Living sculptures in the garden amaze the imagination of any person who first saw them. They are created by landscape designers around the world as accentuating decorative elements. However, you can make a beautiful topiary with your own hands, if you gradually perform all the necessary steps for cutting plants. It will serve as a wonderful decoration of any garden, making it excellent and fashionable.
What is topiary
Topiary or topiary art represents a glitch curly cut of plants. Most often, shrubs cut and choose slow-growing, capable of forming shoots throughout life and having small leaves that are perfect for creating a variety of shapes. For this purpose, both deciduous and coniferous plants are suitable.
In this case, the first haircut of the plant is carried out in early spring or late autumn, to allow the plant to grow and gain strength over the summer. For high-quality and quick restoration of the shrub after cutting, it must be carefully watered. Also, plants, the flowers on which are formed from last year's shoots, need to be pruned moderately, since strong pruning can lead to the death of the plant.
Important! Best of all, living sculptures come from evergreen shrubs such as thuja.
Thuja topiary shapes
When choosing a form for a haircut, it is necessary to take into account the features of the natural growth of the bushes. Since the thuja has a cone-shaped crown shape, they prefer to cut it in the form of a spiral or other suitable geometric shape.
Thuja is perfect for creating topiary, since it can hold a given structure for a very long time after shearing, and the evergreen crown has a beautiful appearance and is easily restored after processing. Thuja has plasticity and from it it is possible to create both various geometric figures and elaborate living statues, which will become a wonderful decoration of any garden.
Did you know?Topiary art first appeared in the Ancient Rym at the beginning of our era, where only the classical way of creating forms was used.
Ways to create
There are several methods for creating living sculptures that will be a wonderful decoration for any garden. In this case, the most difficult method that was used in the Ancient Roma is the classic topiary. To create it, you need simple tools and the skill of the creator. Modern methods of topiary art are simple and such sculptures in the garden can be done by almost everyone.
Express topiary consists in planting quickly weaving plants around a metal frame and gradually filling it with green mass. Living sculptures in a frame require painstaking planting on a frame basis of various unpretentious plants, most often moss.
Video: Thuja topiary haircut
Classical
To create a topiary in the classical way, you will need a lot of patience, skill and a well-honed tool, but if you follow the instructions step by step, you can get a real masterpiece. For this purpose, garden scissors, a delimbers and pruners are suitable, as well as wooden slats of various shapes and lengths.
In this case, the rails must be installed in such a way that they create smooth geometric shapes. Using this method of creating living sculptures, it is difficult to cut intricate compositions and it is more suitable for creating squares, rhombs, or other geometric shapes from shrubs.
In the frame
Creating a topiary in this way is a rather time-consuming process, but it does not require special skills and even a beginner will cope with the creation of such a sculpture. In this case, you must first create the metal frame of the future sculpture.
Important!A haircut is best done in the spring, but some plants carry it at any time of the year.
After that, the entire inner space is filled with moss or other unpretentious plants. Such a living sculpture cannot be left to winter on the street. You also need to regularly water the plants, and even in time to eliminate dried leaves.
Express Topiary
You can create a topiary in this way in one growth season. For this purpose, ivy, hops or other herbs are planted that are able to grow quickly and form shoots. It is important to carefully care for these weaving living sculptures.
Did you know? The heyday of topiary art fell on the XVI-XVII century, when in Europe in every garden you could meet a living sculpture.
After planting, a frame is installed over the seedlings, which will serve as the basis for the future living sculpture. When the plant weaves on a metal base, it is necessary to evenly distribute the sprouts on time. Over time, the frame will completely disappear under the leaves and branches, which will make the express topiary fully completed.
How to cut thawed spiral
You can trim the thuja in the form of a spiral by performing the following algorithm of actions:
- Creating markings using a rope, one end of which is tied to the top and spirally.
- Easy haircut on rope marking with garden shears.
- Check for the absence of remaining small branches that are knocked out of the general concept.
- Final haircut using secateurs, leaving 3-4 buds on each branch.
- Processing the plant with Epin, which prevents the plant from drying out.
After haircut care
Since cutting is a significant stress for the plant, it must be prepared before the procedure and taken care of after it. Before creating living sculptures, it is necessary that the bush or tree grow enough and gain strength, for this it is carefully watered and fertilized. This must continue after the haircut.
Also, do not forget about the constant removal of weeds and protection from pests. When creating a topiary, it is important to remember which plants bloom from last year's plants and conduct a light haircut for them. It is necessary to remove dry and frozen branches in time, which are quickly replaced by new shoots. In winter, the classic topiary is covered with burlap or other material to prevent breaking of branches from the thickness of the snow.
Watering and feeding
In order for living sculptures to have an attractive appearance and serve as decoration of the garden, it is necessary to regularly water them 2-3 times a week and to feed the shrubs after each haircut. It is also necessary in the spring and autumn to make mineral fertilizers for the garden, which will quickly build up green mass.
There are also drugs that need to be treated with plant leaves, they serve as biostimulants of growth and specific adaptogens that help to cope with stress after cutting. These include Epin, Epibrasinolide and other drugs.
Keeping fit
To maintain the beautiful shape of the shrub, you need to cut it regularly. It is better to carry out this procedure every month, which will allow the topiary not to lose shape. In this case, the haircut should be gentle and after each procedure the bush is fertilized. For weaving topiary, regular shoulder straps should be regularly redistributed.
Living sculpture is an amazing combination of creativity of nature and man. Topiary is able to decorate and make stylish any garden. The choice of form and figure of the sculpture can be varied and depends on the general concept of a particular garden. At the same time, it is important to carefully care for the plants, to feed them and water them, which will help to endure the stress from regular cutting.
