mistake to plant
the trees too close together. Although the trees when in a small state
may not appear to be crowded, if sufficient space has not been allowed
for their growth and development, the garden will afterwards present a
cramped and heavy appearance which will greatly mar its general effect
as time goes on.
The system of planting entirely in grass is not, I think, to be greatly
recommended, although a few single trees planted here and there on the
lawns may look well. For various reasons which shall be explained
hereafter, I believe it to be better to combine the Topiary proper and
the flower garden.
When it has been decided how many trees it is intended to plant, and how
much space is available for the work, the ground should be mapped out in
six or eight large squares or quarters. These squares need not be all of
one uniform size, or of exactly the same shape. As a general rule, the
person who is laying out the garden will have to be guided by
circumstances as regards the shape and size of these divisions.
There are so many different designs of garden architecture that it is of
very little use trying to describe any particular form. I would
recommend, however, that the design chosen be as simple a one as
possible. The flower-beds should be made of rather a large size, and
afterwards may be planted with roses, and herbaceous and bedding plants;
they will also serve the additional purpose of containing the clipped
trees. I do not, of course, mean that all the beds should be of uniform
size or shape; but the beds in which trees are to be planted should be
from twenty-five to forty feet in length, and from five to seven feet
wide. A bed of these dimensions will be found to answer all purposes
fairly well, whatever be the design adopted, and whatever shape may be
given to the beds themselves.
All the paths, with the exception of the main walks between the quarters
or divisions, should be grass; and those main walks should have a
substratum of some hard material and be covered on the surface with
loose gravel. Some objection may be raised to grass walks as being of an
unserviceable nature for general garden work; but, if the main walks are
made as suggested, the amount of work and trampling on the grass paths
will be reduced to very small proportions, and even when necessary to do
any heavy work over the latter, such as wheeling manure or other traffic
of a similar nature, dry or frosty weather can usually be chosen as the
most convenient moment.
[Illustration:
OLD-FASHIONED BOX GARDEN, CHASTLETON HOUSE
]
In making the flower-beds, box should always be used for edging; never
stones or ornamental tiles, as anything of this description is
altogether out of keeping with the general features of a Topiary garden.
There may be a slight objection to box edging on account of the
difficulty of getting it to grow well in certain soils. Generally
speaking, I have never had the slightest difficulty in getting it to
flourish and remain in a healthy condition, provided it gets proper
treatment. I have some boxwood at Levens which has not been relaid for
nearly, if not quite, a hundred years; and yet it is in a strong,
healthy state.
When the portion of the garden intended to be devoted to Topiary
gardening has been laid out, attention should be given to the other
portion of the grounds; and, as none of the old formal gardens were
considered to be complete without a bowling-green and hedges of yew,
horn-beam, or holly, a bowling-green should be made and then enclosed by
one or another of these species of hedge.
Any additional space not required for lawns or terraces should be made
into fruit and vegetable quarters. If it can be found convenient to have
the vegetable garden separate from the other, so much the better; as any
space not absolutely required may then be utilised for fruit trees only.
Old apple trees, with their gnarled stems and branches, with here and
there a branch of mistletoe hanging among them, are picturesque objects
enough among any surroundings.
In the grounds, as well as in the garden, grass walks should predominate
between the hedges, and in the quarters devoted to fruit trees and
vegetables. Indeed, wherever a path or walk is necessary, it should be
grassed, if possible.
PLANTING AND MANURING
Before planting operations are taken in hand, the beds should first be
thoroughly prepared, and made ready for the reception of the trees. As
with everything else connected with the management of a garden, a good
beginning, followed by careful attention and proper treatment, generally
means a successful result. Although the yew is a gross feeding tree, it
will thrive fairly well in almost any poor soil; but it is advisable
only to plant in a soil of a nature that will, as far as possible, suit
the requirements of the various trees it is intended to carry.
Everything that can be done at this period to ensure the future success
of the garden should be carefully attended to.
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 years. Any extra labour or expense devoted to the work of
initiation will, therefore, be fully repaid in the future.
If the land that has been selected for the garden is composed of loam of
a rich, mellow nature, all that is necessary will be to trench the
ground two or three “spits” deep. If the soil is of a limestone
composition it will be to the advantage of the yew trees, as these seem
to grow well and vigorously in a soil of this kind. But if, on the other
hand, the soil be of a poor, hungry nature, it will be advisable to
remove it altogether, to the depth of two or three feet, replacing it
with good loam of a more suitable character.
