Hopley’s article centered on the art of topiary through history, which interested me as a plant-enthusiast and hopeful botanist. I also wondered why people decided that geometrically shaped plants had artistic appeal. Through this article Hopley intended to explain the history while proving the purpose and value of topiary gardens in Great Britain. This review will summarize and critique Hopley’s argument that topiary gardens have great value and will never die off as an art form. This analysis will also examine Beckett’s writing and language.
Topiary gardens have been popular in Britain for a long time, and might seem to be an extremely British art form; however, the decorative trimming bushes and hedges into elaborate shapes began in …show more content…
After the fall of Rome, topiary continued on the grounds of monasteries with shapely fruit trees until the Renaissance when Italian and French gardeners used precise trimming to decorate palace gardens, representing the structure and strength of the powerful family. Cones, globes, pyramids, and other neat, geometric figures became highly popular during this time period; shapes still present at Hampton Court Palace. Since then, gardeners designed new styles and purposes for topiary, like lining roads with neatly trimmed trees, using large hedges to protect other gardens from heavy winds, and trapping Northerly sunlight with specially shaped plants. Other crazier designs emerged as well during the 1500s, such as topiary statues of squirrels, birds, flowers, and even cottages. After a period criticism of topiary during which gardeners prefered a more natural look, these intricate, statuesque shapes returned in the nineteenth century, remained popular, and can be found at Levens Hall in Northern England, which may be “the best example of topiary in the world”. Levens Hall’s gardens
Topiary gardens have been popular in Britain for a long time, and might seem to be an extremely British art form; however, the decorative trimming bushes and hedges into elaborate shapes began in …show more content…
After the fall of Rome, topiary continued on the grounds of monasteries with shapely fruit trees until the Renaissance when Italian and French gardeners used precise trimming to decorate palace gardens, representing the structure and strength of the powerful family. Cones, globes, pyramids, and other neat, geometric figures became highly popular during this time period; shapes still present at Hampton Court Palace. Since then, gardeners designed new styles and purposes for topiary, like lining roads with neatly trimmed trees, using large hedges to protect other gardens from heavy winds, and trapping Northerly sunlight with specially shaped plants. Other crazier designs emerged as well during the 1500s, such as topiary statues of squirrels, birds, flowers, and even cottages. After a period criticism of topiary during which gardeners prefered a more natural look, these intricate, statuesque shapes returned in the nineteenth century, remained popular, and can be found at Levens Hall in Northern England, which may be “the best example of topiary in the world”. Levens Hall’s gardens