Topiary is the shaping and cutting of small-leaved trees and bushes into geometric shapes and forms which resemble common objects and people. It has absorbed gardeners for centuries and is enjoying a resurgence, with celebrities and influencers often sharing their love of this gardening art form and means of creative expression.
Levens Hall in Cumbria UK, is home to the world’s oldest topiary garden, designed by Monsieur Guillaume Beaumont and established from 1694.
It is not so common in Australia, as gardens here are not overly formal. However there are lots of wonderful plants that suit topiary, depending on the desired look. Shrubs, trees and climbers can be used in topiary, including camellias, Australian native plants such as lilly pillies and westringia, climbers like ivy and star jasmine, and conifers. Japanese box (Buxus microphylla var. japonica) is one of the best plants for topiary. It's an evergreen shrub with a compact habit and attractive bright green glossy foliage.
Can you celebrate topiary using picture books? Of course.
I often read Chris van Allsburg's book In the Garden of Abdul Gazasi to Year 2 students and they are very keen to talk about the shape of the trees and find out their is a word for what is done to the trees.
Read these four books.
• The Garden of Abdul Gasazi by Chris van Allsburg
Alan accidentally allows Miss Hester's dog Fritz to enter a magician's garden and is horrified when he thinks Fritz has been turned into a duck.
Grandpa Green wasn't always a gardener. He was a boy who lived on a farm and a child who had chickenpox. He was a soldier, a husband and, most of all, an artist. Follow his grandson through a garden where memories are handed down through the shapes of topiary trees and imagination recreates things forgotten.
• Night Gardner by The Fan Brothers
One day, William discovers that the tree outside his window has been sculpted into a wise owl. In the following days, more topiaries appear, and each one is more beautiful than the last. Soon, William's grey little town is full of colour and life. And though the mysterious night gardener disappears as suddenly as he appeared, William and his town are changed forever.
• The Green Ship by Quentin Blake
When two bold adventurers climb over the wall to explore the overgrown garden next door, the discover a ship made of bushes, with tall, thin trees for masts. They also meet marvellous Mrs Tredegar, who turns them into a fully trained crew, and with their imaginations at the ready, they embark on a series of glorious voyages.
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