I suggest you look at a few photos. Light up, get inspired, and believe me, nothing is impossible here. Everything can be done in the country, or on the lawn of the house. We read how to do this in old books on home economics of the 60s... But progress has moved forward in large ways steps, but there is still work to be done. Well, how do you want such beauty? Then go ahead! 
Walking through large parks and palace gardens abroad, it is impossible not to notice the variety of shapes and figures of decoratively trimmed trees and shrubs. Meanwhile, the art of creating topiary has long been practiced in Russia. Spectacular plant figures invariably attract everyone's attention and can decorate the garden of a country residence.
From the green obelisks of Roman times to the modestly sized but ornate figures created in medieval monasteries, topiary has been an element of garden design.
The art of pruning shrubs and trees took a huge step back at the beginning of the 20th century with the advent of a woven wire frame of a curly shape, which is put on young plant. In this “house” a shrub or tree grows and develops. When young shoots begin to go beyond its limits, they are cut off along the boundaries of the frame.
According to one version, the art of topiary trimming of trees and shrubs originated in Ancient Rome. The gardener Kalvena is known, who looked after Caesar’s lands. It was he who first tried to trim trees in the form of various shapes. This attracted the attention of the august ruler, who wanted to decorate his entire garden with similar statues. The order was carried out, and the gardener even managed to cut out a bust legendary commander, for which he was awarded.
Soon the fashion for topiary spread throughout the world. Gardeners who knew the secrets of this art were worth their weight in gold, and they passed on their knowledge only to selected students. Topiary, like many other innovations, came to Russia thanks to Peter I. Having heard about the wonderful sculptures of European parks, he sent his gardeners to comprehend the wisdom of this matter. Returning home, they began to put their knowledge into practice, but it turned out that overseas tender plants unsuitable for the harsh Russian climate. Therefore, they were replaced by more persistent evergreen brothers - juniper, spruce and others.
Today, topiary has been enriched with new discoveries and technologies that make it possible to create even more amazing garden masterpieces. Thanks to the frames, the sculptures acquired complexity, color and multi-texture - it became possible to combine several plants and flowers in one figure.
Topiary can be bought in modern garden centers: there you can select already ready product. However, the plant will have to be looked after, maintaining its shape, otherwise it will lose its appearance. To avoid this, it is better to grow such a sculpture yourself.
What plants are suitable for pruning?
If you want to be sure of a favorable outcome of the undertaking, you should not bring seedlings from other countries, trust local conifers or deciduous trees. Try your hand at gooseberry, lilac and bird cherry bushes. Maple, rowan and even apple trees will do. Give preference to plants with small leaves.
For topiary they also choose larch, brilliant cotoneaster, spruce, thuja, and privet. The most common option is the evergreen boxwood - a plant with thick leaves that holds its shape well and, moreover, grows slowly. First, you can practice on kochia: if you don’t succeed, it doesn’t matter, this plant is an annual.
How to do it?
Along with pruning, grafting is used in topiary, when shoots of other crops are “grown” onto the plant. The result is brighter and more impressive figures. Such sculptures should be placed in a visible and well-lit place.
It is best to start learning with a hedge: the plants growing nearby are equalized to make green wall. To do this, stretch a cord or make a wire frame, camouflaging it in the foliage. As soon as the bush grows beyond the frame, it is trimmed. Plants such as white and variegated turf and Diabolo bladderwort go well together in a hedge. More complex options are geometric shapes: spiral, ring, ball, etc., for which it is better to use boxwood bushes. To trim a ball-shaped plant, you can use the following technique: insert a rod with a wire template in the shape of a semicircle into the center of the bush. While turning it, cut off anything that goes beyond the borders. The peak of gardening craftsmanship is figurines of animals or people, which are also made from boxwood using frames: plant branches are woven into them, which are secured with strong thread, thin wire or special clamps. What goes beyond the scope is cut off. As the bush grows, it will completely cover the frame. All you have to do is wait, not forgetting to trim the plant. It is better to do the haircut on cloudy days so that the cut areas are not damaged by the sun. After cutting, the plants are fed and watered. The plants are cut for the first time in May, with the appearance of shoots, then every 4-6 weeks and, in last time, - In the end of August.
Topiary frames and topiary frames allow you to decorate your garden. A topped frame is placed on top of the bush, thanks to which you shape your bush by cutting off the excess. Topiary frames - a figure with a divorced inside automatic watering, the inside is filled with peat and soil and plants are planted with seedlings or seeds. And soon a green sculpture appears on your site, striking and surprising all your guests. There is an option to decorate the garden with luminous sculptures - these are frames with luminous LED cords running over the figures. 
