40 THE BOOK OF TOPIARY 
cause alone; and the older the tree the more damaging 
is the effect. Whatever the kind of shelter provided, it 
should be planted, or erected, in such a way as not to 
obscure the general view of the garden. 
Espaliers, with fruit-trees trained on them, were 
formerly used to a great extent in Topiary gardens; 
but they are a kind of shelter little to be recommended, 
as, though certainly not unsightly, and having the advan- 
tage of being useful, they are somewhat out of place and 
scarcely in keeping with other features of the garden. 
Hardy flowering shrubs may always be planted. 
They make a very good shelter, and are at the same 
time ornamental, while they have the additional advan- 
tage of being useful for cutting purposes. 
But in close proximity to the garden, there is nothing 
which affords more effectual shelter or is more in 
harmony with its general character than hedges of yew 
or horn-beam of about ten to twelve feet in height. 
This, as a rule, is quite high enough to answer the 
purpose of shelter; if allowed to grow higher, the 
strength and substance of a hedge is almost certain to 
be sacrificed. This, of course, applies im @ @ieages 
degree to yew than to horn-beam. 
Large timber trees, such as oak, lime, beech ae 
sycamore, cannot very well be planted within the 
garden, though they may easily be so in the grounds, 
or even outside them. ‘They should not be planted 
singly, but either in large clumps or thick enough to 
form a wood which, in course of time, may afford — 
shelter to the whole garden. * 
The next thing requiring the attention of the Topiary 
gardener, and one which must be considered in a special 
degree, is the general formation of the garden. This — ni 
is a matter of vital importance, and, in common with all 
branches of garden architecture, needs great forethought 
and technical skill. In commencing a Dutch or Topiary ~~ 
