Topiary (terms also used: topiary, topiary- from English topiary) are trees and shrubs formed into three-dimensional geometric shapes. Creating them yourself is a rather labor-intensive process that requires a lot of patience. But the result can become the center of beauty of your site.
What is topiary?
The word comes from the ancient Latin term topiarius - a gardener who created ornaments in the garden. Topiaries, also called living sculptures, are trees and shrubs formed into spatial geometric shapes. The first topiaries could be found in the gardens of the ancient Romans; they were a sign of order and good taste of the inhabitants of this city. They came into fashion in European culture in the 16th century and were very popular among the elite.
Application in horticulture
Topiaries are recommended for gardens decorated in a classic, regular style; they bring order and peace. They work best when used symmetrically, as they form the ideal frame for the garden. If you use evergreens, the possibilities of topiary are very valuable in winter, as geometric shapes look great with snow and frost. The white contrasts wonderfully with the bright green of the evergreen shrubs.
Topiary under the snow
Topiaries are also suitable for modernist gardens, for example, shrubs such as thuja or boxwood are formed into balls that look great both in the ground and in beautiful tall pots against the backdrop of modern garden architecture.
Creating such beauty yourself is a rather labor-intensive process and requires a lot of patience, but the end result invariably pleases all gardeners. Trees and bushes, as well as evergreens with slow growth and a dense crown, are best suited for this. The most popular plants for shaping shapes with haircuts are evergreens - boxwood, thuja, juniper. Deciduous plants are also used - cotoneaster, barberry, spirea.
When forming shapes, do not cut off most of the plant at once, as this can lead to its wilting. Start with simple shapes such as balls or cones to gain experience. Trim only a few centimeters each time to encourage the plant to compact more. Do the first haircut soon after planting, in the spring.
You can also think about buying ready-made topiaries, which just need to be properly maintained. These can be thujas, trimmed in the form of a cone or spiral, or boxwood bushes in the form of a ball and other shapes.
Frame-based topiary
There are also special templates (frames) for pruning plants, made of metal mesh coated with PVC. They allow you to get an amazing effect in a short time and with minimal effort. The frame is filled with a special substrate - a mixture of soil, humus, and moss. Then plants are planted into the frame filled with substrate, and a green living sculpture is obtained.
The stores have a large selection of ready-made frames; you can choose the one that suits your garden.
If the figure is large, after filling and planting the plants it will gain a lot of weight, so it is advisable to prepare a platform for it so that the figure stands stable and there is no subsidence of the soil.
Tip: if this is your first time creating a frame topiary, choose something that is not too bulky.
When filling the frame with substrate, we form holes for planting plants. You can use succulents, ground cover or climbing plants. Examples: loosestrife, saxifrage, young, ivy, grapes.
Frame topiaries require regular watering, pruning, and feeding. For the winter, the entire structure will have to be carefully covered, otherwise the plants will freeze.
Conclusion
Creating topiary is an art that allows you to express yourself and your vision of beauty in a special way. There are many options: you can order the construction of a living sculpture from professional landscapers, or purchase a ready-made, already trimmed plant, or create your own unique topiary yourself. One way or another, your garden will end up with something of its own, special, individual.
The desire of mankind to do everything “quickly” was reflected in such painstaking garden art as topiary. The formation of a bizarre tree crown, which sometimes takes decades, now takes no more than a few months. Who made the hard work of a gardener so easy? As usual, the most hurried nation in the world. Trying to quickly absorb another portion of fast food, one of the Americans figured out how to make fast topiary quickly and easily. Growing an intricate green figure, thanks to a sparkling thought from overseas, is now easier than ever - you don’t need to wait for years for the tree to grow, and then trim it for a long time to achieve a certain crown configuration. You just need to purchase a ready-made wire frame, fill it with earthen mixture, plant ground cover plants and - voila! The topiary is ready. Curious? To be continued…
The desire to diversify our lives prompts us all to look for an exciting activity designed to brighten up monotonous everyday life. If your passion is gardening, why not transform your garden plot with an original plant figure - a duck or a peacock, an elephant or a lion... or maybe you prefer a flower car? The ancient art of topiary, restyled in a modern way, will allow you, without straining, to create a topiary with your own hands literally within one day. Of course, provided that you are not planning to do something large-scale that will amaze the owners of nearby land with its size. To begin with, it is better to try your hand at creating a small garden figurine using the topiary frame technique, gradually moving on to more complex compositions.
