Topiary is an ancient form of living sculpture . From simple geometrical figure to complex animal or still - life view , topiaries can be used indoors or out to make stately or fanciful garden accents . Beginners may want to take up by training vines around a pre - design chassis . For more advanced or adventuresome gardener and artist , free - flesh topiary shapes can be trained and trimmed from a variety of shrubs and industrial plant . Topiary requires patience and maintenance , but the resultant role are deserving the effort .
Vines
English Hedera helix ( Hedera spiral ) , creep fig ( Ficus pumila ) , jasmine ( Jasminum polyanthum ) , cower jenny ( Lysimachia nummularia ) and grape ivy ( Rhoicissus rhomboidea ) can be educate to grow on frame .
Moss-Packed Frame Plants
Filling shaped frame with sphagnum moss allows topiary artists to create capricious contour . champion , animals and human forms are stuffed with moss and planted with biddy and chicks ( Sempervirum ) , begonias , scented geraniums and coleus . Other selection for moss - packed frames let in democratic houseplants such as the polka dot plant ( Hypoestes phyllostachya ) and wandering jew ( Tradescantia ) , sedums , sedge , mosses and grasses .
Herb and Citrus Plants
Woody herbs such as rosemary , thyme and lavender can be trimmed into geometrical shapes . distinctive conception for herbal topiary admit balls , cone and squares . Herbal topiaries can be grown in pots and used indoors . Meyer lemon , a little citrus fruit tree , can be check as a topiary banner as well .
Traditional Shrubs
Boxwood , yews and hollies are traditional choices for topiary . These evergreen plant shrubs are large-minded of cut back and their finely - leave social system render detail well .
Seasonal Effects
Achieve a striking seasonal issue with burning bush ( Euonymus alata ) . A fine - leaved , dark greenish shrub throughout the summertime months , burning bush call on promising red in the fall . Used as a specimen plant and clipped into a unsubdivided pith form , burning bush creates a charming , experience Valentine — a few months too soon .
Flowering Topiary Plants
Nipponese Charles Hardin Holley ( Ilex crenata ) is a popular topiary works . During May and June , the flora produces white flowers . The " Sky Pencil " cultivar of this plant has a naturally columnar shape , but other varieties have a broad spread . Podocarpus ( Podocarpus macrophyllus ) grow best in zone 8b through 11 . It give rise small xanthous flowers conform to by purple fleshy yield that attract birds . Podocarpus has the best growth when placed in an orbit with full sun . It can brook miserable soils and urban environments . Azaleas ( Rhododendron spp . ) tolerate rationalize into mounded , dome , Edward Durell Stone or cloud - regulate topiary . Different varieties of azalea digest different zone . They also come in a wide mountain range of colors , including bloodless , red , pink and purple . They grow best in areas with fond sun and fond shade throughout the day .