It is not difficult to form figures from flowers and plants with a topiary frame - there are metal structures and those with peat-sphagnum filling in which flower plants are planted. Figures made from flowers live from one season to five years, depending on whether they are annuals or perennials, on the quality of care and on the climate. With bushes and trees it is much easier in this regard.
To care for figures of plants and flowers, the following tools are required: pruning shears, trellis shears, garden saw and lopper (this is the minimum set). Care consists of regular trimming of the crown (according to the design and type of plant), feeding the plant, watering and sanitary pruning. The process of creating a sculpture from a plant looks like this:
Choosing a place in the garden depending on the landscape
Selecting a plant
Making a template from metal mesh
Getting a curly haircut 
Looking at this splendor, you just want to create something similar in your garden! How difficult is it? Hmm... as the sculptors of topiary art say - in moderation, if you have the desire, patience, you are very hardworking and love to care for plants. It is recommended to start with simple figures - bushes in the form of balls, pyramids and others geometric shapes, gradually making the task more difficult.
An important point: pruning is done in February-March, cutting during the period of shoot growth.
The best trees and shrubs for topiary sculptures:
Evergreen Boxwood (buxus). 
He's amazing beautiful crown, such dense, shiny foliage and this plant tolerates pruning very well, which is important. Long years I am pleased with the sculpture made of evergreen Boxwood.
Yew berry. 
Well, yew is a classic in topiary art. Magnificent figures from this plant were made back in the Renaissance.
Privet is oval-leaved. 
In the south of Russia, Privet grows several meters high, in the middle zone, as a rule, up to 1 meter. An evergreen shrub with beautiful leaves is often used as a container crop...
Let's focus our attention on plants middle zone that are suitable for a topiary garden:
Quince
Japanese
yellow acacia
common barberry
European euonymus
common privet
hawthorn prickly
elm
spruce
pine
oak
derain
pear
honeysuckle
willow
irga
viburnum
cotoneaster
maple
rose
Rowan
lilac
currant
spirea
Apple tree
bird cherry
thuja
turn
pine
fir
Linden
juniper
Here is a link to the site, for those who are really carried away and want to repeat this charm, everything is chewed and shown
One of the popular trends in modern landscape design- topiary art. Topiaries are geometric figures and sculptures from a similar way of decorating a landscape, which was born in ancient Rome.
Craftsmen create topiary figures in the form of balls, cubes, people and animals from trees and shrubs. Unusual creations allow you to make your garden different from others, alive and interesting.
Varieties
The art of creating sculptures from plants is varied in technique and style. There are two types of topiary figures:
- traditional;
- frame.
Traditional technique involves finished tree, which is given the desired shape with the help of a haircut. Simple shapes for the garden (cubes, balls, cones) can be created by simple cutting by eye, without the use of other materials. Complex designs obtained using a metal frame a certain shape, dug into the ground near the plant. When the tree grows and begins to go beyond the boundaries of the frame, it is pruned, and in the end the desired shape is obtained.
Frame technology is more painstaking in nature. It differs from the traditional one in the presence of a special metal frame, in which a tree or shrub is grown. A frame is first made, soil for planting is placed in it. Then the crop is planted. As she grows up, she fills the frame. Branches extending beyond its limits are cut off. The plant is cared for by regular watering and pruning.
Plants
Not just any plant can be used to create a green sculpture. A suitable one must have the following characteristics:
- resistance to winter frosts;
- unpretentiousness to growing conditions;
- the presence of replacement shoots;
- specific crown shape;
- slow growth.
Plants have the following properties:
- western thuja;
- common spruce;
- small-leaved elm;
- cotoneaster brilliant.
Of course, 3D shapes can be created from other plants. And these crops are most suitable for the climatic conditions of central Russia.
These days, many owners of their own garden plots topiary landscaping is used. Step-by-step descriptions We will look at creating shapes next.
Frame method
The required frame can be made from 2-3 mm wire or purchased at a special store. The finished frame has gaps for penetration inside. There is a lid on top for access to the inside of the sculpture, making it convenient to fill with earthen substrate or moss. By the way, before filling, the moss is soaked in water for about 30 minutes.
When filling the frame with substrate, you need to make holes where climbing plants, herbs or succulents are planted. Perfect for this:
- ivy;
- grape;
- stone rose;
- loosestrife;
- saxifrage.
