Shrub Topiaries
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The art of topiary has been practiced for centuries. It comes in many shapes and styles from table-top houseplant topiaries kept indoors to elaborate shrub topiaries in the landscape. Sometimes topiaries sculpted from shrubs depict animals, people or other recognizable objects, sometimes they are more abstract with globes, boxes, and pyramids. Shrub Topiaries take some time to develop but often make the biggest visual impact.
Time Required
Design and planning can take from one to several hours. Creating the initial work requires similar time. Care and sculpting can be a weekly or monthly task depending on your shape and plant material.
Directions
Shrub topiaries can take three to ten years to produce. Usually a frame is placed over the plant to guide plant growth and pruning. In small topiaries like a chest-high globe, may only require one plant. A life-size elephant on the other hand may require at least four plants planted at each foot. In either case, the plants are trained to grow up and into the frame through careful pruning, shaping, and weaving. It’s best to choose plants that tolerate pruning well and naturally full. It’s best to choose very young plants that will grow and mature around your frame.