ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, January 11, 1996 TAG: 9601110088
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-4 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
COLUMN: Hoein' and Growin
SOURCE: SUSAN McCREA
Topiary, like bonsai and espalier, is a horticultural art in which plants are shaped and trained into living sculptures.
This practice was known to the Romans; Pliny the Elder wrote about topiary in the first century. Interest in creating topiary designs spread through Italy, France and England in the Renaissance. The practice then traveled to the New World, where homes in Williamsburg contained knot gardens in the late 1600s.
These horticultural sculptures can take the form of tasteful mazes, geometric shapes, birds, animals and mythical creatures. Admirers can find numerous examples of the art in this country and abroad. Visitors to Colonial Williamsburg, Mount Vernon and the National Herb Garden at the U.S. Arboretum see small, outdoor garden rooms edged with perfectly clipped boxwoods, or walk under alleys created from trained and shaped trees. Walt Disney World and Disneyland sport topiary forms of Mickey and Minnie Mouse.
Topiaries seem somewhat controversial. "Taylor's Encyclopedia of Gardening" sniffs disdainfully, "To see an English countryside peppered up with vegetative foxes, birds, children and all sorts of grotesque geometrical figures is not artistic, but it does show a high degree of horticultural skill."
There have been a number of books published that instruct the home gardener in this ancient craft. "Herb Topiaries" by Sally Gallo (Interweave Press, 1992) and "Artistically Cultivated Herbs" by Elise Felton (Woodbridge Press, 1990) are good resources. The most comprehensive book is "The Complete Book of Topiary" by Barbara Gallup and Deborah Reich (Workman Press, 1987). This book delves into the history and lore of topiary. Step-by-step instructions are provided for creating different shapes and constructing frames made from chicken wire.
Many common evergreens can be artistically pruned in the outdoor landscape. If the thought of training a thorny pyracantha to look like Mary Poppins overwhelms you, then suggestions for realistic projects that gardeners of any level can undertake my be of more interest.
Some of the simplest topiaries can be clay-potted herbs trained into pleasing shapes. They can be grown indoors, outdoors, or moved between the two as the seasons dictate. The most commonly used herbs are Myrtus communis (Greek myrtle), Rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary), pelargonium (geraniums), and the two santolinas - virens and chamaecyparissus (the former is green and the latter is silver-gray). True to its name, one of the most stately herbs is the Laurus nobilis or the bay laurel. Usually plants with a single upright stem and few lower or side shoots will work the best for topiary.
There are many shapes to choose from when deciding on a form. The standard or single ball resembles a lollipop or the fluffy ball on the tail of a clipped poodle. Multiple balls (pom-pons) on a single, tall, straight stem, or cones, spirals, tetrahedrons, and other geometric shapes provide intriguing focal points in a room.
A unique variation in form is the "barleysugar." The flexible stem of a young plant is wound into a corkscrew shape by bending it around a stake. The stake is carefully removed after six months to a year, leaving the stem in a spiral.
It can take from six months to a year for a plant to grow and settle into an established topiary form. Lots of clipping and pruning will be needed during that time.
A dreary winter day is the perfect time to start your topiary. Gather some reference materials, choose a plant and a complimentary pot and begin. Keep in mind Benjamin Disraeli's query: "What's a nobleman's garden without peacocks?"
Susan McCrea is a master gardener.
LENGTH: Medium: 72 linesby CNB