When creating a topiary from climbing crops, plants with a clod of earth are transplanted from a plastic container into a metal frame, and the shoots are distributed over a stand and secured with paper clips. To make large topiary figures lighter, bags of foam balls are placed inside.
When caring for topiary, it is watered, trimmed, and pinched. For the winter, the figure is brought into a cool room or simply covered with a warm box.
Express topiary
Experts have simplified the process of creating topiary and proposed the following scheme:
- In spring, climbing plants (ivy, hops, grapes) are planted in the ground.
- A frame is installed over the plantings.
- As the plants grow, their branches are distributed over the frame, secured and trimmed.
- By the end of summer, the frame of the frame will be completely covered with green shoots.
- Further care consists of watering and pruning the plants.
Classic technology
To create a topiary by traditional technology It will require a lot of patience, imagination, and also the presence of sharp garden tools.
It's better to start with the simplest ones geometric shapes: sphere, cone, cube. It is best to trim plants in March-April or summer. It is not recommended to trim in the fall; this will undermine the plant before winter.
The figure creation scheme is as follows:
- A mature shrub or tree with strong roots and a lush crown is selected. It could be spruce, hawthorn, black maple.
- On earth's surface a shape is drawn under the tree, for example a square, if a topiary figure is created in the form of a cube.
- Slats or sticks are placed in the corners of the square and secured with planks. This will be an indicative frame.
- The plant is cut with trellis scissors, giving approximate outlines. It’s better to start from the top, then work on the sides.
- Check the sides for evenness and gradually trim them.
- Small protruding branches are trimmed with pruning shears.
This is how they are created simple figures for garden.
Complex geometric models
The ball is considered a complex figure in topiary art. It can be obtained from a cube by trimming its edges. The best plants for this purpose are: thuja, barberry, yew, boxwood and other plants. For example, you can create a “Globe” topiary figure using plants that differ in shades of green.
Cylindrical shapes are obtained from western thuja, larch, serviceberry, linden. To get such a figure, adhere to the following scheme:
- A circle is drawn on the ground.
- Install wooden stakes.
- The cylinder is cut.
To create a cone-shaped figure, dig in three poles and fasten them at an imaginary top.
Traditional technology using a frame
When creating topiary figures, the frame can be used to simplify the cutting process required forms from plants. To do this, you need a removable metal frame, which is installed on top of the wood. This technique is usually used by beginner topiaries.
The plant develops in a mesh frame, and the master only needs to trim off the stray branches. Once the crown is formed, the frame is removed. However, this is not always easy to do; often the tree grows together with its “frame”. You need to remove the frame very carefully so as not to damage the crown.
Artificial topiary
Not everyone can create natural topiary. An excellent alternative to them are topiary figures from Their advantages are obvious:
Care process artificial figures implies regular removal of dust and snow.
The elements of the figure are fixed to a wire frame. Imitation leaves and green fabric are used. The master's fantasy in this case is not limited by anything. This creation can be installed outdoors or indoors.
The art of topiary is extremely diverse and attractive. No wonder it is gaining more and more fans. Starting with green figurines in pots, you can move on to real garden masterpieces.
What is topiary?
Topiary (from Latin Topiarius - gardener) is the creation of masterpieces from plants by giving them various forms. Topiary includes both figuratively trimmed trees and shrubs, and figures created using soil and low-growing vegetation planted on it and constantly trimmed.
On city streets, green figures are created more and more often, becoming more and more popular and are already merging into the large-scale Green Art movement.
And many are already thinking about creating such beauty in their summer cottage. Yes, it's not easy. Topiary is quite a new trend, not yet so widespread among us, and there is not much information about it in Russian-language literature (with the exception of proposals for making custom-made figures). However, if you want, everything is possible. Even create topiary with your own hands.
And to learn more about this art, you should turn to the 17th - 18th centuries. Then Topiary was a real boom in Europe.
From the history.
England, France, Italy of the 17th and 18th centuries were literally buried in gardens strewn with topiary masterpieces. One of the most striking examples is the French Versailles. 
And British gardeners have completely elevated topiary to a cult. Remember the famous English gardens with labyrinths of trimmed shrubs.
But this art appeared much earlier. There is information about the spread of “geometric” gardens (with trees and shrubs of various geometric shapes) back in Ancient Egypt and Persia.
Topiary appeared in Russia thanks to Peter I.
