| by Deepti Singh and Santosh Kumar Department of Horticulture, G.B.P.U.A.&T., Pantnagar, Uttarakhand |
| Topiary is the art of creating sculptures by the medium of clipped trees, shrubs and sub-shrubs. The word derived from the Latin word topiaries, means creator of places. With a little topiary, one can give aesthetic shape to the trees and herbaceous perennials, say Topiarists. Plants, which have numerous dark green foliage and stand frequent shearing, are suitable for topiary work. It takes many years to get trained about a desired shape and size. A lot of attention and a heavy amount of labour are involved in raising such plants. Since topiary plants last for a long time, thorough preparation of the ground by deep digging is needed before planting. Topiarists trim, weave and design plants into different shapes and sizes. The early Romans, perhaps influenced by Jews or Greeks, pruned their hedges into ornamental to cultivate topiaries in the early 1000s. From there, it spread to Britain, France and all of Europe. Landscape designers grow outdoor topiary by trimming bushes and trees. Simple geometric shapes, such as cones and cylinders act as architectural elements. Juniper and rosemary make fine topiaries because they have small leaves, tight growth patterns and are evergreen. Small scale indoor topiaries have become an alternative for garden decoration. First a fast-growing, robust, potted plant is chosen with just Topiary: An Art with Patience by Deepti Singh and Santosh Kumar Department of Horticulture, G.B.P.U.A.&T., Pantnagar, Uttarakhand a few sprigs. Ivy, geranium and lavender are great choices. The wire skeleton called a tuteur, stakes into the soil and provides support for the desired shape. |
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The plant's long, twining shoots can be wrapped around the wires and secured with fishing line. Then it needs patience and talent. To fill in the rest of the form, a topiarist must force sprouts at certain places by cutting notches at the right intersection of a stem. The plant reacts by putting out a new shoot. In combination with "tip pinching" other parts to arrest their growth, the topiary becomes full and symmetrical. Another kind of topiary involves containerless forms. Hanging chicken wire frames look like baskets. Gardeners stuff the inside of the skeleton with sphagnum moss and embed separate sprouts. Each piece has a small root-ball and one long vine, so when they are implanted they create a three-dimensional hanging sculpture. These kinds of forms use a lot of fishing line to properly secure shoots and must be watered by submerging the entire topiary in water. European topiary dates back to Roman times. Within the atrium of a Roman house or villa, a place that had formerly been quite plain, the art of the topiaries produced a miniature landscape (topos). The art of topiary entails the pruning of live shrubs or trees into decorative shapes, as of animals. English boxwood shrubs are commonly used in topiary, due to their amenability to pruning. Boxwoods are also often used in another kind of topiary. In this kind of topiary, it's not live plants that are used, but cut branches. The branches are inserted in Styrofoam or in Florist's foam and are arranged according to the shape one desires. For instance, at Christmas, "boxwood Christmas trees" are popular - i.e., topiary arrangements in Christmas tree shape made with sprigs of boxwood. For preservation, these arrangements must be misted often. The shrubs and sub-shrubs used in topiary are evergreen, and have small leaves or needles, which produce dense foliage, and have compact or columnar (e.g. fastigiate) growth habits. Common plants used in topiary include cultivars of box (Buxus sempervirens), arborvitae (Thuja spp.), bay laurel (Laurus nobilis), holly (Ilex spp.), myrtle (Eugenia or Myrtus species), yew (Taxus species) and privet (Ligustrum species). Shaped wire cages are sometimes employed in modern topiary to guide untutored shears, but traditional topiary depends on patient and a steady hand. Small-leaved ivy can be used to cover a cage and can give the look of a topiary in few months. It is possible to attain shapes of different types. Simple shapes such as globes, spheres, dome table, chair and cube are not very difficult to achieve, but when figures of birds, human beings are to be shaped, patience and perseverance is required. Shapes such as globe and dome can be given without help of any prefabricated moulded wore model, but difficult shapes such as bird, animal, human beings are to be prepared via making rough outlines and clipping carefully over the years to get the desired shape. The branches are tied carefully to the frames without causing any injury. It should be born in mind that whatever form is chosen, it should have a broader base. Once the base is made, the figure is shaped along the wire frame. It may take 3 to 4 years of clipping and trimming to obtain a general shape. The shoot or branch, which may be put into the framework, should not be pruned. One can make them on the wall or give them any desired shape from general to the decorative ones. There are some steps to make a decorative garden with the help of outdoor topiary.
Steps : (1) Keep them in a place where the sunlight and wind reach partially. The ideal place for topiary is a shady patio.
(2) Keep the soil moist in most topiary plants. If you have selected plants like ivy, boxwood and evergreens then they will turn brown on the edge of the leaves if they are not watered frequently.
(3) Don't keep the pot in water, as the roots will rot. You can put the pot in the saucer with water.
(4) If at all there is a problem of drying out, soak the pot partially to moisturize the soil.
(5) Apply fertilizer in small quantity mainly during the springtime. Fertilizer should be applied in small quantity to prevent extra growth.
(6) Keep the stretched branches and other weak stems tucked inside the shape of the plant.
(7) Bring the weak stems to a shape if possible even by tying. Trim the long growth of the plant with bypass prunes.
