What are the best plants for topiary? I ask as apparently we’ve all gone topiary mad! Inspired by the spirals, cones, and balls in formal gardens, more of us than ever before are attempting topiary.
Well, I’m not surprised. I myself have Box balls, an arc of Lavender and Box hedging. They provide some much needed structure to my otherwise wild garden. They also provide Winter interest, when the leaves have fallen and blooms faded. And, while I’m not sure there’s a place for a sculpted chicken or squirrel in my garden, I’ve always fancied creating a topiary Scottie in memory of my old dog Bunty.
In short, I’d like a bit more topiary in my life. But I’m clueless on the topic. And the last thing I want is a topiary dog where people say “lovely….er, what is it?” Or worse still “that’s a lovely chicken!”
So I thought I’d consult William Mitchell, owner of Sutton Manor Nursery. William has very kindly agreed to share his advice on the best plants for topiary.
Best Plants for Topiary
- Boxwood
- Yew Bush
- Japanese Holly Shrub
- Privet Shrub
- Arborvitae Shrub
- Rosemary Herb
- Cherry Laurel Shrub
- Dwarf Alberta Spruce Tree
- Lavender
- Germander
According to William, when it comes to topiary, you can’t simply shear any old tree or plant! That’s because the best plants for topiary are ideally evergreen. This isn’t just because they look good all year round. Evergreens are usually hardy too. So they can cope with lots of pruning. The best topiary plants also typically have small dense foliage. This allows the gardener to be free and creative with their shaping without the worry they are doing too much damage to the plant.
I don’t think William realises just how dangerous the concept of ‘free and creative’ is when it comes to me unleashed with some shears!
Anyway, despite these key requirements, there are many more topiary options to go for than I appreciated. Indeed, according to William there are no fewer that 10 plants suited to topiary.
Best Plants for Topiary – The First 5
1. Boxwood
If you want to create a geometric design such as a cone or globe, Boxwood is ideal. Indeed its evergreen, flexible foliage can be styled into numerous patterns and lines.
I can vouch for Boxwood’s usefulness. In fact you can read how I used box hedging to inject some style in front of my very scruffy shed – and my unorthodox technique for pruning it!
Box likes consistent moisture levels and well-drained soil but other than that it’s not too complicated. I know that Box blight is a problem some people have been struck with, but I’ve luckily not had the problem – yet!
2.Yew Bush
Yew is slow-growing, but next to Boxwood it is one of the most popular plants for topiary. This is because it has lovely flexible foliage and is easy to care for (music to my ears!). That said, I’ve read that Yews do best in slightly drier soils as they can succumb to root rot in damper conditions.
William says the Yew Bush is an excellent choice for privacy hedging or for something a bit more ornamental.
I think that as a hedge, Yew looks particularly good good as a backdrop to colourful plants. It’s also good for nature, which is so important these days, providing a great shelter for nesting birds.
The Yew Bush doesn’t produce flowers. Instead, it produces attractive bright red berries which are eaten by birds and grey squirrels. However there are a few drawbacks to Yew not least, the Yew Bush is considered toxic. Squirrels and birds may cope with it unscathed, but your pets and children won’t. So I think I’d avoid it if yours is a garden where children or pets roam freely.
3. Japanese Holly Shrub
Japanese Holly Shrub may look similar to Boxwood however it has plenty of unique and distinctive features. Such as a rounded form and dense bushy appearance, which make it an ideal choice for animal topiary and geometric shapes.
Japanese Holly also grows upright and at a moderate rate, with branches that are tight and neatly packed together and leaves that are small and fine textured.
William also tells me that it’s a hardy plant falling into the hardiness zones 5 to 8 and can tolerate shade and thrive in a variety of different soils.
4. Privet Shrub
To me Privet will be forever associated with the keeping of Stick Insects in my misspent youth! I don’t know where the heck I got them from. I’d feed them Privet raided from our neighbours’ hedges – poor old neighbours and poor old stick insects come to think of it!
