Topiary Shapes – the best ones to try

Having covered the best plants for topiary in last week’s blog, I thought this week I’d move on to topiary shapes. The best shapes to try, how to create them, plus to top mistakes we all make when embarking topiary.

Topiary Shapes

I just love looking around other peoples’ gardens. You get so much inspiration and tons of design ideas. And if the garden owner is there (and they’re actually the person who does the gardening) you can get advice on how they look after certain plants too.

But the one thing I’ve noticed when looking around larger, formal gardens is that while they may make elaborate use of topiary the actual topiary shapes they go for are pretty limited.

For instance the garden below belongs to my neighbours, Brian and Hilary. They have created a wonderful, elaborate, sculptured space but when you analyse the geometry involved, it’s clean and simple. You have the uprights from an ivy covered pergola, vertical lines from box hedging and topiary cones.

Similarly, other neighbours, Desi and Tim, use topiary spheres to phenomenal effect. The shape is simple, but the execution is clever. I particularly love how the repeating balls tame the wilder planting. Their shape also reflects the spherical, fading alliums.

You can see more of these and other gardens in my village by clicking this link.

These two gardens show how you can create considerable drama from the humble ball or cone. Some push the boat out and have a spiral or even an animal, but that’s about it. So I’m going to focus on these classic topiary shapes.

Topiary Shapes – Cones

The cone is perhaps the most natural looking of the topiary shapes, especially if you use a plant whose natural shape is cone-like. I’m not sure why on earth anyone would choose a plant which isn’t roughly conical, after all surely that would just be making life very difficult!

With natural shape in mind, William Mitchell for Sutton Manor recommends Arborvitae shrubs, which have a narrow triangular shape.

Another good plant for cones is Laurus nobilis (Bay Laurel). Bay obviously has the added bonus of being aromatic and a handy addition to cooking. It also produces small star-shaped yellow flowers followed by circular green then black fruits.

I don’t think I’d have the confidence to buy a plant and then clip it into a cone shape, but apparently it isn’t difficult! The experts say simply:

• Choose a plant that’s conical shaped
• Work out where the top centre of the plant is
• Clip one side, using a straight edge to keep your clipping straight
• Clip the opposite side, again checking your line is straight
• Now clip the area between the two lines keeping the same angle as you go

Mmmmm… I think I’d be safer buying a topiary cone which I just need to maintain, but maybe I’ll be brave and give it a try!

Topiary Shapes – Balls

As topiary shapes go, the ball (or globe) is perhaps the most iconic. I use box balls to add some form in my semi- shaded flower bed. I also have three different sized box balls at the base of a Catalpa tree growing in my lawn. Sadly one of the balls was nicked by the lawnmower, so it’s not a perfect shape at the moment but the balls still look good I think.

Creating a Box Ball from Scratch

I bought my box balls already in shape. However, if you’re more patient than me, and are going to create topiary shapes from scratch, here’s how to create a box ball from rooted cuttings:

• Pot up each cutting into a 10cm pot
• Give an initial light trim with scissors, as you want the plants to be bushy from the base
• After about two months put three cuttings together in a larger pot which will be their longer term home
• This should be filled with loam based compost. For a larger ball you’d maybe use 5 cuttings and a larger pot
• Space them pretty close together so that they mesh together as they grow
• Pinch out the tips of any shoots – as you want to encourage dense growth
• Water and feed regularly
• Trim little and often – you simply want to remove just the tips each time new growth has added 2-3cm to the outline
• Within two or three years, you should have a decent-sized sphere

I said you needed to be patient!

If you can’t be bothered with all of this faff and decide to buy a topiary ball instead, you will still need to know how to keep it in shape. You can buy topiary frames which give you an outline to follow. I’d be tempted to use this to start with, though of course you will be limited by the size the frame extends to. If you feel braver and want to trim yours by eye, I cut a cross in the top of mine to start with. So it’s like a hot cross bun. I then trim the plant in quarters.

