60 THE BOOK OF TOPIARY 
place. Some of the trees can be clipped into certain 
shapes when they are quite small; but for other shapes 
a much larger tree is necessary to commence work upon. 
It is a very wise policy to go to a little extra expense on 
the original outlay of the trees, rather than buy small 
trees that will be of no use whatever for the work for 
which they are ultimately intended. 
If the suggestion that I made in a previous chapter - 
has been acted upon, viz., the buying in of the re- 
quired number of trees some years before the work 
of making the garden is taken in hand, and bringing 
them on in the home nursery beds until they have 
become a suitable size, and until the time arrives when 
they are required for planting in their permanent places 
in the garden, the actual cost of the trees will be re- 
duced to a minimum, and better and more suitable trees 
secured than if they had been purchased direct from 
some of the nurserymen. 
Although no actual shaping need be done to them 
until they are planted in their places in the garden 
where they are to remain, a little pruning and regulat- 
ing of the shoots may be carried out. If that is done, 
it will be found to be a great advantage in adapting 
the trees to their future work. The buying of young 
trees from the nurserymen and growing them on 
in nursery beds in the reserve garden, until they are 
required for planting in the garden, is a system 
regularly practised here, and one that is well worth a 
trial. 
To the person desirous of having a Topiary garden 
there are two courses open. The first is, he can either 
train and shape his own trees, or else he can purchase 
from one or other of the nurserymen who make clipped 
yews a speciality, a ready-made collection. ‘Trees that 
are clipped into all manner of shapes can now be pur- 
chased from some of the nurserymen either at home 