With the advent of the era of classicism, topiary was a little forgotten.
Kinds.
Classic topiary
Curly trimming of trees and shrubs by eye or according to a template using a frame. The frame is installed on the plant and as the branches grow, they are tucked into the frame or trimmed along the contour.
New (or American) topiary
Trimming a plant on a metal frame. The frame is initially installed in the crown and as the crown grows, it is adjusted to the contours of the frame. Or the frame is filled with soil and low-growing plants are planted on it, which are trimmed as they grow. The invention of the Americans greatly facilitated the process of creating complex sculptures.
With my own hands.
If you want to create topiary with crown trimming, limit yourself to simple forms: ball, cube, cone. You can try to create hedge or trim the bushes along the paths beautifully and evenly. For trimming, choose coniferous or small-leaved plants; their crown is thicker and denser. It is better to train on annual plants.
A little later, you can move on to a more complex stage - trimming the crown along the frame. Again, it is better for a beginner to limit himself to small and not very complex shapes. The frame is installed on a very young plant; cutting begins when the branches of the plant begin to protrude beyond the boundaries of the form.
But to create complex figures the best solution will be the purchase of a metal frame, followed by filling it with soil and planting plants, flowers, and lawn grass on it. 
If you are confident in your abilities, you can make the frame yourself from wire, but this is not as easy as it seems at first glance.
Feel free to try combining various herbs and flowers, preferably annual ones, so that next year try something else. Don't be upset if good result It won’t work out right away, practice is needed in any business.
Green figures made from frame, soil and vegetation require standard, but very careful care. Regular watering from a watering can with a strainer, feeding with liquid mineral fertilizers. At good selection plants, weeding will be required only at the very beginning, after planting. Most ground cover plants and lawn plants, grasses and flowers, grow and kill the weeds themselves.
Good luck in your new business!!!
How to make it yourself garden figure read
Every owner, taking care of the improvement summer cottage, wants to add some features to its design. Today this can be done with the help of green sculptures created by yourself.
The technology of curly pruning of plants is called “topiary”. Thanks to this method, your garden will sparkle with new colors and take on a strict or playful look. True, for this you will need to have special tools, more imagination and great patience.
Methods for forming sculptures from plants
There are 3 main options:
1. Traditional.
In this case, topiary is formed by cutting or pruning a living plant.
There are two types of traditional topiary:
- pruning the plant according to the frame;
- trimming by eye.
2. Sculptures created on the basis of peat.
Such figures are completely covered with green moss. In this case, a frame based on sphagnum is used, which consists of several parts.
3. Ivy figures.
This type of topiary is created on the basis of a ready-made frame, which is completely entwined with ivy.
Choosing plants for sculptures
Green sculptures come in a wide variety of shapes, ranging from geometric shapes to animals, birds, fruits and letters. However, novice gardeners are advised to start with the most simple elements and small structures.
The main feature of topiary art is that the type and variety of plants is selected depending on the size of the future sculpture. However, there are a number of requirements that “architects” adhere to:
- It is advisable to use plants that have frequent branching, tolerate pruning well and are covered with a dense crown (for example, thuja, pyramidal juniper, linden, maple, hawthorn, barberry, brilliant cotoneaster). If the shape of the sculpture is conceived with sharp corners and small details, then it is necessary to take plants exclusively with small foliage;
- from climbing plants better to give preference grapevine, coin loosestrife, jasmine, dwarf creeping ficus or English ivy;
- can be used certain type forest herbs, for example, lavender, thyme or rosemary;
- the most popular plants are shrubs - holly, yew and boxwood;
- if you select plants for forms that are filled with peat moss, then give preference to coleus, fragrant geranium, begonia, perennial, transdescantia, hypoestes or young.
How to make topiary
Tools you will need to create garden topiary:
- equipment and thin gardening gloves that cover your hands up to the elbows;
- pruning shears or garden shears, which should not tire your hand;
- garden saw and lopper (needed if you prune bushes and trees);
- disinfectant and putty for cuts;
- template or frame made of metal mesh.
DIY animal topiary
Progress:
1. Initially, you need to make a sketch of the future sculpture and create a frame for it.
2. Then you should purchase special material: steel mesh or polypropylene mesh, welding and steel wire with a thickness of 8 mm.
4. You can fill the finished product regular soil with the addition of straw and nutrient mixture:
- combine the soil with the nutrient composition;
- then wet everything and add straw;
- pour the soil into the frame so that it does not fall out of the mesh cells.