[Illustration:
COTTAGE AT DITCHEAT, SOMERSET
]
Nothing will answer this purpose better than the top “spit” off old
pasture or meadow land. The top “spit” only should be used, and this
should not be removed to a greater depth than five or six inches. Turf
taken off at this depth will generally contain all that is best in the
soil of either pasture or meadow land.
Although not absolutely necessary, it will be found advantageous if the
loam be obtained six or eight months previous to the time when it will
be required for use. It should be removed from the fields, and carefully
stacked, in order to kill the grass and partially decay the turf.
Partially decayed loam is in all respects better than that which has
just been procured from the fields. The trees make better roots in it,
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 beds. The grass has also to
be considered; and unless this is covered by a good depth of ordinary
garden soil, it will prove exceedingly troublesome during at least the
first year after planting. Of course, if the garden be a large one, and
operations can be carried out on a large scale, the removal of the old
soil and replacement by other and more suitable loam will entail a
considerable amount both of labour and expense. But, as I have before
observed, nothing should be left undone at this period of the work that
will help to ensure its future success.
There is, however, another and more simple method of replacing the soil,
and one which may answer the purpose equally well. After the beds have
been made, the places may be marked out where it is intended to plant
the trees. 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 depth, according to
the size of the tree it is proposed to plant. 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 reduced, and
results obtained which should be almost, if not quite as satisfactory.
The remaining soil left in the beds, no matter how poor it may be, can
soon be made rich enough for either herbaceous or bedding plants by a
liberal use of manure.
When the beds have been prepared for the reception of the trees,
planting should be at once proceeded with, provided, of course, that the
planting season be at hand. Like all other forms of tree-planting, it
should be done as soon as possible after the proper time arrives; or, to
be more explicit, from the middle of October to the middle of November.
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 January, the earlier season is undoubtedly the better. The
soil has then more chance to get settled about the roots before the
advent of hard weather. I have seen yew trees lifted and transplanted
even in June, but do not consider it to be by any means a suitable time
for the work, and it is not a practice to be recommended. If left so
late in the year as June, constant attention must be paid to watering,
else the result will be disastrous.
If the trees have been growing for a few years in a reserve
nursery-garden close at hand, they can be lifted and replanted without
undue exposure to the open air or drying winds; but if they have to be
brought from afar, and have had to undergo a long railway journey, they
are almost certain to be found on arrival to be dry at the roots. In
this case, they should be at once unpacked and submerged in a tank of
water for a few hours, and then heeled into the ground as near as
possible to the place where planting is to be carried on, and afterwards
lifted and replanted as required.
No rank manure of any kind should be used either mixed with the soil, or
applied to the roots of the trees, or the result will be injurious. If
manure of any kind be employed, 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 loam.
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 garden. Everything should be done to make the garden as
unique, and at the same time as bright and attractive as possible. Now
that such excellent varieties of golden yew are obtainable, a fairly
large number of these should be planted. They should not, however, be
allowed to predominate over the common green yew; but if a few be
planted, it will help to relieve the sombre appearance of the ordinary
English yew.
Box is another kind of tree that lends itself admirably to Topiary work,
and one that should not be forgotten during the planting period, as a
few of the different varieties of box will greatly add to the general
effect. There are also the different varieties of holly and golden
privet; but, as regards the former, unless it is purely for the sake of
contrast, which is admired in all gardens, I should recommend its
omission from the list of trees to be planted, as it does not lend
itself to clipping. Its chief fault, however, is its untidy nature,
which causes it to be a nuisance in a garden. It is perpetually shedding
its leaves throughout the summer, when every garden should be looking
its neatest.
No trees are more suitable for Topiary work than the different varieties
of yew and the boxwood, as these are the most easily clipped and
trained. Although the yew is an exceedingly slow-growing tree, it will,
even with continual clipping, grow into a tree of large dimensions; and,
if the whole garden has been planted at one time, instead of adding
trees at intervals of a few years, there will be too much uniformity
about it. This should be avoided as far as possible, and if a few box
trees have been planted here and there, they will help to break the
evenness of the garden, since box can be kept down to almost any size
desired by the aid of constant clipping.
