Box Edgings 97 



hippodrome set with a plantation of Box trees backed 

 with Plane trees ; thence ran a straight walk divided 

 by Box hedges into alleys. Thus expanses were 

 enclosed, one of which held a beautiful meadow, 

 another had " knots of Plane tree," another was 

 " set with Box a thousand different forms." Some 

 of these were letters expressing the name of the 

 owner of all this extravagance ; or the initials of 

 various fair Roman dames, a very gallant pleasantry 

 of young Pliny. Both Plane tree and Box tree of 

 such ancient gardens were by tradition nourished 

 with wine instead of water. Initials of Box may be 

 seen to-day in English gardens, and heraldic devices. 

 French gardens vied with English gardens in curious 

 patterns in Box. The garden of Versailles during 

 the reign of Louis XIV. had a stag chase, in clipped 

 Box, with greyhounds in chase. Globes, pyramids, 

 tubes, cylinders, cones, arches, and other shapes were 

 cut in Box as they were in Yew. 



A very pretty conceit in Box was 



" Horizontal dials on the ground 

 In living Box by cunning artists traced." 



Reference is frequent enough to these dials of 

 Box to show that they were not uncommon in fine 

 old English gardens. There were sun-dials either 

 of Box or Thrift, in the gardens of colleges both 

 at Oxford and Cambridge, as may be seen in Log- 

 gan's Views. Two modern ones are shown ; one, 

 on page 98, is in the garden of Lady Lennox, at 

 Broughton Castle, Banbury, England. Another of 

 exceptionally fine growth and trim perfection in the 