5. After the frame is filled, we begin planting the plants. For example, to create animal fur, use a regular lawn grass. As an additional decoration, plant small flowers in the muzzle area (to form the nose and eyes). If desired, you can plant the entire structure with seeds. flowering plants, which have short stems.
If you are a beginner and are afraid of difficulties, then for your first experiments choose simpler shapes: a ball, a cylinder, a cube, a pyramid or a cone.
Caring for framed green sculpture:
- be sure to remove diseased plants and weeds;
- be careful when watering so as not to wash out the soil;
- if you used grass or planted vines, but you should trim them on time and correctly.
Boxwood topiary
Progress:
- We create a frame and plant a boxwood bush in the ground.
- We fix the frame in the ground next to the planted bush.
- Carefully guide the branches along the structure and secure them with wire.
- We cut off everything that is located outside the frame.
Thus, the bush will gradually grow, and its branches will cover the entire frame. The main thing is to constantly trim the plant so that it does not lose its shape, only in this case you will see the figure.
Plant sculpture on the back of the bench
With the help of this technology, you can not only transform your site, but also create a favorable atmosphere for outdoor recreation. The plant decorates the structure so beautifully that many people get the impression that the sculpture is absolutely natural and genuine.
In this case we need a backdrop garden bench, With reverse side whom
in the immediate vicinity of the back, several mock orange bushes are planted.
Garden green sculptures video:
Topiary art - curly haircut trees, shrubs and flowers, in which plants are given the shape of animals, architectural structures, people, geometric figures, and in general everything that excites the imagination of a landscape ornament gardener.
Creation figures of flowers and plants came to us from the distant past - topiary art has been known since the times of the Roman Empire. Gardens with plants in the shape of a ball, cube, pyramid decorated the possessions of rich people who lived 2000 years ago!
I think many of us are very interested in how all this beauty is created, right? In this article we will look at this issue, but before that, let's admire figures of flowers and plants:
Looking at this splendor, you just want to create something similar in your garden! How difficult is it? Hmm... as the sculptors of topiary art say - in moderation, if you have the desire, patience, you are very hardworking and love to care for plants. It is recommended to start with simple shapes - bushes in the form of balls, pyramids and other geometric shapes, gradually complicating the task.
Shape figures made of flowers and plants It’s easy to use a ready-made topiary frame - there are metal structures and those with peat-sphagnum filling, in which flower plants are planted. live flower figures from one season to five years, depending on whether they are annuals or perennials, on the quality of care and on the climate. With bushes and trees it is much easier in this regard.
To care for figures of plants and flowers, the following tools are required: pruning shears, trellis shears, garden saw and lopper (this is the minimum set). Care consists of regular trimming of the crown (according to the design and type of plant), feeding the plant, watering and sanitary pruning. The creation process itself plant sculptures looks like that:
Choosing a place in the garden depending on the landscape
Selecting a plant
Making a template from metal mesh
Getting a curly haircut
Important point: pruning is done in February-March, cutting during the period of shoot growth.
The best trees and shrubs for topiary sculptures:
Evergreen Boxwood (buxus).
It has a stunningly beautiful crown, such thick, shiny foliage, and this plant tolerates pruning very well, which is important. For many years, a sculpture made of evergreen Boxwood has been pleasing.
Yew berry.
Well, yew is a classic in topiary art. Magnificent figures from this plant were made back in the Renaissance.
Privet is oval-leaved.
In the south of Russia, Privet grows several meters high, in the middle zone, as a rule, up to 1 meter. An evergreen shrub with beautiful leaves is often used as a container crop...
Let us focus our attention on plants from the middle zone that are suitable for a topiary garden:
quince
Japanese
yellow acacia
common barberry
European euonymus
common privet
hawthorn prickly
elm
spruce
pine
oak
derain
pear
honeysuckle
willow
irga
viburnum
cotoneaster
maple
rose
Rowan
lilac
currant
spirea
Apple tree
bird cherry
thuja
turn
pine
fir
Linden
juniper
Bonsai
If we talk about such a miracle as bonsai, then one cannot fail to mention that this is also a type of topiary art - growing dwarf trees of the most bizarre shapes. Bonsai creates a fabulous atmosphere, helps to feel harmony with nature, giving health. The legend says that great emperor Han dynasty decided to recreate exact copy his luxurious garden, with its rivers, hills and trees, and since then creating a miniature garden has become a very popular hobby.
