in a hurry; but on the other hand, no more time should be lost than can
possibly be avoided in hastening on the work of shaping, and in getting
the garden furnished in the quickest possible time. No young shoots or
branches should be cut away that can possibly be used in the
construction of the various shapes; but in the training of young trees
special care should be given to them, and particular notice taken that
they are not allowed to make too rapid growth. In a very few years trees
will be injured to a great extent through being allowed to grow too
quickly. More especially does this apply to hedges. No matter how much
it is desired to get a hedge quickly grown in a certain place, whether
for shelter or anything else, it is the greatest possible mistake to
sacrifice strength and substance to a desire to promote rapid growth, a
result that is certain to occur if a hedge is allowed to grow eight or
ten feet before it is stopped. Nothing should be done to a hedge in the
way of clipping the same autumn or winter it is planted, and perhaps not
even the following autumn; but each year afterwards it should be
stopped, and never allowed to make more than three or four inches of
growth each year. By following the system of stopping the growth every
year, the length of time required to grow a hedge eight or ten feet in
height is greatly extended. But the result will amply repay the extra
time that has been taken to grow it; you will get a hedge full of
strength and substance, and well furnished with young growths from top
to bottom. But if the other system is followed of allowing the hedge to
get to its full height before any clipping is done, you will have a
hedge that is lacking in strength and substance, easily blown out of
shape by every wind, and also one that it is very difficult to clip in
anything like a proper way, on account of its many strong branches
growing towards the outside, that should have been removed to make room
for a thicker growth. Each year when the work of clipping is being done,
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 hedge, and these
must be removed whenever they are seen. In equal force does this apply
to both hedges and trees, and it is a part of the work in a Topiary
garden which if not carefully attended to, will very soon cause a great
deal of harm. Those shoots in the course of a few years will grow into
strong branches, and become a regular nuisance in the way of keeping
them constantly tied in; and eventually it is possible that they will
have to be removed altogether, as it is not always easy to keep branches
of that description tied back within the general level of the hedge.
Nothing, moreover, gives a worse appearance to a hedge or tree than one
of these bare branches projecting beyond the general level, perhaps
entirely devoid of young growth. In the case of one of these branches
that I have described having been allowed to grow for some years, and
then found necessary to be removed by being cut out altogether, the
disfigurement that will be caused to the hedge or tree will be very
apparent for some years afterwards; whereas, if such branches had been
removed each year as they made their appearance, no disfigurement would
have resulted through their removal; rather would the growth be improved
to a great extent, inasmuch as, where each shoot or branch is cut off a
number of young growths will break away, which will help to give the
hedge a firm and compact appearance, a thing that is greatly to be
desired in all clipped hedges or trees. For the general work of clipping
and training trees in the Topiary garden, I would strongly recommend
that the old-fashioned shears be used. There are several different makes
of clipping shears to be got now. Some of them have been given a trial
here; but for general purposes they were not found to be very well
suited to the work. There are exceptions, of course, where they might be
used with advantage, as, for instance, in the case of a privet hedge,
where the surface is smooth and even and the growth soft and easily cut.
But for all general purposes, the old style of shears is the best. It is
very often the case that in the work of clipping a well trained tree, it
is necessary to cut the growths off one by one, and it is in a similar
instance that the old-fashioned shears with their sharp points have the
advantage over the newer make of machine.
[Illustration:
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 garden; the soils and manures that are most
suitable for the cultivation and welfare of the yew; and I tried to give
my readers some idea of the general treatment required in the management
of both old and young trees. In this chapter it is my intention to
explain, as clearly as possible, the yearly management of a Topiary
garden.
The general routine of work in the Formal or Dutch garden is very much
the same as in any other garden, with, of course, the exception of the
clipping and training of the trees. That in itself adds a very great
amount of extra labour to the general work. But fortunately it is work
that requires to be done at the slackest time of the year for gardening,
viz., the autumn.
If the garden is an old established one, the arranging and planting of
the different beds will have been carried out many years previous, very
possibly at the time the trees were planted, at the foundation of the
garden, 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 formed. 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 with.
[Illustration:
THE COTTAGER’S PRIDE
]
The planting of the beds and their various contents is in the Topiary
garden a very important part of the work, and one that requires both a
great amount of skill and forethought, 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 garden. 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 trees, as they differ in this respect so far,
that once the trees in a Topiary garden are planted, they should under
no circumstances whatever be altered; but in the case of the beds, they
may be subject to many alterations, as circumstances may occur. The yew
by itself is not a very bright or attractive tree, but when you see it
planted in the Topiary garden and clipped into all kinds of unique
shapes and figures, and all the available space in the beds is utilised
for the purpose of massing either herbaceous or bedding plants, the
effect is extremely beautiful; 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 garden.
