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Pruning Trees, Shrubs & Vines

Special Cases: Pruning for Particular Purposes

by Karan Davis Cutler

Topiary

Topiary—trees, shrubs, and vines transformed into balls, corkscrews, elephants, and more—requires more than a good pair of hedge shears. It requires the right plant, better-than-average growing conditions, lots of time, the patience of Job, and a good eye. Topiary is a garden conceit, highly popular with the Romans and revived in the 16th and 17th centuries in European gardens, especially France and the Netherlands. Once the purview of the wealthy, topiaries have been democratized: Some of the most delightful examples in the U.S. are at Disneyland and Disneyworld.

Species with tight, slow growth and small foliage that can withstand constant and heavy pruning are ideal candidates for "topiarization" (see "Some Plants for Outdoor Topiary" below). Some deciduous species are used for topiary, but if you live in a cold region, your pride and joy will be bare during the winter. Depending on the size and nature of your artistic conception—a to-scale botanical bovine, say—the project may require more than one plant.

Topiary

Topiary is living sculpture for the garden: Plants are trained and clipped into various shapes. Species with tight, slow growth and small foliage that can withstand constant and heavy pruning are ideal topiary plants.

Pick a plant that approximates the shape you want to create, Taxus baccata 'Columnaris' for an obelisk, for example, or T. x media 'Hatfieldii' for a green pyramid. Above all, make sure the plant is cold-hardy in your garden. If the peacock's fan is winterkilled, you may have to decapitate him as well and turn him into a Volkswagen bug.

You can attempt to turn a large shrub into a spaceship, but working with a young plant is usually easier than beginning with a mature one. Start when the plant is small, and don't be overeager. Prune to encourage dense growth, aiming first for a basic shape, such as a cone, then begin making small cuts to create the figure you have in mind.

Once your hollies turn into a camel, they need only careful and diligent shaping and shearing to keep him trim and healthy. You must remove most of last year's growth, or your spiral or bird or table and chair will exceed its site. Pruning times vary according to the plant and the place. For big gaps and bare spots, prune in early spring, just before new growth begins.

Training a Standard

Often grown in a container, the standard is a topiary with a single stem topped by a globe of foliage. A botanical lollipop. To create a standard, begin with a young plant. Remove all basal stems but one—it will become the trunk—and stake it to keep it straight. Pinch back (but don't remove) shoots growing from the main stem. Once the plant reaches the height you want, pinch out its terminal bud. Form the head by pinching side shoots as soon as they grow a few inches. Last, bare the trunk by removing shoots growing from the lower portion of the main stem. Once established, standards need only occasional maintenance pruning. Following are suggested candidates for potted standards.

Some Plants for Outdoor Topiary

Karen Davis Cutler, who has edited five previous BBG handbooks—Essential Tools, Salad Gardens, Tantalizing Tomatoes, Flowering Vines, and Starting from Seed—gardens on 15 acres in northern Vermont. A frequent contributor to national garden magazines, her latest book is The New England Gardener's Book of Lists (2000).

Illustration by Stephen K-M. Tim
Photograph by Jerry Pavia