Ha, I am not talking about me. I avoid getting my hair cut to the extent that last year’s look was achieve by pulling it all up in a ponytail and chopping it off at the tie (I blame the Bourne Ultimatum).
No, I am talking about trees and hedges.
From July onwards I slowly work my way around the garden doing the annual trimming: Firstly the two leylandii that screen the house next door (I didn’t plant them, but I keep them narrow and to about 9 foot), then on to the hornbeam hedge at the front separating us from the road, next the copper beech wrapping round the patio/pergola sitting area and finally on to my topiary experiments.
Clipped copper beech hedge in the distance, surrounding the patio. Bay tree spirals to the right, halfway through their annual cut.
The first of these topiary projects was a box (Buxus) ball purchased by my son when he was little and was enthusiastically buy plants and gardening in one of the raised beds in the vegetable area. He has long since stopped doing anything on the bed, but curiously (and I have small tendrils of hope growing here) he has started to tend a small window garden when he is at uni so that he can have fresh basil and chives when he cooks. Meanwhile, I kept the box ball clipped, until I eventually thought it would be fun to let another bobble grow.
Box ball in the vegetable plot – at the two ball stage
Over the years it has sprouted two further balls (it is now four balls tall), but that is the last I will allow because I am not very good at controlling their waist lines. The topiary is now decidedly pudgy and just a bit lop-sidded. Unfortunately, I suspect that it’s wide bottom tier provides a nice sheltered environment for slugs, so I may have to re-think it’s shape. Having seen the drastically reduced box knot garden at Hatfield house recently, I will probably risk major cutting at the bottom.
Clipped Box balls at the edge of the vegetable patch.
The second project also dates from the kids school days, to a period when I ran the plant stall at the summer school fete. In addition to the walnut tree that now graces the hillock in the corner, I acquired a pot of seedling bay trees (Laurus nobilis). I planted just one in each of the front corners of the (then) new pond area.
Bay trees early on in their lifecycle. (Copper beech hedge at edge of patio is also recently planted)
The bay grew uninterrupted, until one day I realised just how wide and large they had become. Rather than remove them, I clipped them into tall cones and draped rope in a spiral around them. Then I set about cutting into the cones along the rope to form a spiral rill running round the trees. A couple of years later I was brave enough to cut them hard, all the way to the central trunk and branches. Finally the spirals looked about right.
Now I just trim them every year and the effect is like edging a lawn: they look so shaggy to begin with:
Bay spirals this year before the annual trim
However they emerge with sharply defined curves and curling structure (very rewarding):
Freshly cut Bay spirals on the patio
In spite of this imposed tight structure each year I find small nests in the trees. The small birds seem to love them. This year for instance, I had to wait for goldfinches to vacate their nest at the very top of the near one before I could prune.
Do you have a topiary pet project?
You have an interesting garden. Hedge trimming here is my least favourite job and it has recently been taken over by my husband who takes a mathematical approach. He was always underwhelmed by my haphazard attempts. Such a relief and now the beech hedges look great and are ready for winter.
Well, it sound like you are using your resources optimally, especially if it takes any stress away! My husband likes using the electric hedge trimmers, but for years I hand clipped everything so I get pretty wary about letting him near the hedge.
I enjoy seeing other people’s topiary, but I don’t have the nature to do it myself. Even my hair isn’t that tidy!
Oh I am not tidy either, but the bit of kit most often in my hand are my secateurs.
A good pair of secateurs is a great companion for any gardener!
You have a good eye and vision to create these topiary shapes, I love the bay spirals and box bobbles. I hardly dare trim my own fringe and stick to forgiving box balls – then hope my dear old mum will come and do both hair and topiary for me. Your garden is very interesting, full of wonderful surprises.
Thanks, I credit Geoff Hamilton with alot of my gardening skills, including the spirals! Does your mum do house calls?
Good old Geoff!
I am so impressed at your amazing topiary. I wish I could do those wonderful spirals. I did make a box snail in my previous garden but that was because there were 2 box bushes side by side. I also tried to do a cat but it never looked like a cat, just a badly mangled bush. I love your topiary, it gives such structure to the garden.
Geometric shapes are all I can manage to visualise in 3D. (I had the same problem when I tried a wood carving class, where I produced a cat that was truly dreadful). I am starting a new experiment with abstract cloud pruning on a couple of yews though. 🙂
I’ d love to do that. Are you starting off with big yews?;
No. They are about 5 feet tall now, but I already stopped the top growth. Unfortunately, there was a bit of browning/die back last year and I don’t know what caused it, so the branches I form the clouds on may have to change.
You are an artist! I just love your garden:-) I have found they do inherit their green thumb later in life ( when they have their own place) it is fun to watch!
I look forward to seeing that happen and thanks!
Love this, I can imagine the satisfaction you have once its all clipped and looking fabulous. Your own hair do sounds interesting too!!
Yes, there is definitely a feeling of all being right with the world once the job is done. Meanwhile, the less said about my hairstyle the better!