74 THE BOOK OF TOPIARY 



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 over- 

 looked, as the brilliant blue of the flowers fully com- 

 pensates 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 



