Tutor your Topiary
Take a tip or two from topiary enthusiast Kathleen Halloran
By Kathleen Halloran
February/March 2004
The Pot Spot
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A topiary is a plant trained to behave itself
according to the gardener’s imagination and will. Whether your whim
is a fanciful lollipop, heart, corkscrew, fantasy animal or strange
geometric shape, there’s an herb that will give it to you, if you
treat it right.
A container often is the best place for an herb destined for
topiary. The rough-and-tumble outdoor environment may not be ideal
for the amount of coddling a topiary demands, and unless your herb
garden is a formal one, such a plant might not suit its garden
style. After all, style is what the art of topiary is all
about.
A standard is a type of topiary made from a woody herb with a
single bare stem that grows straight up and balloons into a
lollipop at the top. As the plant matures, the stem gets taller,
and so does the ball at the top. A handsome plant with an elegant
simplicity, a standard is a conversation piece, a fine sentry on
the front porch or centerpiece on a table — and a great starting
point for the would-be topiary sculptor.
Step By Step
Start young (a young plant, that is — old gardeners love
topiary, too). Whether you sprout it and root it yourself or go
shopping for it at your corner garden center, choose a healthy,
well-rooted young plant with a single straight stem and not a lot
of side shoots.
On Page 10 is a list of herbs that are appropriate for standards
and other topiary. Choose carefully, as topiary is an art form in
which you can invest quite a bit of time and affection; don’t start
with a substandard plant or a variety you haven’t had success with
in the past. If you plan for this container to live outdoors,
perhaps on the front porch, be sure it is suited to your
climate.
Pot the plant in a small container appropriate to its size,
perhaps 3 to 4 inches. All the basic rules of container gardening
apply: Use a pot with adequate drainage holes; a good,
fast-draining potting mix; and a good-sized saucer beneath it to
catch the overflow if the plant will be growing indoors. Water it
well.
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