Hedge plants undoubtedly require special care. Especially if they were planted as a hedge, regular trimming is necessary for a beautiful appearance. But even as individual plants in the garden or even in a bucket or flower pot, the plant is still better viewed if it has a beautiful shape. This plant and garden art is called topiary. But beginners in particular don't dare to experiment with scissors. There are a few helpful tricks that you can use to easily get the shape you want. We have put together some instructions for boxwood topiary, with which you can not only create different shapes, but also cut different types of topiary trees. Now you can finally dare to trim your beloved hedge!
When do you trim hedges?
Hedges should not be trimmed on hot days as you risk damaging the fresh leaves andDry out branches. For this reason, late summer or early fall at the latest is the perfect time for pruning. Just as you shouldn't be in a hurry, you shouldn't wait too long either. Because frost and low temperatures are just as bad for the new leaves as heat. Trim your hedge plants once or twice a year.
If you repeat the cut every year, it will always be easy for you to prune the boxwood topiary. Of course, this also applies to other hedge plants. How often they should be cut depends on the species. After all, every plant grows at different speeds. But you will find out for yourself when it is the right time to prune the boxwood in the garden because the shape has become irregular. Of course, this also applies to all other plant species.
Instructions for cutting
If you now feel like shaping your hedge plants in a special way, you have the choice between a wide variety of shapes. Of course owns thisany shapea different level of difficulty, for which you have to judge for yourself whether you are confident enough to do it. In the end, you just have to try, because without practice you'll never learn.
To make this task a little easier for you, we have put together some instructions for the most popular shapes that you can copy as you wish. You'll find that with the right tools, the task isn't as difficult as you might have thought. Create interesting figures in your garden for a French flair or spice up your evergreen houseplants for an original decoration!
Boxwood topiary with ball
The ball is particularly easy to make as a boxwood topiary. The best way to do this is to use stencils for boxwood cutting, which you can easily make yourself. Cardboard, i.e. a thin slice of wood, is suitable for cutting boxwood with a template. Now measure the diameter of your boxwood. You then use this to draw a circle on the cardboard. Cut it out. You now have a boxwood template and can cut the boxwood! Now hold the template in front of the different sides of the boxwood plant. Simply cut off the branch tips that stick out on the sides of the cardboard circle. In this way you trim the ball from all sides.
Alternatively, you can make a ring out of wire for the boxwood topiary if you want to cut a boxwood ball. Again, use the diameter of the hedge plant. This ring is used in exactly the same way as the cardboard template. Ready-made wire frames are also available, in which wires are connected to a wire mesh. They consist of individual elements that are put together around the plant. The tips that then stick out of this wire frame are trimmed.
If you want to transform the hedge plant into a spherical tree, it must first have grown sufficiently tall. Think about where the trunk should reach. Cut off all branches up to this point, leaving a bare trunk. Then shape the upper area into a ball as explained above. In this way you can also create several balls along the trunk. Then simply alternate the stem and ball.
Form a cone
You can see how to cut a cone in the boxwood topiary instructions above. With a cone, the cut begins at the tip. Find the main stem. This is the center and the area where the tip should be. Look at the plant from above and start cutting. Slowly work your way down. When you think you've finished cutting, look again at the top of the cone from above. This gives you a perfect overview of all sides of the cone and allows you to check whether the distances from the middle trunk to the outside are even.
If you don't want to do it freehand, a wire frame for the boxwood topiary is very helpful. But you can also make a frame yourself here. You will need at least three straight wooden sticks that you tie together like a pyramid. In principle, these take on the same role as the thick wire rods of the finished frame. Bamboo sticks are wonderful for this purpose.
You can also try simply placing the stakes on the plant and then tying them together at the top. This is how you get a template for the boxwood topiary. The rods are intended to serve as orientation, so care must be taken to ensure that they are evenly spaced from one another. This is a practical option for larger plants in the garden.
