“Sitting Spiritually” is a Dorset based manufacturer of quality wooden swing seats. They are the only bespoke swing seat maker endorsed by the Royal Horticultural Society.
Their headquarters are located down a country road and they wanted a statement piece of topiary out front, so that customers could easily find them.
We designed a topiary version of their favourite swing seat design: the Kyokusen , which is Japanese for “Curves in the air”. The seat’s design draws upon the curves and flow of the Torii, a traditional Japanese gate most commonly found at the entrance of a shrine.
The stand’s shape was adapted to fit into their custom made planter, and covered in star Jasmine plants. In the summer the stand will be covered in white flowers, which will create a wonderful scent.
The seat was covered in Ligustrum plants, which is traditionally our favourite topiary plant. It’s evergreen and has little leaves, perfect for design details.
We installed the topiary into their planter at their Lyme Regis HQ, ensuring that the planter and compost had sufficient drainage.
Sitting Spiritually said about the topiary sculpture:
“TA-DAA
Check out our latest installation at Sitting Spiritually HQ!
There's no missing us now!”
Could your business benefit from some topiary sculptures? Just get in touch!
With the importance of butterflies and our environment being so prevalent, Agrumi were delighted to be asked to help Paddington’s Business Improvement District (Paddington Now) with their plans to create a butterfly friendly garden in Norfolk Square.
Agrumi made 2 large butterfly sculptures for the garden project, which not only are bright and beautiful, but they also help to attract pollinators. The body and wings are wrapped in Star Jasmine plants; their fragrant white flowers are rich in nectar, which is ideal for lots of bees and butterflies.
The wings of the butterflies were created with coloured dry moss. Agrumi produced the wing formations stuffed with dry moss and added the paint in the two colour schemes that the BID selected. We think the colours on the butterflies look great together and hope that visitors to the garden agree!
The BID is working with ‘Big City Butterflies’ to encourage more butterflies into the area and will monitor the numbers over the coming years. It has brought about a butterfly count in the garden during July and August 2021, as part of the Butterfly’s Conservation initiative.
You can read more about the entire Norfolk Square Butterfly garden project here
Could your town’s BID benefit from any topiary sculptures? Just get in touch!
Living Plant Screening, Arches, Panels and Espaliers
Agrumi designs and creates Bespoke Garden Features from their custom made topiary workshop.
We start by building a steel framework in the style and size of your choice. We then train the plants’ stems, branches and foliage over the framework.
We are able to create the structure to your design specification.
Living Plant Screening
Living plant screening is usually a row of panels covered in plant foliage, which act like a hedge, in the fraction of the space. These are especially popular in urban areas where space is at a premium. These are made to measure, so that they fit perfectly in your space. A group of panels make great instant screening. Instead of using a tall fence to create privacy, plant covered panels create a soft looking screen that also lets light in
Unlike a wall or fence, a hedge filters the wind and calms it, which leads to improved air circulation and the formation of a sheltered micro-climate. In the garden, this gives better growing conditions as a result of warmer soil.
Arches
Archways can really add the 'wow' factor to a garden, as they lead you into a new area of the property, or frame a particular view of the garden space. Arches can be made with flexibility on the width and depth.
Could Agrumi help you with a Bespoke Garden Feature? Contact us for a quote!
Panels
Panels can be used singly or in a group to create a screening effect. You might want to hide an unattractive feature. We don't all have great views from every window and a screening panel can block the view of rubbish bins, washing lines, compost heaps, or ugly buildings. This is particularly useful if you need a high screen, when the cost implications of walls and fences becomes even more persuasive in favour of a plant covered panel.
Espaliers and Pleached Trees
Metal frameworks can even be secured onto trees, to create a pleached effect. This is a really popular option for those that want to add height to an existing fence. A group pleached trees offers extra privacy, almost acting like a hedge suspended above the fence line. A benefit of choosing a pleached tree over a very tall fence, is that you do not lose the light, while benefitting from more privacy.
Your choice of plants...including Star Jasmine and Eleagnus
Our most popular choice of plant for our Garden Features is Star Jasmine – Trachelospermum jasminoides. Star Jasmine is an evergreen plant, so it offers a full coverage of leaves throughout the year. During the Summer it is covered in white flowers, which boast an amazing fragrance. Walking through an archway made from Star Jasmine is a lovely way to experience the smell! It is great for pollinators too as the flowers are rich in nectar, which is ideal for lots of bees and butterflies.
Other plant choices include Eleagnus, which is also an evergreen plant. The leaves will stay in place all year around, so you'll have the screening effect in all seasons. The leaves mature to a lustrous green, but always retain their silvery undersides. In autumn, very small, but well-scented, creamy-white flowers open, filling the air with their delicious perfume. The foliage makes an excellent backdrop for showier ornamental plant. It is fully hardy that also tolerates shade, dry soil and salt-laden coastal winds.
Planting a panel of Eleagnus creates an instant hedge effect in a fraction of the space.
Could Agrumi help you with a Bespoke Garden Feature? Contact us for a quote!
Sunday 27th October 2019 marked one year since the helicopter accident that claimed the lives of the late Leicester City Chairman (Khun Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha), staff members Kaveporn Punpare and Nusara Suknamai, and pilots Eric Swaffer and Izabela Lechowicz outside King Power Stadium.
We were asked to produce three topiary sculptures for the memorial garden built on the crash site – one fox, one elephant and one horse.
The fox was chosen as the club logo is a fox and it was covered in ligustrum. The elephant was chosen to give a nod to Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha's Thai heritage and that, as well as the prancing horse, was covered in star jasmine.
The club hosted a private multi-faith ceremony on 27th October 2019, at the garden, exactly one year after the helicopter crash that killed Khun Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and 4 others.
We worked flat out to produce and deliver all the animals so that they could be planted before opening day.
After the opening day, the present CEO requested for the elephant’s pose to be changed. We happily accepted the elephant back at our workshop for alteration. We adapted the elephant’s head to be facing upwards, so that it had a more lively appearance.
Leicester City Chief Executive Susan Whelan said about the garden: “…something peaceful, something poignant and something beautiful, where supporters of today and of future generations can remember what one man’s vision did for this Club, this community.
“The Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha Memorial Garden will be the latest in a series of lasting tributes that will form part of Khun Vichai’s legacy.”
If we can help you with some topiary sculptures please do get in touch!