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. 



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 



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