GOLDEN AGE OF TOPIARY 
‘I confess that I should never care to adorn my garden with topiary 
or with carpet bedding; but I hope always to be cautious in making 
declarations in respect of such matters, that I may not appear to 
despise another man’s pleasures, or vainly desire to set up a standard 
of my own in opposition to the delightful variety that is ensured by 
the free exercise of individual taste and fancy.”—Shirley Hibberd, 
‘While perhaps not admiring these birds and beasts, we must, I 
think, in a measure agree with Loudon, that many old-fashioned 
gardens have suffered in losing the quaint forms of cropped yews, 
which added a certain charm to them.”—John Lowe, M.D., in ‘* Yew 
Trees of Great Britain and Ireland.” 
THE dawn of the sixteenth century saw the commence- 
ment of what may be called the Golden Age of Topiary. 
It was also the beginning of an age of romance, of 
stirring deeds, of great discoveries; an age when men 
of genius were numerous, when history was being 
rapidly made, and when the art of gardening began to 
flourish freely. ‘Though the times were stirring ones 
and there was not always ‘‘ peace within our borders,” 
commerce grew and wealth increased, so that gardening 
became more and more popular and steadily grew more. 
and more elaborate in design. ‘To the existing style 
were added the extravagances of the French and the 
formalities of the Dutch schools, but these things did 
not all come to pass at once. 
It is most probable that the Old and Formal English 
Gardens as we know or imagine them, were the develop- 
ment of at least two hundred years, and probably the 
type had not been reached until the reign of Charles IL., 
notwithstanding such gardens are frequently alluded to 
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