Topiary Trees

Topiary is the art of sculpting plants, usually evergreens, into intricate shapes. It extends to various garden features shaped by close clipping and styling.

Key tips on looking after your topiary:

1. Watering: Potted topiary plants, especially, need consistent moisture. Check soil dryness with your finger; if it’s dry, it’s time to water.
2. Fertilize: Opt for foliar or slow-release fertilizer to promote growth and a robust root system, ensuring your topiary stays healthy.
3. Prune: While topiaries don’t normally need frequent pruning, timing matters. Trim in early to late summer for best shape maintenance.

Topiary is an ancient horticultural art form involving the pruning and training of plants, typically evergreens, into various shapes like balls, cubes, cones, or spirals. Skilled gardeners achieve these shapes through meticulous trimming and shaping.

Commonly used plants for topiary are evergreen and include Box plants (Buxus Sempervirens), Euonymus, Holly, Privet, Yew Bushes,Cherry Laurel and various Conifers. These plants are chosen for their dense, small leaves and their ability to withstand shaping.

Topiary shapes are spirals, pyramids, balls, and lollipops which all add elegance and visual interest to gardens. For doorways, spirals and pyramids make a stunning statement, while geometric shapes can complement formal landscapes.

Consider the available space, sunlight exposure, and your personal aesthetic preferences. Woolpit Nurseries offers a range of hand-trimmed topiary, ensuring there’s a perfect match for every garden.

Shaping topiary requires skill and patience. While some enthusiasts enjoy the hands-on process of starting from scratch, many prefer the convenience of buying pre-trimmed topiary to ensure a well established shape. At Woolpit Nurseries we stock Topiary plants in various shapes.

The ideal time for pruning topiary is during the growing season, typically in early summer or late summer. This allows the plant to recover and grow into its newly shaped form.

While topiary can adapt to various climates, it’s essential to choose plant varieties that thrive in your specific conditions. Woolpit Nurseries stocks Topiary plants suited to growing in the Suffolk climate.

The time it takes for topiary to establish its shape varies based on the shrub or tree, it’s growth rate, the climate and the complexity of the shape that you are trying to create. Generally, it may take several years for the topiary to take on its intended shape.

Topiaries may turn brown due to various reasons.

• Insufficient watering
• Inadequate sunlight
• Disease
• Root-bound conditions in potted topiaries can lead to browning.

Planting topiary trees in pots is straightforward but can be a bit awkward with larger plants. Here’s a quick guide:

• Choose a garden pot or container that is larger than the tree’s root base and can accommodate the plant comfortably.
• Place grit at the bottom of the pot for drainage and cover with compost, enough to reach the plant’s roots when positioned.
• Position the topiary plant in the pot.
• Fill the sides and top of the root system with additional compost to firmly hold the plant in place within the pot.
• Finally, water the pot generously to wet the compost thoroughly through the pot and settle the compost around the roots at this initial watering. 

Following these simple steps, and you’ll set your topiary tree to thrive in the garden pot.