The Beauty of Topiary Gardening

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The Beauty of Topiary Gardening

The term topiary?which is the practice and art of pruning and shaping trees and shrubs to create living sculptures?comes from the Greek word meaning ?places?. Gardeners who specialize in topiary choose evergreen plants with small needles and leaves, dense foliage and a relatively compact growth habit.

Wire frames or cages are sometimes used to provide a template for the design and add support to the finished product. Topiary sizes range from small ball-shaped ivy plants grown in six-inch pots to large privet hedges carefully trimmed into animal or human forms. Not for the beginning gardener with rare exceptions, practice of topiary demands a steady hand, perseverance and the willingness and ability to keep the topiary plant trimmed to the desired shape.

The earliest European topiaries date from the time of ancient Rome. After some years spent in obscurity, they regained popularity in the 16th century, when they began showing up in multiple forms in the formal terraced gardens and parterres of wealthy European families, and as single objects in smaller cottage gardens of the less affluent.
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Pruning and Shaping Trees and Bushes Creatively

Pruning and Shaping Trees and Bushes Creatively

Many inexperienced gardeners are hesitant to prune or clip back branches on the trees and bushes in their yards, because they don’t know it’s quite easy to do, and they don’t realize it’s very helpful for the grow and vitality of the plants too.

Trimming and pruning has practical and safety purposes first of all. If a tree branch is dead, you risk having it fall on your roof, a car, or even a person. So trimming it off is the safest thing to do. The same applies to bushes… if you have one with branches sneaking into your rain spouts, the best option is to trim those before they create damages that could lead to further problems.

Trimming and pruning will also allow you to shape your bushes and trees nicely though. Some people don’t like a manicured, neatly trimmed look however, and would rather keep everything as natural looking as possible. Unfortunately if you don’t trim and shape a bush or tree in its younger years, it can have growth problems and safety issues as it matures.
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Tips for Pruning Trees and Bushes

Tips for Pruning Trees and Bushes

Pruning and trimming a bush or tree will help it stay healthier. In fact, many bushes and trees will start growing like crazy after they’ve been pruned well, and if they produce flowers you may find that you’re getting many more blooms than usual after a trim too.

Trimming is important for the bush or tree’s health and vitality, but it’s also very important for general safety too. Leaving a dead branch on a tree in a residential area can potentially invite harm to your house, your vehicles, or your friends and family because that dead branch will eventually fall to the ground… or whatever is underneath of it.

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