Topiary gardens represent the meeting point of art, nature, and human being when a garden is turned into beautiful greenery that is both delightful and brings a pleasant calming effect to one’s heart.
The art of clipping and shearing the shrubs, small trees and sometimes even herbaceous perennials into ornamental or abstract shapes is known as topiary. It is the horticultural practice by clipping the foliage and twigs of trees, shrubs and subshrubs to develop and maintain clearly defined shapes, whether geometric or fanciful.
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Topiary can be the most exciting feature of a garden with the forms of birds, animals, beasts, humans and lot more. The term is derived from Roman word “Topiaria” which means Ornamental Gardening. The love between humans and sculptured or clipped shrubs and trees is one that has been in existence since time immemorial. This creation of ornamental shapes topiary can be traced back to the ancient times when man mastered the art of creating magical structures from nature.
Plants which have numerous dark-green foliage and ability, stand frequent clipping and shearing, are suitable for topiary work. It takes many years to train and shape plants to attain desired shapes and sizes. A lot of attention, a substantial amount of labor, and a group of dedicated gardeners are involved in raising such plants. The topiaries themselves take time and skill to sculpture, but when done correctly, the results will be worth every sweat.
WORLD'S MOST FASCINATING TOPIARY GARDENS
1. Levens Hall, England
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This topiary garden is located in Cumbria, England. It is probably the oldest garden that still possesses the original design that dates back to 1694. In here, there are over 100 topiary pieces still spotting their shapes designed by Guillaume Beaumont in the 17th century.
2. The Marqueyssas, France
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This topiary garden in Vézac, France, offers visitors an all-encompassing and surreal landscape. Shaping up in the year 1861, the owner of the garden, Julien de Cerval, started a journey of making the place into the glamor that it is this days.
3. Ladew Topiary Gardens, Maryland
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The Ladew Gardens are a 22-acre nonprofit topiary garden found in Monkton, Maryland. It was established by Harvey S. Ladew in the 1930s. The grounds are divided into 15 “garden rooms,” with each room having its own color, theme or plant. What is more stunning about the gardens is their topiary, which is English inspired due to Ladew’s frequent travels to England for fox hunting.
Topiary gardens give any landscape an added dimension in its thrill. Topiary gives the impression of the old world and goes well with old buildings and cottage gardens. The topiary feature gives your garden a classical or vintage look, and it can be fitted into a formal garden. In India, the hanging gardens (Kamala Nehru Park) of Mumbai is famous for its topiary work.
(Giraffe shaped topiary in Kamla Nehru Park, Mumbai)
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