December, 1999
Happy Holidays from Horsetail Haven

The holiday season brings tempting displays of shaped rosemary Christmas trees, hearts wound with herbs and giant ivy covered reindeer.  There is no mystery to making a topiary, all that is required is a bit of patience and an imagination.  Topiaries can be placed in three categories: pruned, trained and creeping.
PRUNED TOPIARY
Pruned topiary feature plants that are pruned as they grow to create a desired shape.  They may be whimsical figures ( Disney World or the larger than life rendition of George Seurat's painting "A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of LaGrande Jatte" located in Columbus, Ohio), or geometric forms such as the common lollipop standards and rosemary Christmas trees.  While they may be pruned into shape free hand, larger figures often feature an interior framework of metal bars that serve as shaping guides.  Herbs that work as pruned topiary include Myrtus communis, Westringia rosmariniformis, Rosmarinus officinalis, Helichrysum angustifolium, Lavandula spp. and Pelargonium spp. Here are some good beginner designs:

Solid
Select bushy plants, immediately begin training into the desired shape, pruning at least every 2 weeks during the active growing season.  Turn pot weekly for even growth.
Standard
Select a single stemmed plant.  Pot it up with a stable central support (wire or wooden stake) the height of the mature plant.  Attach the stem to the central support with soft ties such as fabric, raffia or florist tape.  Allow to grow to the desired height, removing branches along the lower 2/3 rd of the stem.  When the mature height is reached, pinch out the top of the plant to remove the growing tip and encourage the head to form.  The head should be 1/3 the height of the plant.  As the plant begins to branch, allow 2-3 leaf nodes to grow, then pinch out the tip of the new branches.  Prune and turn pot weekly during the growing season.
Poodle
Start the same as a standard, but do not remove lower leaves and branches.  When the plant reaches the desired height pinch the growing tip and decide on the location of the balls, then remove any branches between the ball locations.  Prune each ball weekly.
Barleysugar
Treat the same as a standard, except wrap the growing stem around the center stake as it grows.
Spiral
Start with a single stemmed plant and a central support.  Do not remove any branches from the stem.  Wrap in loose spirals around the stake and tie.  Prune following the shape of the stem when full height is reached.

TRAINED TOPIARY
These charmers are created by winding long branched plants around a framework.  They are commonly created with ivy or prostrate rosemary.  For more of a challenge try using Pelargonium 'Lemon Crispum', mints or Satureja montana.  Frames may be purchased or made using 14-16 gauge wire.  The lower portion of the framework should be designed to be anchored in the soil.  Select plants with at least one long branch, the more branches, the faster the frame will be filled.  After planting, drape the plant around the frame and tie if necessary.  As the plant grows keep winding it around the frame and pinching branches to form a bushy plant.

CREEPING TOPIARY
These are made using a framework stuffed with long fiber sphagnum moss.  They can be purchased or made.  Artistic gardeners will shape 14-16 gauge wire into desired three dimensional shapes, securing joints with solder, wire or waterproof tape.  Fish line is used to encase the stuffing of long fiber sphagnum moss.  Soak the moss before packing firmly into the frame.  The form may be covered with sheet moss secured with pins for a more finished look.  Have many small cuttings of your plant ready.  Make pockets in the moss and add a bit of potting soil and the cutting.  Cover the soil with moss.  Continue placing cuttings on the form, with the majority near the bottom as the plants will naturally grow upward.  Hairpins or florist pins may be used to secure the growing plants to the form.  The figure will require daily monitoring to ensure that it does not dry out.  These are the most demanding of the topiary types and are susceptible to fungus, mold and insect damage.  Plants that work well as creeping topiary are ivy, Mentha requienii, and creeping forms of thyme.

 Visual Holiday Ideas
Herbal Holiday Tips from 1998
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 Best wishes to all for a joyful and prosperous New Year!