Contain Your Topiary!
December 11, 2014 | By webadmin
As we were flipping through a stack of design and lifestyle magazines recently, we came across this wonderful article on potted topiaries from the January 2013 issue of Southern Living. It got us thinking about formal accents in the landscape. While we do love properly sheared hedges in the landscape, we also love them in pots set at entryways or even as tabletop decor. Traditional urns, rustic terracotta or colorful glazed pots are all appropriate vessels for formal topiaries.
Shots from Southern Living, January 2013 issue on topiaries. Great examples of how even small formal topiaries can have a big impact.
The holidays are a great time to display potted creations, such as topiaries. Add bright ribbon or festive lights to potted porch topiaries as a greeting to holiday guests. Or, create an elegant visual display consisting of topiary of smaller sizes on a tabletop. English ivy, lemon cypress, lavender, common myrtle and boxwoods don’t mind a bit of hard pruning to create a topiary shape. Globes, lollipop, square, and conifer shapes are all easy-to-maintain.
This time of year, you’ll often find specialty plants shaped into topiaries, such as lavender and rosemary. These fragrant herbs make for beautiful temporary topiaries indoors and are perfect for gifting. Larger rosemary topiaries are perfect for flanking the front door. These herb topiaries will tolerate being indoors for a couple of weeks, but they’ll then need to be moved back out doors.
As with any outdoor or indoor potted plant, be sure you have the proper light requirement. Indoors be sure to provide bright light. In winter, all of these plants will take full sun outdoors. Once spring and summer arrive, the English Ivy will appreciate afternoon shade. Keep plants watered properly through winter with drip irrigation or water as needed when the top inch of soil is dry. Maintain their shape by pruning as it grows. When shearing a shrub into a topiary, its best to allow new growth to harden off a bit before trimming back.
Having a holiday party and want to bring your topiary plants indoors to decorate naturally? Water them well and let drain, then bring inside. Set on a garden tray so as not to ruin hardwoods or carpet. Once the party is over the next day, move your topiary back outside.
Looking for more topiary ideas for indoors and out? Check out our Pinterest Board.
