a O™& 
BUXUS. 
fashion in the time of Louis XIV. 
At present, this kind of scroll-work 
is no longer in use; but the Dwarf- 
box is still a favourite for edgings 
to beds, and it will be perhaps al- 
ways prelerred to all other plants, 
from its hardiness, easy culture, | 
It | 
is also evergreen, and oi great! 
and compact habit of growth. 
duration ; it is easily propagated, 
and bears clipping or cutting re- 
markably well, It is readily pro- 
pagated by taking up the plants, 
and aiter dividing them, replanting 
them farther apart, and a litle) 
deeper than they were before. It 
will grow in any soil not saturated 
with moisture, and it may be cut 
or cilpped at any season of the 
year. ‘The best time for clipping 
Box, however, is about the end ot 
June; after which, especially. if 
well watered, the box makes a se- 
cond shoot of half an inch, or an 
inch in length, which obliterates 
the marks of the shears. To form 
edgings of Box properly, is an ope- 
ration of gardening that requires 
considerable care. First, the ground 
should be rendered firm and eyen; 
secondly, a narrow trench should 
be accurately cut out with the 
spade in the direction in which the 
edging is to be planted; thirdly, the 
Box should be thinly and equally 
laid in along the trench, the tops 
being all about an inch above the 
surface of the soil; and fourthly, 
the seil should be applied to the 
_ plants, and firmly trodden in against 
- them, su as to keep the edging ex- 
actly in the position required. ‘I'he 
trench should always be made on 
_ the side next the walk, and after the 
_ soil is pressed down, and the walk 
- gravelled, the gravel is brought up, 
over the soil, close to the stems of 
the Box, so as to cover the soil at 
least an inch in thickness, and to 
prevent any soil being seen on the 
gravel-walk side of the Box. This 
i4] 
BUXUS. 
alsu prevents the Box frum grow- 
ing too luxuriantly ; as it would be 
apt to do, if the trench were on the 
border side, when the plants would 
lean against the gravel, and the 
roots, being entirely covered with 
soil, would grow with so much 
luxuriance, that the plants would 
be with diiiculty kept within 
bounds by chppmg. A Box-edging 
once properly made, and clipped 
| every year, so as to form a minia- 
ture hedge about three inches wide 
at bottom, three inches high, and 
two inches wide at top, will last tea 
or twelve years before it requires 
to be taker up and replanted ; but, 
|if the edging be allowed to attain 
a larger size—say, six inches wide 
at bottom, six inches high, and 
three inches wide at top,—it will 
last fifteen or twenty years, or 
probably a much longer period. 
Box-hedges for shelter are treated 
lise other hedges, and being clip- 
ped at the same period as Box- 
edgings, will last for an unknown 
period, probably for centuries ; pro- 
vided the suriace of the hedge, or 
in other words, the points of the 
shoots, are cut back occasionally, 
so as to admit the air to the centre cf 
the hedge. ‘The Box, when used to 
execute arabesques, or scroll-work 
on the ground, is not allowed to 
grow higher than two or three 
inches, and is cut quite flat at top; 
the entire figure of the arabesque 
being formed cf Box, without the 
introduction of flowers or other 
plants; though occasionally with 
the addition of small cones or globes 
of Box rising up from the terminal 
points of the arabesque figure. These 
cones, pyramids, globes, or other 
figures, are kept in cerrect shape, 
by being clipped every year. When 
verdant sculpture was in fashion, 
no tree excepting the Yew was so 
well adapted for it as the Box ; and 
the tree was cut into the proper 
