Topiary art relies on a mutual relationship between you and your plant; the plants have been carefully sculpted to a frame and to maintain and even enhance the appearance of the sculpture some careful consideration and attention is required.
If you have purchased an artificial topiary product then, of course, no further maintenance is required; you can situate you topiary wherever is desired.
The majority of our living topiary products are made using Ligustrum delavayanum, commonly known as the Delavay Privet. There are a few basic principles to consider when caring for your new topiary plant:
Obviously you will wish to place your topiary where you can best appreciate it, but take a minute to make sure the plant is also getting the conditions that it requires.
Ideally, place in deep, fertile, well-drained soil in a sheltered partially shaded site; Ligustrum is a very adaptable plant, and thrives in most situations except permanently water-logged soil – hence it is well suited for growing in containers – or extreme cold.
During the summer or in hot/windy sites it is especially important to water your plant during the first two years to prevent them drying out. Watering should take place every day, preferably during the evening, and care should be taken to avoid wetting the leaves. If the pots are standing in trays make sure that they do not continually contain water as this may cause rotting of the roots. A mulch of ornamental gravel can help maintain water in the compost.
When the sculpture is located outside during the non-growing season and, given sufficient rain, very little watering is required. Keep an eye on the moisture level in the pot, ensure good drainage, and only water if there is a shortage.
Once the plants have become established after the first two years they will require far less watering.
If your topiary is left in the pot feeding your plant is essential for healthy growth; the nutrition available from the compost is quickly depleted, therefore a fertilizer will be necessary. The most convenient method is to use slow release fertilizer granules as they can be applied infrequently, depending on their life span; products such as Osmacote are readily available. You may wish to give plants in the ground the same slow release fertilizer; however it may not be necessary.
If your plant is suffering from a lack of nutrients, it will grow very slowly and the leaves will become coppery brown or develop cream/yellow tip. Ensure that proper growing conditions are restored and you can rejuvenate your plant in a few weeks.
Ligustrum grows rapidly during the summer months and requires regular clipping to maintain the shape of the article. You can use garden shears
or a regular pair of scissors for this operation. If you’re looking to maintain the size and shape clipping every two to three weeks will be necessary during the growing season; once it stops in September it will no longer be necessary to trim until the next spring.
Increasing the size of the plant can be achieved by simply leaving an inch or two of new growth when trimming; while maintaining the thick bushy appearance and shape of the plant.
Topiary appreciate good air circulation; if you feel like the foliage becomes too thick it may be a good idea to thin out the growth, removing some of the longer branches, allowing more light and air into the body of the plant.
Ligustrum grows relatively well in containers, however, like any plant, has a smaller root ball when potted and requires more watering and feeding than the same when planted in the ground. It is advisable to re-pot the plants into a larger container every 2 years. This provides the plant with new compost and prevents the roots becoming pot bound. Pot bound plants make it difficult for the plant to access water and nutrients as the original compost will have been replaced with roots and the nutrients depleted.
If you cannot place your plant into a larger container, remove the plant and carefully remove some of the roots and soil from the root ball using a sharp knife and place back into the same pot. Mix the new compost with slow release fertilizer, it is preferable to use a loam based compost such as John Innes No 3; this will help rejuvenate your plant.
Keeping your topiary sculptures in good, healthy, condition will help them withstand any pests and diseases. However it is always a good idea to watch out for insects; such as leaf burrowing or scale forming insects. If you catch them early in the spring time you may be able to eradicate them with physical methods, removing the affected branches, or alternatively use chemical sprays to remove them. Likewise leaf spots, honey fungus and wilt can cause problems; be vigilant, ensure proper growing conditions are maintained and act early to prevent problems increasing.
Should the leaves of the sculpture become brown it’s likely that your plant isn’t receiving enough nutrients; a common problem with plants left in the pot if no new feed has been added and all the nutrients have been leached from the compost. Once the new fertilizer has been added the brown leaves should become green again within a few weeks.
Should the problem persist, it may be necessary to unwind the branches that are affected from the frame and to remove them with secateurs. This may expose the metal framework, however, leave the vegetation close to this area to grow and once they can cover the area exposed reattach them to the frame, twisting them in as you are able. The quick growing nature of Ligustrum means that the full shape and beauty are promptly restored.
We hope these instructions should help keep your sculpture in good condition and give you pleasure for many years to come.
Behind the scenes of an ITV production....
Agrumi helped by providing a topiary New Forest Pony for the filming of a children's comedy arts and crafts show called 'Makeaway Takeaway'.
Bec Hill, who presents the show, always takes on a big creation at the end of each show. This time she was taking on a pony, a familiar sight in our area of the New Forest.
Firstly, we created a pony shaped framework and planted up several trees and bushes inside, to hide the frame from view.
Then this was taken to the filming location, just down the road in Sway. A local arts charity, spudWORKS, provided their premises for the day’s filming.
Our topiary artist started work turning the plants into the form of the pony (while the cameras were off) , and Bec copied his technique for the filming shots.
Slowly, but surely, the Pony shape came to life...
Lots of the local community came to help out, including children from the local school who helped create the floral necklace that embellished the pony at the end of filming.
It was a joy to be part of such a great project!