It is quite evident that, in most of the old formal gardens, glass
accommodation has never to any great extent been considered necessary.
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 spring. In former years both
the persons who owned the Topiary gardens, and the gardeners as well,
seem to have depended to a great extent on the different varieties of
annuals for the embellishment of their gardens. But annuals in a garden
such as the one I am speaking of, never have the same effect among the
yews as the more bright and showy bedding plants. I quite agree with a
great many people in their contention that glass structures are
altogether out of place in the Topiary garden. But provision should be
made for them in some way or other, and as a rule some place can be
found for the erection of a few houses without clashing with the other
features of the garden.
If the garden has been laid out on a large scale, and contains a
quantity of large beds, as regards the work of arranging and deciding
what each bed is to be planted with, the person who is responsible will
have to be guided by circumstances to a certain extent according to the
accommodation that is already at hand, or is to be provided for the
raising of bedding plants.
In every garden, and especially in the Topiary garden, 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
garden. A continual supply of bloom for the longest possible time is the
principal object to be aimed at. Of course in the arrangement of the
beds it will be necessary to plant some of them with herbaceous plants;
others may be planted with roses; as both roses and herbaceous plants
look well in any garden. But in the using of perennial plants of any
kind, I would strongly recommend that they should be planted more in the
background and in large borders, instead of in the more important beds
in the garden. These last should be reserved for bedding plants, as no
matter whether roses, or any other kind of plants, be used, the same
brilliant and desirable effect can never be obtained as is to be had
from the more showy and more easily massed bedding plants. In the
planting of herbaceous or any variety of plants, exceptional care should
be taken to keep the plants far enough away from the trees, so as to
avoid all injurious effects from the summer’s growth coming in contact
with the yews. If the practice of planting close up to the trees is
followed, on purpose to avoid bare patches in the borders, the result
will be disastrous to the more important part of the garden, viz., the
Topiary work. But as bare patches are always unsightly in the border,
they should be avoided as far as possible by planting the very dwarf
growing herbaceous plants in close proximity to the trees. It is a plan
that can very well be followed in perennial planting, but it is more
difficult to manage in the more important work of bedding out for the
summer months, especially if large and tall growing plants are
extensively used.
[Illustration:
A SWAN CUT IN BOX AT COMPTON WYNYATES
]
[Illustration:
COTTAGE TOPIARY AT NORTH WEALD, ESSEX
]
If it should happen, as I remarked before in this chapter, that the
glass accommodation is limited, it is of particular importance that the
utmost use be made of what there is at hand for the storing and
propagating of bedding plants, 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 garden. If such is the case, it will be
necessary when the bedding season arrives, to be careful that only such
plants are used as will be at their best in the autumn, more especially
in the most important beds. No attempt whatever should be made at carpet
bedding; it is a style of bedding that has very little to recommend it
at any time and certainly none in the Topiary garden; for one reason it
is much too stiff for a garden where there are a great many clipped
yews. 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 state, the system
of carpet bedding may be practised by those who wish to entirely discard
Nature from their gardens. But if the garden is an old one, full of old
specimen yews, the larger and taller growing the bedding plants are that
are used for bedding out purposes, the better. I will name a few of the
bedding plants that are extensively used in the gardens here at Levens;
but of course, as is well known, the gardens here are among the oldest
examples of Topiary work in England. There are some varieties of bedding
plants that are far more effective than others when planted among yews,
and among the most suitable, there is nothing that has more effect than
the brilliant scarlet Lobelia cardinalis and its varieties. Some
objection may perhaps be taken to the plant by some people, but when
planted in large masses among the sombre yews in a Topiary garden, I
have not the slightest hesitation in saying it has no equal: when
growing in large masses with a background of green yew and the sun
shining on the dark foliage and brilliant scarlet flowers, the effect is
really beautiful. Perhaps the only drawback to the various varieties of
Lobelia cardinalis is the difficulty experienced by some in keeping it
over winter; but if instead of following the old system of partly drying
it off in winter, directly it is lifted out of the beds, one places it
in a frame or greenhouse with a gentle heat and gives it a fair amount
of water, thus encouraging it to start into growth at once, the
difficulty will to a very great extent be done away with. Another
favourite plant here, and one that is greatly used for bedding out
purposes in the Topiary garden, is the beautiful old-fashioned plant
Salvia patens. Like the scarlet lobelias, Salvia patens should be
