15 Amazing Ideas Of Topiary Art For Your Garden

Topiary as an art refers to the ornamental shapes that are created by trimming and training shrubs and trees. It’s a form of art for the garden. Using this technique you can basically create any shape you want. Of course, a professional would do it better. The most common topiary designs include those of animals. Of course, there are many more other designs and shapes that can be reproduced. They range from simple forms such as globes or pyramids to more complicated designs such as birds or human body shapes.

Owl topiary
You can work with simple shapes and combine them in various ways

As you may have imagined, this art is not new. It has been around for nearly 2000 years and it has been developed and adjusted in tine. There are recorded examples that date back to the Roman times and that describe topiaries shaped like obelisks and animals. After that, this art almost disappeared for a long period of time. It was revisited during the renaissance period. Then, in the 19th century, a garden was created in Wellesley, Massachusetts and it had trees shaped like cones, globes and pyramids.

Owl topiary
The more complicated the design is, the more difficult it is to create
Owl topiary
Simple lines and shapes can also have a nice visual impact
Owl topiary
The shapes don’t have to be exact but they just have to transmit the message
Owl topiary
Pyramids are very common shapes used in this art and they are also easy to make
Owl topiary
With time and patience, you can create topiary monograms to transmit an important message
Owl topiary
Some topiary designs are quite similar to sculptures and have strong impacts
Owl topiary
Birds are also common designs used in this art and some are not even that difficult to create
Owl topiary
Complex topiary designs usually have a strong visual effect and the effort is well worth it
Owl topiary
With this art you can recreate almost any shape or scene
Owl topiary
Animal shapes are very common in topiary designs, some being more popular than others
Owl topiary
Complex scenes and designs are more difficult but the results are more spectacular
Owl topiary
The landscape and exact location of a topiary is of great importance
Owl topiary
Colorful flowers can also be used to give the topiary character

Today, we can see topiaries all over the world. You too could have one in your garden. Just keep in mind that not all trees are suited for this art. Those that have small leaves and a compact growth are the easiest to work with. If you want a more complicated form then you won’t be able to just approximate the shapes by eye. In such cases a wire frame is used.