MANAGEMENT OF TOPIARY GARDEN 77 



and always have been, one of the principal features of 

 the formal garden, and no amount of labour and care 

 should be considered wasted in keeping them in good 

 condition. Grass paths require far more labour and 

 attention in keeping them in proper order than those 

 that are composed of some hard substratum, especially 

 if there is a considerable amount of traffic on them ; 

 if such is the case, it will be necessary to go over 

 them every spring and re-turf places that have got 

 worn out, afterwards well rolling them 5 then during 

 the summer and autumn months they will require 

 constant attention in the way of mowing and in keep- 

 ing the edges well clipped so as to maintain a clean 

 and tidy appearance. 



In the Topiary garden it should always be remembered 

 that everything should be kept in as trim and formal 

 a condition as possible, with the exception of the 

 different varieties of plants or shrubs that have been 

 planted for the purpose of giving colour to the garden ; 

 amongst those, Nature should as far as is consistent be 

 encouraged ; but the walks, beds and borders, and 

 everything else in the garden should be made to 

 present as formal an appearance as possible. If the 

 garden is a formal one, let as much as possible in it 

 be made to have a formal appearance. 



In writing on the Topiary garden, I have perhaps 

 made it appear to some of those who may read it as 

 hideously unnatural, and I am aware there are plenty who 

 maintain that it is a style of gardening that has nothing 

 to recommend or encourage about it. But those who 

 think that the formal garden is without its charm make a 

 very great mistake, as in every old world garden there 

 is a charm that belongs to it only. In the woods and 

 the parks let us by all means study and cultivate Nature 

 as far as possible ; but in the gardens we should have 

 the trees to present as neat and formal an appearance 