When the work of marking out the places and planting the trees is being
done, avoid anything that will afterwards have a tendency to
over-crowding. Allow plenty of space for each tree to develop into
whatever size or shape may be desired, and then have plenty of space for
each tree to be plainly and distinctly seen. Trees that are too thickly
planted never have the same appearance as those that have been allowed
sufficient space; neither is over-crowding beneficial. It has a great
tendency to draw the trees up too quickly, at the expense of strong and
robust growth.
When the planting operations are finished, each tree should be given a
good mulching of farmyard manure. Nothing is more beneficial to the
health and vigour of the trees than half decayed manure from the
farmyard, applied as a mulching either to old or newly-planted trees. It
is the best stimulant that can be applied, as it answers the two-fold
purpose of imparting health and vigour to the trees and protecting the
roots from frost during winter, although there is perhaps very little
danger of frost doing any damage to the roots of the yew on account of
its extreme hardiness. It is always safer to protect trees that have
been recently planted, and the manure will certainly not be wasted.
[Illustration:
CROSS IN YEW OVER THE GRAVE OF L.T.-GENERAL ARBUTHNOT, K.C.B., K.T.S.,
IN ST. BONIFACE CHURCHYARD, BONCHURCH, ISLE OF WIGHT
]
If the garden is an old established one and full of old trees, these
will be greatly benefited by the aid of occasional top dressings of some
sort of manure, or the trees will begin to show signs of deteriorating
in course of time. More especially will top dressing be necessary if the
ground or beds where the trees are planted is not liberally manured
every year. But if manure is liberally applied, the necessity for top
dressing the roots will not be so great; 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 ground. Although chemical manures may be
used for the sake of convenience, or lack of farmyard manure, they are
not strongly recommended. Of course if farmyard manure cannot be
obtained, then chemical manure of some sort will have to be resorted to,
but this will not have the same desired effect in imparting vigour to
the trees. The principal objection to farmyard manure arises on account
of its unsightliness in the garden; 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 manure, and afterwards replacing the soil. Liquid manure of
any kind will be of the greatest benefit to old trees, and there is no
doubt that chemical manure if applied to the roots at all, should be
given in liquid form during spring or summer, when the weather is dry.
It will greatly assist the trees in making good growth.
The clipped yew is of such a close nature that it takes very heavy rains
to penetrate the roots.
MANAGEMENT OF OLD TREES
It is perhaps when the work of clipping and training the trees begins,
that the most difficult part of the practical management of a Topiary
garden is experienced; but as in this chapter I intend to deal only with
old trees, I will leave the training and shaping of young trees to be
described in another chapter.
It is a matter that requires both skill and experience, both on the part
of the man who is handling the shears, and of the gardener who is
superintending, and who is also responsible for the work. There is
nothing which looks worse in a garden than trees not properly clipped,
and no clipped work can be called properly done if all or even any shear
marks are visible to the eye. Clipping and training of trees in a
Topiary garden is work that should either be done properly or else not
at all. If the greatest possible amount of care is not bestowed on the
trees, they will very soon grow out of shape, and, of course, become
unsightly; and nothing is wanted in a garden that is not pleasing to the
eye.
If the garden is a very extensive one and contains a large number of old
specimen trees, the work of clipping them and cleaning up afterwards is
an undertaking that requires a great deal of time and labour, as the
work is not of a nature that will allow men to hurry over it, and it is
moreover a labour of skill and patience.
[Illustration:
YEWS AT MONTACUTE, SOMERSET
]
In an old Formal Garden, where Topiary work is considered the principal
feature, it is advisable to allow only men who are thoroughly
experienced in the work to do the clipping. In fact, if the shape and
symmetrical appearance of the trees are to be kept as nearly as possible
perfect, experienced men are necessary. Of course, in any garden it will
sometimes happen that the gardener may have to put a novice to do some
part of the clipping, 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 clipping. When
it is found necessary to employ a person to do any part of the clipping
who has not had any previous experience, he should only be allowed to
begin on trees of the least importance, and those most concealed from
view. The beginner will always find that a round or oval shaped tree is
a great deal less difficult to work upon than a square one, or a hedge.