However Privet is one of the best plants for topiary too. That’s because the shrub is not only hardy but also very attractive, small, low-growing and with a broad-leaf. You can shape it easily into various topiary styles. Unlike some of the others on this list, it isn’t evergreen. But on the plus side it’s tough. It not only tolerates but can thrive in highly polluted areas such as cities, and it’s fast-growing and low maintenance. So if you make a topiary mistake, I guess you won’t necessarily have to live with it for very long. I think this could be a key consideration for me!
5. Arborvitae Shrub
This is a plant which I recognise but never knew the name of – until now, thanks to William. Arborvitae is versatile making it good for a wide range of topiary. For example, the Thuja Occidentalis and its cultivars are well suited to spiral and cone-shaped topiary due to their narrow triangular shape. It’s reliable and easy to maintain too.
Best Plants for Topiary – the Final Five
6. Rosemary Herb
There are no prizes for both recognising and knowing the name of this one. However, I didn’t know that Rosemary is a topiary plant!
Yes, that’s right! Apparently the herb can be grown into many interesting shapes. When we think of rosemary we think of small twigs like plants in small herb pots on kitchen windowsills, but William reminded me that the herb can actually grow very tall and wide-reaching up to 6ft. I can vouch for this as I have grown a pretty large Rosemary in the past. But that was in my sunny border and I live in a warm part of the country.
And I’m afraid this reference to sun is key. Rosemary prefers Meditarranean type climates. So William only recommends trying this herb for topiary if you have a sunny garden. Geographically he suggests it will do best in the southeast where the UK gets the most sun.
7. Cherry Laurel Shrub
William is definitely going into unfamiliar territory for me with his next ‘best plants for topiary’ suggestion. While it’s not the easiest shrub to grow into topiary, when you find the right cultivar, Cherry Laurel can make a great option. For example, the cultivar ‘Otto Luyken’ makes excellent dwarf topiary.
Some drawbacks are it only grows in hardiness zones 6 to 8, and it is not very flexible, so be careful when pruning!
8. Dwarf Alberta Spruce Tree
If you want to create cone or pyramid shapes, the dwarf Alberta spruce tree could be a good choice. It is an evergreen tree but it only grows to 10-12 feet which makes it an excellent ornamental plant. I think it looks wonderful – so vibrant and tactile – almost fluffy when not tightly shaped! Like many of the other plants on this list, it’s densely packed.
If you’re looking to make a big topiary statement fast you will need to buy a large plant as the Dwarf Alberta Spruce is slow-growing. But the very good news is it’s low maintenance.
9. Lavender
I love my lavender. Fragrant, beautiful, structured, fantastic for pollinators – what’s not to like? However I hadn’t really thought of it as one of the best plants for topiary. However, without realising it I guess I’m already slightly using it for just that. I have a lovely arc of Lavener Angustifolia (chosen because one of my sons is called Angus). It runs alongside the path leading to my potting shed. At this time of year, trimmed back after flowering, it provides some much needed impact and structure.
So, if you’re tight on space or you’re looking to create a small topiary garden that smells wonderful, lavender could be the perfect option.
10. Best Plants for Topiary – a final suggestion – Germander
This last suggestion comes with a proviso. It’s not for the topiary novice like me. However if you are more advanced, Germander is a versatile plant with plenty of advantages. William tells me it can be used for a number of landscaping jobs. For instance the Germander tree has glossy aromatic leaves that can be easily shaped into fun shapes. It’s an evergreen shrub that can reach around 5 feet tall and wide. I gather it’s natural location is the Mediterranean, so, like Rosemary, it’s probably going to be happiest in places where there’s plenty of sun.
The Best Plants for Topiary – What Next?
Topiary is obviously too big a topic to cover off in one blog. So if your poised, shears in hand, ready to create a squirrel, hold fire. Next week William Mitchell, owner of Sutton Manor Nursery is helping me tackle topiary shapes and the most common mistakes we make when trying topiary. And yes, I will discover the best way to create a topiary Scottie! So watch this space!!
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