'Horticulture, sculpture and mucking about': Monty Don brings topiary to the masses 

Monty Don and his dog Nigel
Monty Don trims some topiary - with sidekick Nigel as his model Credit: Marsha Arnold/Marsha Arnold

It is a gardening skill that rarely fails to impress, with horticulture meeting sculpture to create an array of intricately impressive designs.

But the precise practice of topiary is set to become the latest trend to sweep Britain's gardens, as Monty Don brings the hedge-cutting technique to the masses.

The celebrity gardener has planted a new collection of evergreens in his Longmeadow garden, in Herefordshire, from where he has presented Gardeners' World since 2011.

Viewers of the popular BBC Two show are set to watch him grow the Irish yews and box plants into a topiarist's paradise of shape and structure. 

It comes as horticulturists report a surge in popularity of the plant-shaping art among mainstream gardeners, with green-fingered enthusiasts across Britain more likely than ever to clip menageries of chickens and birds into their hedges with an increase in sales of wire mesh templates that make the practice easier for the beginner.

Gardeners' World viewers on Friday watched as Don used shears to create a living plant sculpture of his beloved golden retriever Nigel, who makes frequent appearances on the show and has his own Twitter account.

"It's time for topiary Nigel to have his annual trim," he said in the latest episode.

The Queen's Beasts, a set of topiary bushes fashioned after heraldic beasts created to sit outside Westminster Abbey during The Queen's coronation in 1953. 
The Queen's Beasts is a set of topiary bushes fashioned at Hall Place, Bexley Credit: Andrew Hasson/Andrew Hasson

Don planted the yew three years ago and trimmed it into shape, using his canine sidekick as his "model".

"It won't ever be as beautiful as the real thing, but it's fun," he said. "The whole point about topiary is that it's part sculpture, part horticulture and part mucking about. And mucking about is as good as the other two bits easily."

As well as the famous Nigel, other "free-flowing" more "organic" shapes could be achieved, Don said.

He told viewers that he has planted a new collection of evergreens, including a pair of Irish Yew, in his garden to try out more topiary skills.

"My vision is we have these lower shapes morphing into the taller ones and then going down again so the whole thing flows," he said.

While Don's vision is of a large-scale sprawling sculpture inspired by "cloud pruning", award-winning gardener Gary McDermott, who runs Harperley Hall Farm Nurseries in the North East, said the art of topiary could be "more accessible" to the average gardener.

It doesn't have to be a huge structure, like Monty Don's cloud pruning," he said. "It could be a small pot that you shape into something like a chicken, for example."

He told The Telegraph that topiary was "making a comeback", with his nursery enjoying an upsurge in sales of Irish yews and box plants - which are commonly used by topiarists - as well as wire mesh shapes that make the practice easier for the beginner.

"It was popular about 10 years ago, but people were buying boxes that were already shaped from places like Italy, and so it was therefore quite expensive," said Mr McDermott.

"But you can now buy wire mesh shapes to put over the plants to let them grow through and you just trim around the outline, so that you have created the shape yourself.

"You can get all kinds of shapes, like chickens and balls and birds. It's something the whole family can be involved in too, and it adds interest and structure to the garden - throughout the year."

Mr McDermott, who has previously won the prestigious President's Award at the Chelsea Flower Show, said the "beauty of topiary" was that it involves the use of evergreen plants, meaning its effects can be enjoyed all year round.

"Even in winter when gardens can appear quite bleak, you still have this evergreen in its interesting shape that adds structure and intrigue to the garden. It's a year-round focal point," he said.

Yew trees and box hedging are among the most common plants used by gardeners interested in topiary.

Gardeners are advised not to over-fertilise or overcrowd their plants to protect against the threat of blight - a fungus that seizes on soft and sappy growth. 

The Royal Horticultural Society has held a “box summit” in the past to discuss the issue, but successful chemical solutions remain unavailable to amateur gardeners.

Top tips for the amateur topiarist:

  • Get the right tools. Shears and secateurs are a must for the budding hedge cutter. While some purists rail against the use of power tools, mechanical cutters are said to deliver a better finish, faster.
  • Rounded edges tend to be easier to cut than perfectly sharp ones. When establishing a young hedge, it is advisable to clip it into an "A" shape for a while to allow light to the base, which encourages a thick and bushy bottom.
  • Box hedges can get a yellow edge to freshly cut leaves in hot weather. To protect against this, trim late in the day to allow the wounds to heal overnight.
  • Shield freshly-cut leaves from the heat of the sun by putting fleece or a wet sheet over the plant. This also protects against yellowing. 
  • Box blight - a disease of box leaves -  thrives in wet conditions. The spores of the fungus explode and spread in moisture - so it is considered better to cut when sure the weather is likely to remain dry.
  • Clean blades of shears thoroughly after use and have sharpened at least ones a year for a cleaner cut.
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