largely grown in every garden where there are a lot of yews. The
brilliant blue of the flowers against the dark green of the yew trees
has a very striking effect indeed, either when planted in masses by
itself or mixed in the beds along with the scarlet lobelia or the tall
yellow Calceolarias amplexicaulis. But the foliage of the Salvia patens
has not the same showy appearance as that of the Lobelia cardinalis, but
this is a point that can be overlooked, as the brilliant blue of the
flowers fully compensates one for the lack of beauty in the plant, and
it rarely happens among the general stock of bedding plants that one can
find plants with foliage and flowers equally effective. But in my
opinion, if a fault is to be found with the Salvia patens as a bedding
plant, it is its inability to withstand wet weather. Through that cause
it is very often denuded of its flowers, but it very soon revives with a
few bright days. 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
garden, and more especially if the yews are old and large; fuschias
planted either in clumps or massed alone in large beds with a groundwork
of violas, or some other suitable plants, will give a very striking
effect among yews, 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 flowering, which is a quality that ought to
recommend them in any garden as well as the Topiary one. In most
gardens, variety of plants is considered a necessity in the work of
bedding out, 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 garden, 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 grown. The different types of
antirrhinums, both dwarf and tall growing varieties, calceolarias,
cannas, begonias, heliotropes, yellow and white marguerites, gladioli,
and the various varieties of geraniums. Geraniums, and more especially
the ivy leaved varieties, should be given a place in the garden if beds
that are suitable for them blooming well can be found for them. Grown as
pyramids or trained over a wire framework three or four feet high, the
effect is very pretty.
In all the bedding arrangements of a Topiary garden, a natural
appearance is a thing that should be studied and as much as possible
sought. Always remember that in the practice of clipping and training
yews into all kinds of shapes, Nature is to a very great extent
discarded, therefore there is all the more reason why it should be as
much as possible encouraged among the plants in the flower garden; all
stiffness should be avoided and as little tying as possible done; though
of course a certain amount of tying will be necessary to keep the wind
and storm from breaking the plants, unless, indeed, the garden is a
sheltered one.
There is another point that should be aimed at in the old formal garden,
and that is, to always keep the garden well supplied with old-fashioned
flowers. 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
garden, but what I want to be understood is this, that there should not
be a wholesale clearing out of the old favourites to make room for the
new ones.
As I pointed out before, the general routine of work in the Topiary
garden is, with the exception of the clipping and training part of the
work, practically the same as in any other garden. If there is a kitchen
garden, a necessity that almost every garden, whether Topiary or
otherwise, is almost certain to have attached to it, the work of looking
after and attending to the various kinds of vegetables will have to be
seen to, and a trim and tidy appearance kept in it, more especially if
it is combined with the Topiary garden.
[Illustration:
LEVENS GARDENS, 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 Garden, and the paths in
the flower garden and grounds are composed principally of grass, a fair
amount of care and attention will have to be given to them to keep them
in proper order. Grass paths are, and always have been, one of the
principal features of the formal garden, and no amount of labour and
care should be considered wasted in keeping them in good condition.
Grass paths require far more labour and attention in keeping them in
proper order than those that are composed of some hard substratum,
especially if there is a considerable amount of traffic on them; if such
is the case, it will be necessary to go over them every spring and
re-turf places that have got worn out, afterwards well rolling them;
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 appearance.
In the Topiary garden it should always be remembered that everything
should be kept in as trim and formal a condition as possible, with the
exception of the different varieties of plants or shrubs that have been
planted for the purpose of giving colour to the garden; amongst those,
Nature should as far as is consistent be encouraged; but the walks, beds
and borders, and everything else in the garden should be made to present
as formal an appearance as possible. If the garden is a formal one, let
as much as possible in it be made to have a formal appearance.
In writing on the Topiary garden, I have perhaps made it appear to some
of those who may read it as hideously unnatural, and I am aware there
are plenty who maintain that it is a style of gardening that has nothing
to recommend or encourage about it. But those who think that the formal
garden is without its charm make a very great mistake, as in every old
world garden there is a charm that belongs to it only. In the woods and
the parks let us by all means study and cultivate Nature as far as
possible; but in the gardens we should have the trees to present as neat
and formal an appearance as possible, a thing that can only be had by
the aid of constant clipping or pruning.
