Topiary and Herbs

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I love topiaries!

I love to make them, trim them, and gaze lovingly at them. There is just something so pleasing about the darn things.

Rosemary is one of my favorite herbs for a first time do it yourself project, as are myrtle and boxwood.

If you like to try your hand at creating your own topiary, here are a few of my favorite books to help start you out. Many of these can be found dirt cheap (hey, a gardening joke!) at Amazon.com. I’ve included links to them- hopefully you can find some good deals!

Quick and Easy Topiary and Green Sculpture: Create Traditional Effects with Fast-Growing Climbers and Wire Frames This book is one of my favorites! When it came out in 1995 I bought it, used the tar out of it, and have purchased another since then. Lots and lots of great photos and tons of projects are included. You’ll learn how to make your own topiary trees (called a standard) how to make your own topiary frames, animals, the best plants to use, care of your creations, and more.

Artistically Cultivated Herbs: How to Train Herbs As Decorative Art
This is another 1995 book I love and have owned forever…or since 1995. Whichever.
This one has very nice detailed drawings instead of photos, if that makes a difference to you. Tons of information, including root pruning, planting mixes, and my favorite way to plant a strawberry pot with herbs. When I first saw the way the strawberry pot was planted, I was all a-twitter.
I still get that way when I see a well planted strawberry pot.

Herbal Bonsai: Practicing the Art With Fast-Growing Herbs OK, so it’s NOT a topiary book per se, but it’s still one of the coolest ideas! Herbal bonsai whips up into really nice looking displays in a matter of weeks or months as opposed to the years it takes to train a tree to form. Some of the prostrate (laying down, falling over) Rosemary varieties are wonderful for this. This is way too much fun!!

Illustrated Practical Encyclopedia of Pruning, Training and Topiary: How to Prune and Train Trees, Shrubs, Hedges, Topiary, Tree and Soft Fruit, Climbers … photographs and 100 Practical Illustrations This is just a lovely all around book and especially good if you have other plants that might need pruning at some point in thier lives. It’s also a thrilling read with a million-ish pulse pounding photos for your perusal.

Topiary and the Art of Training Plants Another beautifully photographed book. The author assumes you have some knowledge growing plants, but even as a beginner you really can’t go wrong by adding this one to your library.

Topiary Frames and Forms

These aren’t something you really need, but for certain special effects they can be a lot of fun. Here are a few sites that carry forms.

www.topiaryinc.com

www.etopiary.com

Happy snipping!