Trees for topiary Cupressus macrocarpa: Family- Pinaceae; Origin- Monterey, California, USA. A fast growing tree with pyramidal shape when young, spreads with age and attains a height of 25 m. Hardy a species, can be grown as a venue tree in many parts of the country or individually in a lawn. It forms a good hedge also, but needs support at a young stage. Cupressus sempervirens: Family- Pinaceae; Origin - South Europe, North India. The species Cupressus sempervirens variety indica is an erect and stiff tree forming a narrow columner head and attains a height of 30 to 45 m, whereas Cupressus sempervirens variety horizontalis has spreading branches and variety stricta, the Italian cypress, is similar in habit as indica. Cupressus sempervirens is difficult to distinguish from Cupressus macrocarpa except that the former has relatively small leaves. The plant is extremely popular for formal gardening because of its stiff outline. The fragrant wood is utilized for cabinet making. Poltyantha longifolia: Family - Anonaceae; Origin- Sri Lanka, India. A tall (20m), handsome, slow growing, evergreen tree with lance shaped, growth tapering to fine point and wavy margined shining leaves. Flowers insignificant, freshly harvested seeds are sown in pots and are transplanted at sites without disturbance as these don't transplant well. The variety pendula, with drooping branches and the whole plant assuming a pyramidal or conical shape is very ornamental and is widely planted in the gardens along the pathways. Putranjiva roxburgii: Family- Euphorbiaceae; Origin- India. A moderate sized evergreen tree (10m) with uniform spreading habit. The dense foliage is beautiful, dark green in colour and gives the plant a weeping appearance. It is a very good tree for avenue both as a shade tree as well as a topiary plant.
Shrubs for Topiary Clerodendron inerme: Origin- India. A hardy shrub of 1 to 2 m height, grows best in moist and semi shaded places. The shrubs bear double, white, highly fragrant flowers in large terminal clusters during the summer and rainy seasons, propagated from root suckers of cuttings. In variety lentiflorum, the white flowers are found with pink blend of double type. Shrub can be pruned very low and doesn't produce any leafless woody stem, but remains evergreen. It is widely used for topiary. Duranta plumieri: Family - Verbenaceae; Origin- Mexico, Brazil, West Indies. A large (2.5 to 3.0m) attractive woody shrub with maxillary spines, small, bright green leaves. The blue flowers appear in abundance, in drooping racemes succeeded by yellow berries in hinging clusters. A most suitable shrub for hedge and also for topiary as it stands trimming well propagated from cuttings and seeds. There are two varieties - variety alba with white flowers and a variety variegated with blue flowers and yellow variegated leaves. Duranta is suitable for planting in shrubberies also. The variegated form can be planted as specimens in lawns, rock gardens and Japanese gardens susceptible to severe frost. Bougainvillea spp: Family- Nyctanginaceae; Origin- Tropical South America. The most popular ornamental shrub has a quick growth rate in comparison to other species, according to the cultivars. The leaves are simple, alternate roundest ovate or elliptic lanceolate. It bears three brightly coloured petals like bracts, which give beauty to bougainvillea. Bougainvillea can be used in the garden both as a shrub and a climber with very little attention except occasional pruning to keep them in good shape. Thuja occidentalis: Family - Pinaceae; Origin- East- North America. A handsome tree, grows up to 20 m in height. The main trunk is strongly buttressed and divided at ground level into several secondary trunks. The branches and the branchless are densely and horizontally arranged. Thus, the plant gets a pyramidal shape and a rather compact head. The foliage is fern like and bright green and yellowish green below. During the cold season the colour dulls to brownish green. The plant stands trimming well and can be given a good shape. The height of shrubs is made as per the topiary requirement as it can be trimmed into various shapes. Young stems put into a frame grow quickly. Young and pliable shoots are inserted into a frame to make sure that they do not brake. Shoots used in the framework are made sure that they are firm and are not cracked, snapped or bent.
Clipping Topiary involves much precise clipping than is required by a normal hedge. It takes time, particularly at the initial forming of topiary pieces, to cut the branches carefully to the required shape. Intense clipping may spoil the symmetry of a topiary design for a whole season until new replacement growth appears. Though having a good eye for shaping plant, it is sensible to use levels, plumb lines and any other acid available to check the accuracy of a cut. Rounded topiary pieces are easier to produce and may be cut freehand. To produce a spherical shape, trimming should start from the top of the plant coming downwards in a channel around the circumference for leaving a ring. Geometric topiary with a precise flat surface needs to be tackled with confidence, accurately clipped for a well defined shape. Such geometric designs are best cut using quick lines ached to canes to maintain symmetry.
When to clip Once a topiary feature is established, it will need frequent routine clipping during the growing season. The time between cuts will depend on the rate of growth of plants. Geometric design in box needs to be cut at an interval of four to six weeks. Trim as soon as any growth begins to appear uneven. If a prefect finish is not required throughout the year, two cuts during the growing season are usually sufficient for a reasonable effect, depending on the plant used. Yew for example needs to be cut twice and Lonicera sitida thrice. After every autumn, young shoots produced after the first clip need to ripen sufficiently to withstand low winter temperature. In warm climates where growth may be almost continuous, regular trimming is required throughout the year. Weeding, watering and mulching are essential in the same way as for free growing shrubs. It is important, however, to apply two or three feeds of a balanced fertilizer @ 60 g/m2 during the growing season. In regions where regular snowfall occurs, netting topiary pieces will help to prevent the branches from breaking under the weight of snow as rock snow of any flat surface can damage the framework.
Craft Although topiary is one of the most ancient garden crafts, it endures because there's something inherently satisfying in the labour of creation and something aesthetically pleasing about the results. There is always some new inspiration coupled with an interest, which a 'New Topiary' gives rise to. According to Topiarists, this art of Topiary is going to fascinate, charm and delight people for many years to come. What is required is the right technique, skill and care that should be adopted for making a topiary, which can make one enjoy its beauty, attraction and appreciation of the people. |
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