338 PRACTICAL GARDENING. 



racter instead of being all forced into the same general form, 

 and the only variation to be discerned is the colour of the 

 surface. We hope we have said enough upon this important 

 branch of practice to induce a general improvement. 



THE GEl^EEAL I^IAISTAGEVIENT OF HAEDY 

 SHRUBS AXD EVERGEEEN-S. 



Mr. Loudon used to say that specimen trees should be 

 allowed to make their natural growth, and if we remember 

 rightly, this was the management recommended at the Derby 

 Arboretum. To some extent we subscribe to the propriety of 

 preserving natural growth ; but some shrubs and trees when 

 left to themselves grow distorted, and others would grow of an 

 ugly form ; some would grow one-sided ; others would have 

 some "Vigorous suckers grow from the bottom, and take away 

 the richer nourishment from the rest of the shrub, which 

 would be stunted, and at length dwindle away, while the 

 strong sucker would, if neglected, become the only portion in 

 health. We are no advocates for trimming shrubs after the 

 manner of our forefathers ; we want no sugar-loaves and 

 pyramids in box, no peacocks and dates cut out in yew ] but 

 there must be some attention paid to the growth of anything 

 that is to become a specimen. It is a common practice among 

 some gardeners to trim up their box-trees to an even surface. 

 Is this nature 1 It is the very destruction of nature. Hollies 

 are cut into aU mianner of forms : a sort of head, one above 

 smaller, and bare stem between. Can anything be more 

 artificial in appearance? Our opinion is that an evergreen 

 should have as httle of the knife as possible, and that it is the 

 destruction of aU the beauty of a tree to cut it to an even 

 surface, or to distort it in any way. But there are exceptions. 

 You may want a plantation to hide a fence, and aU it tres- 

 passed above that might be spoiling a view. In such a case 

 as this the knife must always check the growth. Two or 

 three points have to be considered even here. The shrubs 

 must be adapted for cutting, to begin with, and the cutting 

 must be as much like nature as possible, not a carving and 

 chpping out a formal shape, nor to a smooth surface, but cut 

 out whole branches close to the main stem, to keep an open 

 though not a naked, appearance. The top must not be square, 

 like the fence it is to hide ; here and there the branches must 



