|
FrontRangeLiving.com -> Garden -> Topiary
 Topiary: When
Artifice Becomes Art
By Niki Hayden
Traditional topiary is the shaping of shrubs to look like formal sculpture
or, occasionally, whimsical ornaments. Whether it’s a group of boxwood shrub
rabbits hopping across a lawn or perfectly sculpted pillars surrounding a
sundial, topiary is associated with elaborate European gardens where form
departs from nature.
Recently, the technique of topiary has been applied to other plants, which
result in small, elegant topknots perched upon thin limbs. A lavender shrub with
braided stems sprouting feathery gray foliage is a favorite at Rabbit Shadow
Farms, a garden center in Loveland. But the topiary doesn’t stop there.
"Any woody shrub will do," says Jeff Sorenson, who is one of the
owners. The nursery has become a destination for topiary lovers, with inspiring
examples lined up: rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), coleus (Coleus
hybridus), elfin fern (Cuphea hyssopifolia), santolina (Santolina
chamaecyparissus), lemon-scented geranium (Pelargonium crispum),
African blue basil (Ocimum basilicum killimancharium x purpurascens) and English
lavender (Lavendula angustifolia). All are favorites to grow around a
wire, or train into a small topknot. Like miniature trees, the stems grow a
thick woody layer with the appearance of bark.
 "When we first bought the center four years ago," Jeff says,
"we intended to make it a garden center with bedding plants. But so many
people came from all over for our topiary. It would have been a big mistake to
get rid of it."
On a Saturday afternoon, Jeff is giving a topiary lesson to a handful of
local gardeners. They’ve come to love the rosemary topiary, with evergreen
needles looking much like a bonsai tree. Grouped around a table, the audience is
left speechless by the deft handling that leaves a shrub looking a bit like a
clipped poodle. Jeff snips and trims, holding the shrub at eye level, the better
to give it a haircut.
 By cutting and training the main growth shoots from a plant, a gardener can
alter and shape how the plant grows. Not every plant is a candidate. It’s best
if the stem of a coleus, for example, will thicken to support its topknot
growth. Coleus is loved for its varied foliage and that makes the top growth all
the more exotic. Pruning the leaves at top, Jeff says, will make the interior
leaves more striking and vivid as the light hits them. A grouping of various
coleus plants collected together is stunning.
Then, there are the herbs. The nursery was hatched years ago as an herb farm.
While it offers more bedding plants and planters now, herbs remain one of the
central cores of the business. Lavender, rosemary and African blue basil are
favorites for topiary. Each grows from a woody stem, is long-lived and sturdy.
It takes about a year for the topiary to grow up to the height of a foot-high
bamboo stake and sport a fuzzy haircut, so the process is lengthy.
 Once it has shown sufficient growth, Jeff likes to plant a ground creeper
around the stem. For drought-loving herbs like rosemary or lavender, he advises
creeping thyme. Baby tears would be appropriate for plants like ivy that will
want more moisture. And sweet alyssum is perfect for spreading at the foot of
lavender. Although the flowers may burn out in time and the foliage become
leggy, it’s easy to pull out the expendable alyssum and sprinkle new seeds at
the base. It’s especially dramatic when combined with a larger topiary plant,
say a two-foot lavender.
 To make a one-foot topiary, begin with a small shoot, about four inches tall.
Jeff takes a rosemary plant that is thin and pliable. It’s in a tiny pot,
about two inches in diameter. He pokes a one-foot thin bamboo stake into the
soil and with a twist-tie, the kind you might find on a bread wrapper, attaches
the rosemary sprig to the stake. Then he begins to strip bottom leaves from the
branch, leaving about two inches of growth at the top. Altogether, he removes
about three quarters of the leaves from the bottom and moves up. As the sprig
grows, the fleshy stem will harden and thicken.
 When the sprig reaches the height of the bamboo stake, Jeff will snip off the
very top—the main trunk that otherwise would continue to grow. This is called
the apical meristem. "This is the point of cell division," he says,
"where the plant will grow up and up. Once it is snipped, it will never get
any taller. But it will start to bush out. Virtually all plants will do
this." Once cut, the topknot will fill out. Continual pruning of the top
ball of leaves will gradually contour into a perfect shape.
Topiary does require frequent grooming, which can be a boon for more topiary.
At Rabbit Shadow Farms, they save their clippings, dipping them into a root
hormone and plunking them into potting soil trays. Woody herbs propagate well
this way, which is often faster than germination from seed. All are raised in a
mixture of peat moss, vermiculite and perlite. It’s light and fluffy, allowing
for quick drainage. Many of the culinary herbs like lavender and rosemary
originated in the Mediterranean and will only thrive with quickly draining soil.
 Jeff also prunes the roots of his small topiaries. Without root pruning, the
plant may stop flowering and the leaves turn yellow. The plants slip out of
their pots as easily as taking a foot out of a shoe. With scissors, he slashes
down the sides of the root ball and snips along the edges. After transplanting
into a slightly larger pot and filling the edges with the planting mixture, Jeff
spreads a small amount of fertilizer on top. He uses a product called Yum Yum
Mix, which contains alfalfa and cottonseed ingredients and is a slow-release
granular fertilizer.
 All of his topiary grows in a greenhouse, which means they receive adequate
light all year around. He notes that lavender leaves are softer and more pliable
when grown inside. Outside, the leaves may turn more brittle and harden. Also,
most of the topiary he raises will not survive outdoors under Colorado’s
winter conditions. Rosemary often dies in the winter and coleus certainly will.
But each will benefit from summer sun before being brought indoors by the first
autumn frost.
 If aphids or white fly show up on your plants, Jeff recommends a soapy water
solution to keep their number down. Dipping the whole topknot and stem upside
down into a bucket of soapy water is the technique that works best for him.
 Should you want to grow topiary around a wire circle, or have a braided base,
the techniques are similar to a single plant. Braided and hoop topiary relies on
planting several plants in a pot. To cover a hoop, plant two sprigs at the base
where the hoop is inserted into the soil. Then train the two sprigs to climb up
each side of the hoop until the ends of the spring meet at top center. Allow the
plants to cross each other and train around the hoop.
 To design a braided or twisted base, plant two plants for a twisted trunk,
three for a braided trunk. All other techniques are identical. You’ll place a
bamboo stake next to the three plants, remove the lower foliage and then braid
them just slightly. As they grow around each other, continue the braid upwards
until you get the height that you desire. Eventually snip the apical meristem
and shape the foliage at the top.
 "It looks so easy!" a seasoned gardener says with astonishment, who
doubtless imagined more tedious efforts would be needed to achieve such stunning
effects. "It is easy," Jeff answers, "it just takes time."
Expect your small topiary to take one year before you achieve a one-foot
creation. And while you’re at it, experiment with other plants, too. There are
other shrubby specimens out there just poised to be trained into wonderful
shapes, you only need to recognize their natural characteristics that will lead
to success.
|