Learning how to make a topiary with your own hands using a ready-made metal frame is within the power of any gardener with the proper amount of patience and perseverance. First, you need to choose a frame for the future green sculpture. Its size and shape should fit harmoniously into the garden landscape. It is better to take a small but expressive form - after all, you are creating an accent that simply must attract attention.
An expressive green sculpture inspired by Formula 1, made from ground cover plants based on a frame
Exotic ostriches, created on the basis of spherical topiary bushes, will bring a touch of extravagance to your garden
Ready-made frames, which can be purchased at specialized garden stores, are made from 2-3 mm wire. They are a lattice structure with enough gaps to allow penetration. In addition, in the upper part of the frame there is a lid, which is designed to further simplify access to the “insides” of the metal structure when filling it with a substrate - a mixture of earth with peat or sphagnum moss.
Before you start filling the frame, the moss must be soaked in warm water for about 30 minutes. When filling the structure of the future topiary with substrate, it is necessary to prudently create holes into which ground cover or climbing, succulent or herbaceous garden crops are then planted. The following are perfect for such purposes: juveniles, saxifrage, sedum, loosestrife, ivy, grapes.
When forming a topiary from weaving plants, the earthen ball is moved from a plastic container to a metal form, and the shoots are distributed along the frame and grabbed with U-shaped clips. If the figure to create a topiary is medium or large in size, bags of crushed polystyrene foam are placed inside the substrate to lighten its weight.
Fluffy hedgehogs, born thanks to frame topiary, will decorate the green lawn on your site
A cute family of pigs, made on the basis of a frame and ground cover plants, will create an unusual color in the garden
Caring for frame topiary involves regular watering and fertilizing, pinching and pruning. It should be remembered that such a green sculpture cannot be left to spend the winter outdoors - it is better to bring it into an unheated room with an air temperature of about 5 degrees. If the weight or volume of the topiary does not allow this, you can cover it with a wooden box insulated with straw or polystyrene foam.
Shaped shrub trimming - elephant topiary can be done by experienced green sculpture masters
Technique #2 – espresso topiary
In an effort to further speed up the process of creating a green sculpture of complex shape, express topiary was invented. The essence of this method of forming topiary is simple - in the spring, climbing plants such as periwinkle, virgin grapes, ivy or hops, which tend to quickly form shoots, are planted in open ground.
Then, a metal mesh frame is installed on top of the planting, which serves as the basis for creating the topiary. As they grow, the branches of the plants are distributed along the frame and secured with a rope made of natural material or trimmed. By the end of the season, the frame will be overgrown, the metal rods will be completely hidden under the green cover - you just need to remember to water and feed the topiary.
Just a couple of months will pass and the frame of a retro car will turn into a green sculpture of unprecedented beauty
The pyramidal shapes of trees, created using the topiary technique, add solemnity and elegance to the garden landscape
Technique #3 – classic topiary
Of course, the ancient Roman gardeners could not even imagine how much modern society would transform classical park art, similar in concept to sculptural modeling. Indulging in topiary, they did not at all try to speed up the process of creating a living sculpture; on the contrary, they found charm in the leisurely search for the ideal form. If the classical approach is closer to your spirit, then you can make topiary the way the Romans did it, and after them the gardeners of the 18-19 centuries. What is needed for this? A lot of patience, imagination and well-honed tools: garden or trellis shears, loppers, pruning shears, wooden slats.
A combination of trimmed borders and pyramid-shaped topiary clearly separates the lawn from the path
Here are some tips on how to make a classic topiary. It is best to start “sharpening” your skills with simple geometric shapes. Moreover, a simple three-dimensional figure can easily be complicated by transforming it into another - turning a cube into a ball, a cylinder or a pyramid - into a cone.
