Do you remember those bushes shaped like animals in "The Shining?" You know the bushes that moved around when no one was looking? Those shapes are called topiary. Topiaries are pruned or sheared into different decorative shapes or animals. The English used them in their formal gardens and they are still popular for English gardens. English boxwood shrubs are the most common as they have a rounded growth habit and slow growth rate. Mazes were a pleasant
way to spend an afternoon in a formal English garden. Made of hedges and shaped into pathways, finding your way in and out of the maze was popular with young adults.
Hedges and topiaries go further back than the English. The early Greek society is credited with starting the trend of topiary, the Romans soon adopted the new trend, and symmetrical designs were soon found among the homes of the early Romans. Boxwood shrubs can easily be pruned into
well-behaved shapes. They were used to section off parts of the estate and to keep order in the garden and estate lawns. Topiary art, the art of shaping shrubs into animals began during this time. Hedge gardens depended on the beauty of the shape of the hedges, rather than the bloom of bright flowers.
During the Romantic Movement in literature and art, the formal gardens of England with its structured walkways and sharply clipped shrubs and
topiaries were softened in tone. This was largely because of the influence of the Romantic artists including Claude Monet. He not only painted beautiful and serene pictures of informal gardens, he also was noted for his beautiful informal garden. Informal gardens continued their popularity but small formal "knot" gardens remained.
Topiary shapes include, squares, circles pyramids and animals. The key to good-looking topiary shapes is they should
be perfect. If it isn't perfect, it isn't topiary. One reason Boxwood shrubs are so popular is they are easily cut and sheared into shapes. They are softer than some of their counterparts and when they start to grow out, still hold their original shape and fine flowing lines.
It's recommended that you don't try to take on topiary shapes yourself. It would be just like cutting your own hair. If you aren't a professional or don't have a natural
sculpturing talent, then don't try it. If you are going to hire a professional landscaper, be sure that one of their specialties is topiary work. This should be someone trained in shearing the shapes and correctly cutting to the proper height. Don't trust your topiaries to amateurs. Nothing looks worse than a topiary that isn't perfect.
Topiary can be any height, from the huge animals found in "The Shining" to the small neatly clipped hedges that
line walkways. The most popular in my part of the world are the hedges that are used between properties to give privacy, or the smaller ones that are found under the windows of many of the homes in my area. I have noticed an increase in
Small topiary shapes in the front of newly erected business buildings. One of the most unusual I have noted is in front of a new insurance office. Two small trees, one on each side of the sign is shaped like
those spiral lit Christmas trees that are popular during the holidays. The trees are the same height as the sign and give it an air of elegance and formality.
In some of the newer neighborhoods, I see the trend toward using small topiary hedges along the walk and the driveway to the house. I also see larger trees and shrubs used as privacy fences and windbreakers. In the more historical part of my town, topiary hedges are still widely used to
surround picture windows framing them with large bushes on the sides, and smaller hedges trimmed to fit under the window.
If you want round shapes, then start with naturally rounded shrubs. Some of those choices are; arborvitae, hibiscus, boxwood, maple and pear. These are easily shaped and pliable. Other types of free-form plants will resist rounding and squaring. They are beautiful, like the azalea and the star jasmine but not good for topiary shapes.
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