FORMATION OF A TOPIARY GARDEN 41 
garden, everything should be laid out in a formal way ; 
always, of course, taking care to avoid unnecessary stiff- 
‘Ness in design. 
In the carrying out of the Topiary work, Man is 
striving to a very great extent against Nature, and 
Nature is never an easy adversary to fight. Natural 
beauty, therefore, must not be considered too deeply in 
the formal laying out of a Topiary garden. I am far 
from wishing to imply that Nature should be entirely 
neglected; but in the general formation and practical 
management of a Topiary garden, a quaint and unique 
appearance is the thing that must be aimed at, and some- 
times even a grotesque effect. Hence Nature must 
occasionally be relegated to a secondary position. 
Natural beauties, however, appeal to everybody, and 
if it can be found possible to combine the two, so much 
the better. 
If it is intended to lay out a garden in which plenty 
of space can be allowed for planting, let us say, a 
hundred or more trees, a large piece of ground will be 
found to be necessary. It is always advisable to devote 
plenty of ground to the work, as it is a great mistake 
to plant the trees too close together. Although the 
trees when in a small state may not appear to be 
crowded, if sufficient space has not been allowed for 
their growth and development, the garden will after- 
wards present a cramped and heavy appearance which 
will greatly mar its general effect as times goes on. 
The system of planting entirely in grass is not, I 
think, to be greatly recommended, although a few 
single trees planted here and there on the lawns may 
look well. For various reasons which shall be explained 
hereafter, I believe it to be better to combine the 
Topiary proper and the flower-garden. 
When it has been decided how many trees it is in- 
tended to plant, and how much space is available for 