Pyramidal topiaries, towering against the background of spherical bushes, create an unusual contrast of shape and color
Topiary of a simple geometric shape
You need to start by identifying the “patient” for your first exercises. So, let's go on a search. Your goal is a tree or bush aged 5 years or older, with a well-developed root system and a crown larger than the intended size of the figure. Good options for making topiary, choose from plants such as Norway spruce or prickly spruce, brilliant cotoneaster, purple bladdercarp, pinnately incised hawthorn, and Tatarian maple. Topiary cutting is best done in March or April, or from June to August, but not in the fall, so as not to weaken the plant before wintering.
Topiaries of complex geometric shapes take years to create - they require painstaking trimming of the crown as it grows
Here are step-by-step instructions that will help you make a topiary in the form of a cube:
- On the ground, under the crown of a tree, you need to draw a square with the desired length of the side of the cube.
- At the corners of the square, install wooden slats or bamboo sticks with a diameter of 2-3 cm and fasten them together with horizontal transverse strips - this will be your reference frame.
- Using trellis scissors, make a rough cut, outlining the approximate contours of the figure - start with the top edge, then work on the sides.
- After checking the sides of the cube for curvature, correct the planes and proceed to a final cut, gradually trimming the volume.
- Apply the finishing touch with pruning shears, removing small branches that stand out from the total mass.
It is important to know! Periodically move 3-4 meters away from the topiary to evaluate the correctness of the form from afar.
A gazebo made of grapes exists harmoniously next to the unusual landscape created with the help of topiary on the shore of the lake
Topiary of complex shape
A topiary in the form of a ball can be made from a cube by truncating its edges. The most suitable plants for a spherical topiary: purple willow, Thunberg barberry, bladderwort, western thuja, gray spirea, common spruce, yew, boxwood and many others.
A spherical topiary molded from a standard tree will look impressive both in a regular and landscape landscape
A cylindrical topiary can usually be easily made from Thuja occidentalis, a variety of which is naturally column-shaped. Good cylinders can also be obtained from European larch, serviceberry roundifolia, and small-leaved linden. The principle of cutting a columnar topiary is the same as a cubic one. Under the crown of the tree you draw a circle, install guide wooden stakes and, bolder than the cube you conquered, cut out a cylinder.
Topiaries in the form of a cone and a truncated cone look good. In order to build a frame for a cone-shaped topiary, dig in at least three poles and fasten them in the center, at the imaginary top of the future cone - like an Indian wigwam. Again, nature itself comes to the aid of beginning topiaries, creating thuja occidentalis with a cone-shaped crown “smaragd”.
Cutting topiary in the form of clouds or “pompoms” creates the effect of a landscape of extraterrestrial origin
Topiary in the form of cones or columns can serve as an excellent frame for a green path leading to a fantasy arch
By training your hand steadiness, you can later try your hand at making pyramidal topiaries with three and four sides, arranging a mini-complex of Egyptian pyramids in your garden, giving your site a completely unique look. Having brought your skills to perfection, you will smoothly move on to creating such complex green sculptures as a spiral, tiered geometric volumes and their combinations, and not far off - to the figures of animals and people.
Thanks to modern vision, topiary is taking on more and more complex and unexpected forms.
Classic topiary with frame
A removable metal frame, which is placed on top of the crown of a tree or bush, will greatly simplify the process of cutting a classic topiary. Such an auxiliary element is used to make it easier to make topiary with your own hands and is ideal for beginner topiaries.
The easiest option for a beginner topiary is to create a green ball from a boxwood bush planted in a pot
A separate trend in topiary art is Japanese nivaki, which is a trimming of tree crowns in the form of clouds.
The plant “lives” in a mesh robe, adapting to the given shape, and all you have to do is trim off the unruly branches that make their way contrary to the imposed growth trajectory. Upon completion of crown formation, the frame is removed. However, many gardeners do not agree with this approach to how to make topiary - the plant tends to become so fused with its “outfit” that it cannot be removed without damaging the crown.
If you seriously decide to take up topiary art and create several figures with your own hands, then you need to carefully approach the choice of plants for cutting. This choice determines whether you will get real topiary figures or not.
For an ideal topiary, the plant must have the following properties
- High winter hardiness
- Certain unpretentiousness to growing conditions
- Ability to produce replacement shoots throughout life
- Slow growth
- Suitable crown shape
But, unfortunately, there are very few crops that have all the properties at once. Or more precisely, for each geographical zone it will have its own quantity and types. For example, in southern latitudes, winter hardiness is not as important as in temperate climates. Accordingly, the number of suitable crops for topiary in the south is greater.
