Part 1

HANDBOOKS OF PRACTICAL GARDENING—XVIII EDITED BY HARRY ROBERTS

THE BOOK OF TOPIARY

VIEW IN LEVENS GARDENS

SHOWING GARDENER’S HOUSE ]

THE BOOK OF TOPIARY

CHARLES H. CURTIS, F.R.H.S.

ASSISTANT EDITOR OF THE “GARDENERS’ MAGAZINE”; PREVIOUSLY ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY’S GARDENS, CHISWICK; AND FORMERLY AT THE ROYAL GARDENS, KEW

AND

W. GIBSON

HEAD GARDENER AT LEVENS HALL, WESTMORELAND

“The man who sneers at me for admiring, as I do, a well cut peacock, may take my assurance in advance that I will neither kick him nor abuse him; but pity him I must.”

SHIRLEY HIBBERD.

JOHN LANE: THE BODLEY HEAD LONDON AND NEW YORK. MCMIV

Turnbull & Spears, Printers, Edinburgh

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CONTENTS

PAGE

INTRODUCTION 1

TOPIARY 4

EARLY HISTORY 6

GOLDEN AGE OF TOPIARY 12

CRUSADE AGAINST TOPIARY 21

ADDISON AND POPE 24

REVIVAL OF THE ART 32

THE FORMATION OF A TOPIARY GARDEN 37

PLANTING AND MANURING 44

MANAGEMENT OF OLD TREES 50

THE MANAGEMENT AND TRAINING OF YOUNG TREES 58