The Gardeners Almanac

The place to find out what to do in the garden this week
My Back Garden

Trees

Topiary

Overview:

Topiary is the practice of training trees and shrubs to defined shapes.

Generally evergreen subjects with small leaves or needles are the easist forms to produce and maintain these defined shapes.


Typical subjects are: Bay Trees (Laurus nobilis),Common Box (Buxus sempervirens) Privet (Ligustrum) and Yew (Taxus)


Initially the gardener may use shaped wire cages to guide him/her until such times as the subject is of the desired shape and size.

After this light trimming is generally all that is required to keep the tree in check.


Method:

View of a number of potted Topiary examples

Examples

Start shaping plants in early summer, the easiest shapes to create are Cones, Globes, Pyramids and Obelisks.



Once the shape is established an annual trim in early and late summer should keep most topiary in shape.