Winter hardiness is the main criterion
So, you have opened the plant catalog to take a closer look at the requirements of some “persons” of the plant world. If you have not had the opportunity to live in South America, or at least in Sochi, or in the Crimea, then the first thing you should know is how a topiary “candidate” tolerates winter and what minimum temperature it can survive.
In addition, you need to know what the average minimum temperature is in your city or locality. You can check the weather archive. Search the Internet, there are several sites with weather archives. Select your locality and compare data from several winters, and then calculate the average temperature.
Or you can look on Wikipedia and find a description of your city. Nowadays, almost every description of any city in the text necessarily contains a “Climate” section, where the average minimum temperature of the area is indicated.
If it turns out that the temperature values of your area differ significantly from the temperature regime of the plant itself, then it is better to immediately discard its candidacy and not waste time on further acquaintance with it. Otherwise, if you choose this type for topiary, you may simply lose it in the first winter.
But if you really like a certain look and you don’t want to give it up, then try to find people living at approximately the same latitude as you who are interested in topiary figures (the Internet and forums will help you). What if they already have experience growing your favorite plant?
Or another option is to create the topiary in a tub, so that during particularly cold months you can move it to an unheated room.
So, if the temperature regime of the plant allows it to be grown in your area, then you should pay attention to other requirements, such as: lighting, moisture, soil type, fertilizing, as well as methods of shelter for the winter.
Plant shape
After you have chosen a crop suitable for your area, you should decide on the shape that can be given to it with a haircut. You need to focus on the very shape of the plant: its height, the shape of the crown, the size and shape of the leaves, the growth characteristics of the shoots, the presence of a leading shoot, the possibility of creating a trunk, etc. For example, if a plant has a pronounced cylindrical or conical shape, then it would be unwise to make a ball out of it.
For figures with clear edges, as well as for figures with the presence of small elements, species with a dense structure and small leaves, the growth rate of which is either slow or medium, are suitable. Such species will “keep their shape” well, and thanks to their restrained growth, this shape will be maintained longer, which will avoid frequent haircuts.
For round figures, as well as for various large figures, there are no such strict requirements, so almost any type that tolerates a haircut is suitable for them.
To make it easier for you to decide on your future topiary figure, we have compiled a table in which we indicate which crops are suitable for a particular form.
Plants for topiary figures table
| Possible forms | Plant names |
| Simple and complex geometric shapes | , European larch, Siberian larch, fine-scaled larch, Thuja occidentalis, Hawthorn monopistillate, Plum-leaved hawthorn, Small-leaved elm, Rough elm, Alpine currant |
| Standard forms | Spruce - Canadian, prickly and common, European larch, Siberian larch, fine-scaled larch, pucker-leaved pear, Siberian apple and plum-leaved, Plum, Caragana tree (yellow acacia), Needle gooseberry, Hawthorn - Siberian, spur, single-pistillate and prickly, - common new and Ottawa, Maple - field, Tatarian and ginnala, Elm - pinnately branched and smooth, Manchurian linden |
| spherical shapes | Mountain pine, |
Design of sculptural structures from vegetation on a summer cottage: an alternative solution for topiary
Topiary- This is trimming shrubs and trees using a decorative method. Using this technique, plantings acquire an unusual and bizarre shape. This is how they decorate. It is worth noting that topiary requires regular care, and only a professional gardener can trim the vegetation. To give trees and bushes a beautiful shape, you need to wait until they grow, and this can be from 3 to 5 years. However, there is an alternative solution that allows you to do without forming a topiary - this is frame form for garden figures, it is overgrown with grass or flowers.
Steel wire 8 mm thick;
rope for a bundle or welding to hold the wire together;
mesh made of steel or polypropylene (allowed with a smaller cross-section);
black soil and straw;
a mixture that nourishes plants and is intended for planting grass;
welding machine;
trowel, watering can with water.
Related video: What is topiary and how to use it
The technology is quite simple, but requires some time. We present to you the sequence of actions that will need to be followed.
Step 1 – determine the shape of the sculpture for the garden
The shape of the sculpture should be harmoniously combined with the overall landscape of the dacha area and in style.
