Time, Patience Needed When Creating Topiary

Topiary - the art of training and trimming plants, trees or shrubs into ornamental shapes - has a long history. The Romans perfected the art in the first century, and it flourished again in 18th-century England. Today, topiary is thriving once more.

Certain plants can be formed into almost any shape. Over the years, popular styles of topiary have included animals, letters, even people. I prefer a more simple, elegant approach.

The standard topiary, a lush sphere atop a straight stem, is a classic. Variations include the three- or four-tiered standard, the spiral, the pyramid and the cone.

Whatever you choose to create, making a topiary is a fun project. It requires time and patience, but once a topiary is mature, it is easy to care for and can last for several years.

Indoors, small topiaries make wonderful decorations for tabletops or mantels. Larger ones can stand on their own. For a party or holiday gathering, you can decorate topiaries with small lights to give them a festive touch.

One caveat: Don’t keep topiaries out of a sunny spot for too long. During the warm summer months, bring them out to the patio, porch or garden.

Below are instructions for making and caring for a standard topiary. For best results, choose a plant that is easy to work with. Myrtle is particularly good. Other appropriate choices include bay laurel, rosemary, scented geraniums and lavender.

Making a standard topiary

1. Start the topiary in a 4- to 5-inch plastic pot. (Anything planted in a clay pot dries out more quickly, and a topiary needs moisture.) Place a clay-pot shard or stone over the drainage hole to slow, but not stop, drainage.

Plant a young, fresh plant in the pot with a sterile prepackaged soil mix for foliage houseplants.

2. Choose the height you ultimately want the topiary to be and cut a green bamboo stake to size. For a 1-foot topiary, the stake should extend 1 foot above the soil. Push the stake into the soil near the plant.

Water the plant often so the soil is always damp but never soggy. Any topiary, if it dries out, will die. However, rosemary doesn’t need as much water; if it is overwatered, it will develop an unattractive white mildew and simply will not thrive. It’s important to get to know the plant you’re working with.

3. As the plant grows, pinch off the side branches, leaving the growth at the top. Allow a few leaves farther down the stem to remain; they help the plant manufacture food.

Train the stem by tying it to the bamboo stake at 1-1/2-inch intervals with thin strips of raffia. Wet the raffia first so it becomes flexible and easy to work with. The raffia should be tied around the plant and post securely, but not so tightly that it cuts into the plant.

4. If any flowers appear as the plant grows, remove them so the plant will concentrate its energy on vegetative growth. Clip the tips of shoots to encourage new growth.

5. When the plant has reached the desired height and has a good, bushy top, remove any lower leaves along the stem and trim the top into a sphere shape.

Use good, sharp kitchen shears for this. Clean them with rubbing alcohol as necessary. Some plants, such as rosemary, discharge a sticky oil that you’ll want to remove.

6. Repot the topiary in a 6-inch terra-cotta pot.

Caring for your topiary

1. Water the plant as often as is necessary to keep the soil damp. Once a month (if the plant is small enough to lift), submerge the pot in a tub of water until bubbles no longer appear on the water’s surface.

2. Feed the topiary with fertilizer regularly. When the plant is young, fertilize every two weeks. Once the topiary has reached its full size, fertilize about once a month.

Reduce the frequency during winter and increase during summer, as necessary. Use a 30-10-10 water-soluble fertilizer or fish emulsion.

3. Keep the plant in a sunny spot, turning it every few days so it grows evenly. In northern climates, the topiary can be moved outside for the summer after the last frost. Bring it back inside before the first frost that fall. In warmer climates it can stay outside year-round. Always keep a topiary out of strong winds.

4. As the topiary grows, keep trimming it to maintain a lush, even sphere. But to keep it healthy, allow its size to increase by about 1/2 inch per year.

5. The topiary’s trunk will grow stronger and thicken over time. When the raffia ties become too tight, cut them off and tie again.

After a few years, the trunk may be strong enough to support the topiary’s top on its own. Remove the stake at this point, if desired. Transplant the topiary into a larger pot as needed.

xxxx

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Martha Stewart New York Times Syndicate