The lower end of the cone also needs to be trimmed to shape the hedge. Here you create a rounded edge. This edge should also be slightly above the ground. If the leaves or needles of the plant are in direct contact with the soil, they can rot over time due to moisture. This doesn't necessarily harm the entire plant, but it does look unsightly. Nevertheless, it is not uncommon for bacteria and fungi to develop as a result of the rot, which in the worst case scenario can spread to the entire plant.
Design pyramids
Just like you make the cone, you can also make a pyramid. The sticks are particularly practical as aids. This time you will need at least four sticks, depending on how many sides your pyramid should have. If you want, you can then tie twine around the frame at intervals or even a wire mesh to make it easier to get even surfaces. Now you have your template to use to cut the tips. You will be amazed at how easy the pyramid is to make.
Let the hedges taper or cut the top straight to create a shape like that of the Egyptian pyramids. In general, the tip can be designed as desired. A sphere is also suitable or how about a second, smaller pyramid? Whether round or square, you can play with the shape of the tip as you wish.
Boxwood topiary with spiral
The spiral shape is no less beautiful, but a little more complicated to implement. This can either taper to a point or end in a ball or another figure. That depends entirely on what you are confident about. If the plant already had a spiral shape and just needs to be trimmed, the task is quite simple. Things get complicated when you want to start them from scratch.
In this case, the cone shape is the best basis for the boxwood topiary. So first create a cone from your garden or potted plant. If you wish, you can form a spiral of wire in advance and place it over the plant to mark the distance between each row of the spiral. Then start cutting. If you would like to create a ball instead of a point, leave out the upper area for now.
You can then simply cut the ball shape as described above using a template, a wire ring or, if you feel confident, free hand. The spiral is not only suitable and popular for boxwood topiary. You are welcome to design other evergreen plants in this way. A great example is the juniper in the picture above. This doesn't just have a spiral shape. The lower area was designed like a hemisphere. As you can see, a wide variety of shapes can be combined with each other.
Which other plants are suitable?
As already mentioned several times, it is not just the boxwood plant that can be beautifully shaped. If you are now wondering what other types of plants you can experiment with, we have the answer for you in the list below. In addition, not only shrub-like plants are suitable for topiary. Even trees and climbing plants for espaliers are suitable for this purpose.
Almost all of these plants are also suitable for planters. Feel free to combine shrubs of different heights, as well as hedge plants and trees, in your garden. You can also design treetops in the shapes described above. This allows you to create small and visually interesting avenues along a wall, privacy fence or even a garden path.
As a Thuja topiary, the spiral shape is particularly popular and attractive. The “emerald” type in particular is often used for this purpose. The lines of the Thuja Smaragd Spiral are particularly effective. The individual rows can be designed as close together as you like or they can be spaced further apart so that the middle trunk is visible. This way it appears as if the plant is climbing around a separate cane.
The cypress topiary is also visually very attractive. The plant not only has a thick central trunk, but also thicker branches that grow upwards. And these are exactly what are usually formed into small balls. This creates artistic shapes around the trunk that are at different levels. A large bonsai is created. A fully formed model is recommended for beginners, which then only needs to be maintained. The cone shape is also very suitable for this plant.
There are a wide variety of options available for topiary cutting for conifers. In addition to the classic balls, pyramids, cones and spirals, the cypress variant with many small balls can also be used or you can grow a tree by always keeping the trunk bare and shaping the resulting crown as desired.
The right tool
If you use special scissors for garden use, you will undoubtedly have a much easier time when doing boxwood topiary or shaping another plant. While short pruning shears are fine, those with long handles are a better choice because you have better control over the cut. In addition, you get a better overview of the plant because you can keep a greater distance. This is best illustrated in the instructions for the cone. However, you should also have smaller scissors ready. This can be helpful for other shapes and for cuts inside the bush (see instructions for spiral shape).
Regardless of which scissors you use, make sure that they are sharp enough. On the one hand, this makes cutting easier and on the other hand, it allows you to make clean cuts that not only look better, but are also better for the plant. Furthermore, the tool should be disinfected before each use. For this you can use a regular household disinfectant spray. This will prevent your garden and house plants from becoming infected with diseases.