Currently famous:
shapes of geometric figures in the form of a cube, ball or pyramid;
fairy tale heroes;
animal figures.
The base frame is made of steel wire, which is then fastened by welding for reliability and long service life of the figure. If you do not have a welding machine, you can use the material that will need to be used to connect the individual parts.
Chernozem is used as a base, which is mixed with a nutrient composition. The ratio of components is usually indicated on the packaging of the mixture. To ensure that the base of the sculpture does not collapse and is viscous, straw should be added to the composition. Pre-moisten the soil with water.
The steel mesh serves to protect the earth from scattering and for the stability of the structure. If the sculpture will have a vertical position, it is necessary to wrap its lower section with mesh. When the base takes on a horizontal appearance, that is, lying down, its side parts should be fastened.
Moisten the soil with straw in advance and pour the mixture into the base using gentle movements. It is worth noting that the composition of the mixture must be thick so that it does not penetrate outward through the frame. Remove the remaining mixture with a trowel. There should be no gaps in the base so that it does not lose its shape after the soil shrinks.
Step 6 – sowing seeds
After creating the base frame, we proceed to sowing seeds of low-growing vegetation or grass. To give the sculpture an original look, it is recommended to combine flowers with grass. For example, the head of a lion can be made of flowers, and the body of the animal can be decorated with grass.
Step 7 – taking care of your figure
To wait for the grass and flowers to germinate, you need to water the sculpture. To do this, you should use a watering can, because under the pressure of the hoses the ground can be washed away and the figure will lose its shape.
Sometimes it can be difficult to decide what kind of thing you would like to see on your site. Perhaps it will be a rabbit on the lawn in front of the house or a duck near a pond, or perhaps a simple geometric figure that complements the composition of the flowerbed.
First, you can practice: take an easy-to-bend thin wire and make a mock-up of a ball. In order to clearly imagine the future frame, it is better to sketch a drawing, because the frame of the ball can also be made in different ways. For example, from 5 metal rings of different diameters or from 2 rings and 4 arcs. And so on the drawing all the parts and places of their attachment are worked out.
You also need to provide a hole through which you will need to fill the inside of the planned figure. Having figured out how a simple frame is made, you can move on to a more complex figure.
The frame can be used:
To create a neat trimming of the bush crown;
For climbing plants;
For planting plants in it (flower crops, lawn grass);
For filling with moss, polyurethane foam;
For filling with stones (gabions) or other bulk materials;
As a basis for concrete sculpture.
Squirrel made of moss and metal
This master class is dedicated to creating a simple sculpture that is done quickly and does not require large expenses. We will talk about a sculpture made of moss. It is advantageous to use such material in the autumn, since it is not afraid of future frosts and, with proper maintenance, the moss will retain its green color until spring.
Here are the green moss sculptures I made of a goose and a bear.
Through trial and error, I had to develop my own way of creating sculptures. To avoid them and speed up the creation process, it is better to carefully read this master class, using a proven and correct execution technique.
For a sculpture of a squirrel about 75 cm high you will need:
- Steel wire, cross section 6-8 mm, about 7 meters;
- Knitting wire, cross-section 1-1.5 mm, about 3 meters;
- Welding machine (spot);
- Circular saw for metal;
- Gloves;
- Pliers;
- Wire cutters;
- Warm water;
- Soil, 5 l;
- Straw, 10 l;
It is very fortunate if there is a forest near your site in which you can find moss, but if there is no such place nearby, it does not matter. Moss can be bought at a flower shop. You can use different types of moss, but the most suitable is sphagnum.
Collect moss with a reserve, since, firstly, you will need to select suitable “tufts” based on color and texture for different parts, and secondly, it must be laid with a little compression. When collecting it in the forest, it is better to use 2x2 film instead of bags and carefully place the collected layers of moss on it for subsequent transportation. Moss should be chosen that is low, densely growing, and rich green in color. The most valuable moss is the one that can be collected in one piece, approximately 60x80 cm.
Removing the moss is very simple: you need to wear gloves and lift your hand under the selected area of moss. In order not to disturb the environment, you cannot collect moss in only one place. Be sure to cover bald spots with soil and nearby foliage so that the cover quickly restores its integrity.
