i 4 2 THE "COMPLETE GARDEN 



best suited, the decision to use evergreens or deciduous material will 

 be governed by the effect which is desired. 



Topiary work as a type of planting producing formal effects is the 

 extreme of artificial methods. Trees and shrubs which are selected 

 for this purpose are included almost without exception in the group 

 known as "evergreens and broad-leaved evergreens," such as the yews, 

 holly, and boxwoods. The hawthorn and the beech are the marked 

 exceptions to this general rule, and are plants capable of severe pruning 

 to produce artificial and fantastic shapes. These plants must lend 

 themselves readily to frequent and to severe prunings in order to 

 produce these forms. While topiary work as a matter of design is ex- 

 tremely limited in its application, there will often arise situations in 

 which this extreme and violent treatment to produce the artificial 

 forms in plants is justified. Topiary work has at times been very 

 appropriately termed verdant sculpture. It is nothing more nor less 

 than sculpture in plant forms so far as plants will lend themselves to 

 details of such experiments. All of these plants which are especially 

 adapted to topiary work are extremely slow growing and long lived. 

 While many fantastic forms can be developed from such plants as the 

 privet and hawthorn within a comparatively short period, the rare, 

 more perfect, and permanent forms are usually the result of using the 

 boxwood or yew. Most of these trees which are adapted to topiary 

 work, especially the pyramidal form of topiary work, are upright grow- 

 ing, single-stemmed specimens. Plants which are adapted to these 

 effects must also be of a compact texture with foliage evenly developed 

 to a point close to the ground. 



There are many deciduous plants which, while not being adapted to 

 topiary work, are adapted to close shearing to produce formal effects. 

 Many experts do not realize that there are various species of the same 

 genera which lend themselves much more effectively to close shearing 

 in definite forms than other species of that genera. The Japanese 

 privet is much more effective in the lower hedge of two to four feet, 

 because of its tendency to "mat," than the Amoor River privet, which 

 has a tendency to make long growths. All of the deciduous plants in 

 these groups are comparatively slow in growing habit. They have a 

 tendency to frequent branching and a further tendency to throw out 

 new growths from dormant buds when the ends of the existing branches 

 are removed. 



While there is a considerable list of plants which are adapted for 