For much larger topiary balls, the experts also suggest leaving a tuft on the top and centre when you prune. Leave this in place until the very end of your pruning session. That way you never lose sight of where that point of your plant is, making it easier to maintain an even shape.

Topiary Shapes – Spirals

Although it may look daunting, William Mitchell from Sutton Manor reasures me that spiral topiary is actually fairly easy to create and maintain even for beginners.

I must admit that the spiral shape does look elegant and a bit different. So I’m severely tempted to give this a try!

Essentially you want to choose something evergreen and bushy and reasonably tall like the dwarf Alberta Spruce, maybe an Italian Cypres or Privet. You want a plant that has a sturdy trunk and vibrant green foliage that lasts year-round.

Creating a Spiral

• Run a ribbon from the centre top of the plant, going around the plant in a spiral (like a helter skelter), to its base
• This should divide the plant into 3 or 4 sections
• Using the ribbon as your guide, cut broad grooves in the plant
• Go gently to start with, and cut more deeply once you have the outline in place
• Keep standing back to see how it looks
• Cut the grooves in the plant back to the trunk
• Remove the ribbon and finish shaping
• Do all of this in the growing season

To help you I found this video which is really nice and clear.

Topiary Shapes – Animals

This isn’t going to be for everyone, but if you’re feeling adventurous or want to create a unique feature then animal-shaped topiary might be for you. As I mentioned in last week’s blog, I’d love a topiary Scottie dog to mark my dear old Scottie, Bunty, who was a constant pressence in my garden.

William recommends Box for this particular type of topiary due to its flexibility, compact growth, and dense foliage.

I don’t think many of us have the skill or confidence to launch straight into creating a topiary animal. So an animal topiary frame is probably a sensible step. In terms of my Scottie, I’ll search on Google to see what frames I can buy and reconfigure it to more accurately match a Scottie shape.

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Common Mistakes When CreatingTopiary Shapes

To close I asked Sutton Manor Nursery’s, William Mitchell for the top mistakes he thinks people make when creating topiary shapes. Here’s what he said…

Wrong Place 

Placement is vital to the success of a topiary plant. The ideal spot depends on a number of factors such as the type of plant, its hardness, whether it is evergreen, and how much sun exposure it can take. Many people assume what worked for one topiary plant must work for the other. This is such a mistake. You must check the variety and species of plant. Just because you have two ball-shaped topiary plants doesn’t mean they have the same needs.

For instance, an ideal spot for many topiary enthusiasts is the entrance to doorways as it adds structure and architecture to the garden and landscape. However if your doorway sits south facing and your topiary plant enjoys only partial sun then you could be slowly killing your topiary without realising during the Summer months.

Over Pruning 

A common misconception is topiary needs constant pruning and attention. In actuality, topiary plants usually only need pruning in June and gentle trimming thereafter until the end of Summer. Most species of plants that make up topiary are dormant in winter and pruning in Spring can cause bruising to the foliage.

Wrong Plant 

Certain plants are well suited to only certain types of topiary shapes, for example, Boxwood and Arborvitae are best suited to cone or globe topiary, whereas for spiral topiary shapes Privet and Alberta Spruce work best.

To really see your desired shape thrive do some added research into the background of the plant you are using.

Overwatering 

One of the most common topiary mistakes we see is overwatering. Check the requirements of the species of plant you are using for your topiary and only water at the base of the plant. Remeber the actual shape of the topiary often prevents rainwater from absorbing into the base. If your topiary is pot bound make sure it has drainage holes and water slightly more frequently.

Pests and Diseases 

Pests and diseases can be a nuisance and in worst-case scenarios deadly. However, many people assume that topiary is exempt from this problem. It isn’t and can have dire consequences to the look and aesthetic you are trying to achieve and to the health of the topiary plant itself. So watch out for insects especially in the springtime, the most common of which include leaf burrowing and scale forming insects. If your topiary has been affected remove the damaged branches. Remain vigilant, ensuring you detect any issues early on to prevent problems increasing.

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So that’s it. I hope this inspires you to add a little topiary into your garden. x