Therefore, if possible, he should be allowed to get his hand in on round
trees. It is always a wise plan when a novice is learning the work, 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
made. No hard and fast line can be drawn as to the exact date when the
clipping season should begin, but it should be as soon as possible after
the trees have completed their growth, as at that season the young
shoots are soft, and not so difficult to clip. In any case it should not
be later than the middle of September, especially if there is a large
amount of clipping to be done. If it can be found convenient to start a
fortnight or three weeks earlier, so much the better. More especially
does this apply to beech or horn-beam, as they finish their growth
sooner than the yew, and if they are not clipped immediately, the young
shoots get hard and, of course, are more difficult to manage. Where
there is enough clipping to keep three or four men at work for nine or
ten weeks, the sooner the work is commenced after September comes in the
better, as it enables the work to be got through before the severe
frosts of winter set in. When the trees are of a large size—a thing that
is generally the case in old gardens—scaffolding of some sort will be
necessary, and for this purpose there is nothing better than trestles
made to close up into as little space as possible, for the double
purpose of storing them away in winter or at any time they are not
required for use, and for the sake of convenience in carrying them about
the garden. The trestles should be made in at least three different
sizes, two of each size, or more if necessary. These, with the aid of a
single plank laid across two equal sized trestles, will generally
suffice for the work. Of course, the plank that is used must be strong
enough to carry a man, and wide enough to give him plenty of standing
room.
If the trees are old and practically perfected in shape, the work of
clipping is not such a difficult matter as when the trees are in course
of training. But it is usually the case that although many of the trees
are old there are young ones coming on that have to be shaped. In the
case of old trees, as a general rule, all that is required is to take
off the year’s growth; clipping back to the old growth of the previous
year.
Hard clipping of old trees is a practice that should to a certain extent
be carried out, unless it is desired to enlarge the size of the tree. If
this is the case, from one inch and a half to two inches of the year’s
growth should be left on, but not more.
Altering the shape of old trees is a thing that should be avoided as far
as possible, especially if the trees are well shaped and in a healthy
condition. 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 shape; or perhaps an old tree may be obscuring the view in
some way or other. In the case of such a thing happening, it will be
necessary to use the pruning knife or saw rather severely, both of which
can be used with perfect safety when they are in the hands of a person
who thoroughly understands the yew; provided, of course, he does not go
to extremes, the yew is a tree that will stand a fair amount of rough
treatment, and one that can be twisted and cut into almost any shape
desired.
[Illustration:
THE POST OFFICE, DITCHEAT, SOMERSET
]
I have seen old specimen trees that had grown out of shape, or were,
perhaps, shutting out the view in some part of the garden, taken down
and re-trained, or cut down with the pruning saw, or knife, as the case
might be; and yet in a very few years they had quite recovered and grown
into nice, well shaped trees, full of vigour and well furnished with
young growth. Rather will the tree, if it is carefully managed, be
improved by the severe pruning it has been subjected to.
Of course, after an operation like the one I am describing, great care
will have to be taken that every use is made of the young growth, as the
main object to be kept in view is to get the tree well furnished again
in as little time as possible. There will be very little, if any need
for using the shears the first year after the cutting back has been
done; but if the young growth is at all rank, it should be carefully
thinned with an ordinary pruning knife, always taking care that only the
weaker shoots are removed, leaving the stronger ones to grow for use
another year, when they can be tied in and cover up, as far as possible,
the old and bare wood. When tying young shoots, tarred string will be
found most suitable. It answers the purpose very well and it is easier
to tie than wire, although it has a tendency to decay quickly through
being always exposed to the weather. In the case of young shoots the
pressure is not great and string will generally last as long as the tie
is required, as the shoots soon become matted and interwoven together;
but if a strong branch should happen to get displaced in any way, the
use of string as a tying material should be avoided and copper wire
should always be substituted in its place. In the case of an old branch
the pressure is greater, and whatever material has been used in the
work, it will as a rule be intended to last for years. For the purpose
of tree tying of any description copper wire is to be recommended; it
has not the same injurious effect on the trees as ordinary galvanised
wire; but whatever is used, cork should always be placed between the
wire and the wood as a preventive against cutting the tree.
When clipping an old tree that is a perfectly square one, it is a good
practice to use either a line or some kind of straight edge. 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
only.