78 THE BOOK OF TOPIARY 



as possible, a thing that can only be had by the aid 

 of constant clipping or pruning. 



For a great many years past, in this country at 

 least, the Topiary garden has been to a very large 

 extent a thing that belongs to other ages ; especially 

 does this apply to the formation of new gardens ; but 

 there is not wanting evidence at the present day that 

 it is again coming into favour, and deservedly so. The 

 Topiary garden has its drawbacks, principally on account 

 of the great number of years it takes to bring it to 

 perfection and the amount of extra labour that requires 

 to be spent over the clipping at various periods of 

 the year. There is one thing to remember about the 

 Topiary garden, it is all work. 



Perhaps at the present time Topiary gardening is a 

 subject of far greater interest to rich men in America 

 than it is over here, and as gardening might practically 

 be said to be in its infancy in that great country, there 

 is hardly any reason why the art of Topiary work may 

 not have a great future in store for it in America. 



