Best Topiary Plants

Topiary is an art form that has been rediscovered by gardeners in the last 5-10 years. Cones, cubes and round balls shaped from living plants are appearing in all kinds of gardens, formal and not so formal. The idea behind topiary is to use clipping and style to turn a plant, with its natural organic shape, into a formal or geometric shape.

Geoff Howard, from The Topiarist in Gembrook, Victoria specialises in topiaries grown from Buxus or Box hedge. His recommendations are :

Korean Box sold as Buxus microphylla var. microphylla

This is ideally suited to internal courtyard gardens because it doesn't have the rancid smell associated with the common or English box. It is slow growing and under ideal conditions in the ground you can expect a rooted cutting to grow into a loose 25cm (10") ball within three years. This box has a slightly weeping habit and is ideally suited to hedges with a maximum height of around 1.5m (5'). The Korean box has a tendency to go yellow in full sunshine so it is best grown in partial shade.

Common or English Box (Buxus sempervirens)

A more vigorous growing box which can develop into a tight 25cm (10") ball in three years in the ground. It has a more upright growth compared to the other two boxes described here. The English box is capable of reaching three or more metres (10' or more) but most gardeners restrict it to about 1.5m (5').

Dutch Box (Buxus sempervirens 'Suffruticosa')

The Dutch box is very slow growing and is best suited to tight miniature hedges or topiaries. The maximum height you should expect is around 75-100cm (2.5-3') but this may take 10 years.

Japanese Box (Buxus microphylla var. japonica )

An excellent topiary specimen and it is faster growing than the above species forming a 45cm (1'6") ball in three years. The leaves are more coarse and it has a tendency to flower sparsely and so is not favoured by Geoff for his fine topiaries.

Other plants used by Geoff for topiary include the Bhutan Cypress (Cupressus torulosa) and Muehlenbeckia. Both Muehlenbeckia adpressa and Muehlenbeckia complexa are suitable and can be grown around metal frames in shapes ranging from hearts and circles to candelabras and even peacocks. Geoff has been able to cover a tennis court fence in five years with Muehlenbeckia planted at 1m (3') spacings. 

Geoff's tricks of the trade

Choose a plant that resembles the shape you want to create. Don't feed if you want tight foliage. Fertilise once you have the shape established. Water and feed around the outer edge of the plant so you are delivering nourishment to the feeder roots. Carry out structural pruning during winter when growth is slower. Prune lightly in spring to take out growth that is going in the wrong direction.

Availability and cost

Your local nursery may keep topiary plants and frames, or contact the following nurseries who keep a range of topiary products as well as a good selection of topiarised plants. The Greenery
4 Banksia Street
Heidelberg, VIC, 3084
Phone (03) 9459 8433
Bond's Nursery
277 Mona Vale Road
Terrey Hills, NSW, 2084
Phone (02) 9486 3222

Further information

The Topiarist is at 29 Launching Place Road, Gembrook, VIC, 3783. Phone: (03) 5968 1802 or mobile 0417 314 155.

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