For a great many years past, in this country at least, the Topiary
garden has been to a very large extent a thing that belongs to other
ages; especially does this apply to the formation of new gardens; but
there is not wanting evidence at the present day that it is again coming
into favour, and deservedly so. The Topiary garden has its drawbacks,
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 year. There is one thing to
remember about the Topiary garden, it is all work.
Perhaps at the present time Topiary gardening is a subject of far
greater interest to rich men in America than it is over here, and as
gardening might practically be said to be in its infancy in that great
country, there is hardly any reason why the art of Topiary work may not
have a great future in store for it in America.
INDEX
A.
Addison, 24, 25.
Age of clipped trees, 35.
Alphabet in Topiary work, 63, 64.
Amherst’s, Hon. Alicia, “History of Gardening in England,” 13, 15.
Ascott, Topiary garden at, 36.
B.
Bacon, Lord, 6, 22.
Batty Langley, 20.
Beaumont, 17, 37.
Box edgings, 43.
Box trees, 47, 56.
Bridgeman, 30, 31.
Brown, 31.
C.
Canons Ashby, 13.
Catalogue of Topiary, Pope’s, 29, 30.
Cheal & Sons, Messrs J., 33.
Clipping, 50, 54.
—— best time for, 51.
—— worst time for, 56.
Cutbush & Son, Messrs Wm., 33.
Cutbush, Mr Herbert J., 33.
D.
Danesfield, Marlow, 36.
De Cerceau, 10.
Details of general management, 70.
Dutch commercial Topiary work, 34.
Dutch verdant sculpture, 18.
E.
Early history of Topiary, 6.
Elizabethan gardens, 12, 22.
Elvaston Castle, 32.
Evelyn, John, 13, 18.
F.
Fantastic Topiary designs, 30.
Flowers and Topiary, 41, 42, 70, 75.
Formation of a Topiary garden, 37, 60, 61.
Friar Park, Topiary garden at, 36.
G.
Gerard, 14.
Golden age of Topiary, 12.
Gordon, Mr G., on modern Topiary, 32.
Grass paths, 76, 77.
Grecian formal gardens, 6, 7.
H.
Hampton Court, 5, 17, 21.
Harrison, Wm., 13, 15.
Hedges, 54, 68.
Heslington, 15.
Hibberd, Shirley, on Topiary, 4, 12.
Holinshed’s Chronicles, 13, 15.
Holly, 47, 56.
Hunting scene in Topiary work, 16.
K.
Kensington Gardens, 18.
Kent, 31.
L.
Labyrinths and mazes, 10.
Lawson, 15.
Le Notre, 16.
Levens Hall, Westmoreland, 17, 32, 37, 73.
Limit of Topiary, 18.
London & Wise, 18.
Lowe, Mr John, on Topiary, 12.
M.
Manuring, 45.
Mason on Addison and Pope, 24.
Milner, Mr H. E., on Topiary, 19.
M‘Intosh on Topiary, 21.
Moor Park, Dutch garden at, 17.
Mulching, 48.
N.
Nicholson, Mr G., on Topiary, 4.
O.
Old trees, 50.
P.
Parkinson, 14.
Planting, 45.
—— time for, 46.
Pliny’s garden, 7.
Pope, 24.
Prices of Topiary designs, 35.
Privet, 14, 46.
R.
Revival of Topiary, 32.
Roman Topiary work, 7.
Rosamund’s Bower, 10.
Rosemary, 5.
S.
Salvia patens, 74.
Satire on Topiary, 25, 27, 29.
Sayes Court, Deptford, 19.
Shears, 69.
Siege of Troy, 18.
Site for Topiary garden, 38.
Soil —— ——, 44.
T.
Temple, Sir Wm., 17, 28, 31.
Topiary and flower gardening, 41, 42, 70, 75.
Topiary designs, modern, 34, 35, 63.
Topiary, etymology of, 4.
—— gardens, formation of, 37.
—— —— modern, 36.
—— in America, 78.
—— overdone, 19.
Training, 59, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67.
Tying, 53.
V.
Verdant sculpture, 27.
Versailles, 16.
W.
William and Mary, Topiary in the reign of, 17.
Witley Court, 36.
Wright, Mr W. P., on Topiary, 32.
Y.
Yew tree, 15, 47.
—— —— golden, 47.
Young clipped trees, 58.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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