Progress:
1. For a better idea of where and how to bend the wire, I advise you to sketch the squirrel in profile, preferably life-size. This can be done on whatman paper, wallpaper, or cardboard. Please note that when filling the sculpture, its size will increase by about 1-2 cm. So, calculate the dimensions of the frame in advance so that later the flexible and thin squirrel does not turn into a well-fed hamster.
2. We prepare 5-6 cm pieces of flexible knitting wire, about 15 pieces - they will be useful for temporarily fastening frame parts before welding. You can immediately prepare 4 pieces of thick wire, each approximately 2 m.
First, we begin to form the base, and then, according to the drawing, we bend the central vertical arc - these will be the main supporting parts. We fasten them, leaving “tails” so that you can adjust the length and then trim off unnecessary parts.
Next, we select horizontal details in the form of ovals, which will create volume (thickness) for the sculpture. And so, gradually, we continue to add vertical arcs, bending them along the kennel of the squirrel figure. I recommend bending the wire while wearing thick gloves and using pliers.
Be sure to leave space in the upper part of the frame so that it is convenient to fill the interior with moss and soil.
3. Having completed the supporting parts of the frame and observing the proportions, we form and attach the ears, upper and hind legs and tail. Don't rush to use welding right away.
4. Unfortunately, metal wire has the unpleasant property of rusting. To protect the frame from corrosion, it is coated with a double layer of epoxy resin or any other anti-corrosion agent available at any hardware store. This procedure will have to be repeated as necessary (once every 2 years). You can simply paint the frame by spraying green or brown paint.
When making figures of more than a meter, drip irrigation is provided along the inner perimeter. In our case, this need not be done. But if in the future you plan to plant flowers (violet, saxifrage, sedum, bryozoan, etc.) in place of moss in the frame, then it is better to install an irrigation system at this stage.
5. We begin to fill the finished frame from the inside with small parts: legs, head, tail. In this case, the moss must be damp. Dry moss is soaked for 3 minutes in warm water, excess moisture is slightly squeezed out. Very soon the moss will straighten out and become elastic.
The main task of moss is to hide the frame and create a uniform green color to the sculpture. You need to immediately check whether brown spots have formed by combing the surface with your hand and immediately correcting imperfections. If the cells seem large to you, you need to use knitting wire, weaving an additional mesh between the existing cells. It can also be wrapped over the part to be filled so that the moss does not protrude and accurately follows the contours of the sculpture.
6. To save moss and give the sculpture the desired shape and weight, we use a mixture of earth and chopped straw. The mixed mass must be moistened, formed into small lumps, then placed in the center of the frame structure and compacted.
I filled the small parts of the frame with compacted moss, but the body was different. We start filling it by laying moss on the sides. At the bottom of the body, in the center, we place a “nest” of straw, after which we compact the remaining internal cavity with the prepared plastic earthen mixture. And so, gradually, dressing the squirrel in “green skin”, we complete the topiary. Despite the fact that you compacted the inner soil part, slight shrinkage is possible, so you can then add a little moss to the upper part of the body to hide the frame parts.
7. The sculpture can be supplemented with such elements as: eyes, nose, mustache. Attach a pine cone or a solar-powered garden lantern to the paws. The main thing is not to overdo it with details.
So, it took about 6 hours to realize my idea - a sculpture of a squirrel made of moss.
Recommendations: It is advisable to install such a topiary sculpture somewhere in a cool, shaded place, for example, under a tree, on a veranda, on a balcony. In bright daytime sun, the moss will gradually fade. Try to prevent this from happening.
To keep the sculpture's rich green color longer, moisten the surface of the sculpture with a sprayer from time to time. Moss most likely will not be able to take root; it requires a special microclimate and a certain acidity of the soil.
For those who are lazy, I will suggest an even more simplified process for creating a green sculpture. You can make a small frame by wrapping some large children's toy with wire, then cut the resulting frame into two components and fill it with moss, tamping it down. You can also purchase a ready-made frame from landscape companies or flower shops. Instead of moss, you can use a lot of other materials, for example: artificial lawn, birch branches, polyurethane foam, etc.
Don't be afraid to experiment, I'm sure you'll do great!
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