Perfect Topiaries in Beautiful Garden Pots

Article Written By: planterlady

Whether you would like to add beauty to your deck, patio or landscape, topiaries create elegance and are perfect for any garden. Create a focal point in your garden herb collection with potted herb topiary at the kitchen door.

Consider growing topiary to add height and a formal touch to your container garden or simply create fun design for a conversation piece. Topiaries are made by clipping plants into a great variety of forms - by tradition, they can be either geometric shape or animal figures. Wire forms have made it very easy to style topiaries into various shapes and sizes.

The most popular choice for covering the wire forms is ivy - there are English Ivy, Variegated Algerian Ivy and Swedish Ivy. Look for cultivars that feature interesting, variegated or deeply cut leaves. Try creating a topiary that features two different ivies with contrasting shapes and colors. There are a great many choices for your wire-form topiaries such as Creeping fig, Jasmines, Purple bell vine and Trailing abutilon. To train a plant to a form, simply insert the form in the pot or container, fasten the stems to whatever part of the form you want to cover. Use coated wire of soft string ties to secure the plant's stems to the form as they grow.

Most suitable for container gardens is the classic form of topiary - pruned cones or spheres of foliage. What is required, however, is a beautiful pot or planter to show off your handy work. For balance, usually the container is similar in size to the mature head of the topiary's foliage. This green sculpture is the standard, a plant that has been trained so that it has a single, bare stem topped by a dense, rounded, leafy top. Training a standard takes a bit of patience, however, you can begin with one already started in your garden center or nursery. Roses as well as herbs such as common myrtle, sweet bay and rosemary are traditional plants for standards. Others may be Flowering maples, Scented geraniums, Lantana and Coleus. Small leaved evergreen plants are most suitable for topiary training as well.

To create a standard, train a single-stemmed plant up a long stake, then trim the tip of the plan to form a rough ball on top of the stem. Make sure the stem is not tied too tightly to the stake or the ties can cut off the supply of water and nutrients to the top of the plant. As the main stem grows, gradually remove any side branches started at the base of the plant. Once the main stem has reached the desired height, pinch the tips of the branches at the top regularly to encourage a full rounded ball of foliage.

Care for topiaries the same way you would regular plants of the same type. The only extra step you need to do is trim the plant regularly to maintain the shape. Fast growing plants may need trimming every few weeks to keep their shape - slower growing species may not need clipping once or twice a year.

It's easy to buy ready-trained topiary, but it's fun and satisfying to make your own.

About the Author

Marion Stewart is an avid gardener. In her continued research she has found some spectacular fine quality resin planters and garden containers and now offers them in numerous colors, sizes and styles. Find your best planter at the GardenPlanterStore.com

You Can Link Directly to "Perfect Topiaries in Beautiful Garden Pots" by using the url:
http://www.allbestarticles.com//family/landscaping-gardening/perfect-topiaries-in-beautiful-garden-pots.html

This Article Has Been Published on Fri, 25 Sep 2009 and Read 146 Times

Find All Best Articles at http://www.allbestarticles.com

Rating: Not yet rated

Comments

No comments posted.

Add Comment

You do not have permission to comment. If you log in, you may be able to comment.

Related information on Landscaping And Gardening

Swimming Pool services in CT
Native Plants For Landscaping Design in Sydney
Necessary Tools for Lawn Garden Care and Upkeep When on a budget
Landscape Architect Training
Standard of Gardening Care and Upkeep The best way to Stop Garden Pests and Illnesses
Landscaping Your Backyard in Newburg Oregon
Tree Surgery - Why It May Make Sense For Your Trees.
The Importance Of Regular Tree Pruning
Awesome Home Landscaping Tips
How To Choose The Right Garden Services Team
Growing Fruit's and Veggie's Indoors
Fundamentals To You Cannot Forget Regarding Tropical Plants
Different Specie Of Indoor Trees That You Can Use For Homes And Offices
How You'll be able to Celebrate Arbor Day
Understanding Garden Services
Why Garden Rooms Are Growing In Popularity As The Third Option
The Many Jobs Of A Seed Sprouter
Placing Passion for Gardening Through Garden Maintenance Bristol Helping Garden Enthusiasts
Pampering Gardens By Employing Bristol Garden Services Is Ideal For Passionate Gardeners
February the month of love and indoor flowering
The Correct Process To Lay Block Paving
How to Grow Cucumbers
How to Grow Asparagus
Beat The Dust: 5 Fun, Crazy, Try It Now Tips
Tips on Home and Indoor Gardening