Some of you will remember the fantasy movie, “Edward Scissorhands” from the early 1990s. Although this post has nothing to do with the movie, the one thing I remember about the storyline was the whimsical topiaries that Edward created with his scissor hands.
This is the entry to the home of Linda Vater. She has an informative youtube channel that is filmed mostly in her own garden. She loves topiary and often will demonstrate how to create a small garden masterpiece out of almost any shrub.
Mrytle or box topiary look especially lovely in clay pots topped with a layer of pea gravel mulch. In one of Vater’s youtube videos, she suggested rubbing the outside of the pots with moist garden soil to encourage moss and lichen growth on the pot.
If you’ve experienced the pleasure of wandering around the gardens in many European cities, you will have seen beautiful sculpted topiary trees and shrubs. These perfectly clipped evergreen trees (left) are in the garden at the Rodin Museum in Paris. “The Thinker” sculpture is tucked in the middle of these perfect cones along with a spectacular rose garden.
Potted topiaries or those planted in the ground add a formal touch to any garden style. Many city dwellers only have a small plot to garden in or a balcony. Adding potted topiary will have a huge impact on any small space.
Local greenhouses are now including topiary trees and shrubs with their seasonal nursery products. I picked up three lavender topiaries already in bloom. I will enjoy their beauty and scent all summer long.
I warmed up my scissor hands and worked up the courage (Linda Vater suggests a glass of wine for liquid courage) to tackle this topiary project in my garden. I was planning on shaping it into a ball but because the boxwood had multiple stems it became a fan.
Let me know how your topiary creations turn out!
xox Judy