You can watch this epsode of Makeaway Takeaway called 'Unbe-Leaf-Able' on ITVX.
The Wild Rabbit and The Fox are both part of the Daylesford estate – one of the most sustainable organic farms in the UK.
Agrumi has a close relationship with Daylesford and was more than happy to create a few custom topiary pieces to adorn their Inns.
Firstly, a threesome of living topiary foxes were created - each with a unique pose: alert, leaping and sitting.
They are displayed in 3 different areas around 'The Fox' Inn, to create interest at the front entrance, garden steps and bar window.
The inns were both restored using locally sourced natural materials and centuries old techniques, creating a long-lasting environment with minimum impact to the surroundings. They used reclaimed timber, with roof insulation made with sheep’s wool from their organic farm and turned their own cattle hides into leather for the pub’s seating. The aim is to leave the lightest imprint on our planet while creating unique spaces filled with warmth and character.
Sustainability is a key value for Daylesford, which is why they choose to use living plant topiary in their designs. This approach not only adds natural beauty and life to the Inns, but it is also environmentally friendly as the plants continue to grow and thrive over time. By using living topiary, Agrumi and Daylesford are showing their commitment to preserving the environment and promoting sustainable practices in their work.
More recently, a pair of living topiary rabbits was created for another inn: 'The Wild Rabbit'.
The name is a nod to its original title: Conygree Farm – an Anglo Saxon word meaning rabbit enclosure. More recently it was the Tollgate Inn; a building constructed in Cotswolds stone with beautiful proportions, known for its convivial atmosphere and unusual double fireplace.
“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!
The Manchester Flower Festival is an integral part of this exciting city, many important landmarks and streets are enhanced with blooming flowers and vibrant colours.
The festival is always popular in Manchester, even more so with it being the first big event of 2021… and it didn’t disappoint!
Agrumi designed and created an artificial baby giraffe and elephant to be placed in Angel Meadow Park. The topiary were within budget, required no maintenance and provided an Instagramable opportunity for visitors to the event.
The pictures that were shared on social media platforms were a huge hit and really became a stand out feature within the city.
We at Agrumi love to be part of such events and create topiary features that stand out for others to enjoy.
Could your town 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!
Agrumi have created a metal sculptures range created especially by their head topiary artist, Luigi Frosini. These mainly include British animals such as Roe deer, Sheep, Hares and Pigs. Inspired by the natural world around him, Luigi endeavours to create lifelike animal sculptures.
A while ago, Burford Art Gallery approached Agrumi about making a Metal Horse for a display. (Burford Art Gallery is part of Burford Garden company, an Oxfordshire based Garden shop. They ‘love things that are a little different', so we think we’re a great match!)
This enquiry soon evolved into a series of regular orders of animal sculptures, and now Agrumi has an entire range based on these Metal Animal Sculptures by Luigi Frosini.
Having worked closely with nature, Luigi can create realistic 3D forms made of steel, whilst capturing the personality of each animal and character perfectly.
These are made from annealed steel wire, which naturally turns a rusty brown colour when left outside. We are able to add a lacquer coating, or paint to the sculpture, to help prevent oxidisation, if you prefer this finish.
A selection of these was exhibited at The Chelsea Flower Show 2021, as part of Agrumi’s New Forest exhibition stand.
These are all available to buy from Burford Art Gallery, we can take commisions for custom orders, or you can buy them online from our webshop TopTopiary.
Agrumi were approached by Apex Graphics, an exhibition design company company, to create a topiary logo for their client.
Their client was Acer, the computer IT company, who required their logo recreated in topiary for an event.
We recommended the artificial topiary options, as these are great for events and shows. It means you can move the topiary around easily; they don’t require any watering and are lightweight and durable.
They went for four 60cm high freestanding letters, which can be moved around individually, covered in artificial boxwood. This material creates the effect of a boxwood hedge, with a complete covering of artificial leaves.
Could your company or event benefit from a topiary logo? Contact us for a chat!
Ted Baker is a well-known British luxury clothing success. Trading for over 30 years, the company now has stores around the world.
They first approached us in early 2018 for help with a photo shoot and we made them a topiary French Bull dog that went on to feature in one of their advertising campaigns.
The feedback was so positive that a year later they came to us again for some giant topiary ‘TB’ letters and a custom chair in artificial boxwood. Our Head topiary-maker used to design and make chairs so this commission couldn’t have been in better hands.
As you see the finished ‘furniture’ is elegant and eye-catching. Perfectly matched to Ted Baker’s own style.
Could Agrumi help you with a Topiary sculpture? Contact us for a chat!
Cath Kidston approached us to make them a few artificial boxwood animals for their window display in their Piccadilly store.
Their store has been fitted out with lots of hints of foliage: an artificial grass rug, plants on the shelving units and several leaf covered panels for displaying their accessories. So our artificial boxwood product was the perfect match to compliment their theme.
We made them one 6 foot high Tyrannosaurus-Rex and two ginormous frogs. They were covered in artificial boxwood, which is UV resistant, so they are able to stay in the windows for a long period of time, without fading in the sunlight.
They have used the T-rex as a prop to integrate with the shop’s products and mannequins.
Could your window display benefit from some topiary decoration? Give us a shout!
