What is topiary art and how to make "live" figures with your own hands? Topiary figures: a step-by-step description of the creation of figures. Topiary art Traditional carcass technology

Currently, the fashionable trend in landscape design is topiary (artistic cutting of plants and the creation of sculptures from them). From plants, you can form any shapes: balls, cones, pyramids, as well as animals, insects, and even fairy tale characters. Moreover, such a work of art can be made with your own hands, but first you need to select the source material for it.

Plants for topiary

Plants with strong and flexible stems, an abundance of branches and a dense crown are best suited for creating a topiary: boxwood, yew, linden, holly, privet, laurel. For beginners, it will be easiest to master the creation of sculptures from evergreen shrubs with an abundance of leaves or needles. There are several plants that are most suitable for the natural and climatic conditions of Belarus - this is, and cotoneaster. They are less demanding on growing conditions and resistant to any weather.

How to create a do-it-yourself topiary

Creating a topiary on the site is within the power of any person. There are several ways to create sculptures from plants, from which everyone can choose the most suitable option.

Method 1. Curly cutting of plants

To create sculptures from plants in addition to great desire and a steady hand, you will need good garden shears for pruning trees. For beginners, you can try growing a privet hedge and practice cutting out elementary shapes on it: jagged tops, arches, etc. From shrubs, you can first try to cut simple shapes: a cone, a cube, a hemisphere, and then move on to creating more complex spiral shapes and shapes from several elements.

Method 2. Limiting plant growth using scaffolds

On the selected object for the topiary, metal frames or curly nets are put on, limiting its growth in height. The plant begins to actively develop in width. As soon as the shoots begin to grow through the mesh, it's time to cut. As a result, after 1-2 years, a hand-made figured sculpture will flaunt on your site. Ready-made frames can be bought at a specialized store or made independently. If you are a beginner, start with simpler shapes with few elements, and over time you will be able to implement more complex ideas with lots of small details. It should be borne in mind that for complex figures with small elements, plants with small leaves are used as the basis.

Method 3. Potted Topiary

Such a topiary is best suited for decorating a veranda or terrace. For the basis of the sculpture, a plant in a pot is used. The appearance of the sculpture is formed in stages: they start with small haircuts and gradually move on to more thorough processing. Pots and plants of contrasting shapes are best combined: for square pots, plants in the form of a hemisphere or ball are best, and for round ones, angular plants.

Method 4. Topiary from a climbing plant

This way of making a topiary is ideal for beginners, it is quite simple and fast. A climbing plant is planted in a pot, around which a frame form is established. In this way, you can create an elegant sculpture in just one season.

Topiary Care comes down to following some simple rules:

If necessary, ensure that the plants are watered, as the lack of moisture for a living sculpture is very dangerous.
Prune your plants regularly, starting from the top down. So that the cut plant does not dry out, it is necessary to leave 3-4 buds on the branches.
Do not forget to feed the plant with fertilizers, especially in the spring and summer.

Candidate of Agricultural Sciences Sciences
Ivanovich A.A.

With the definition of such art as topiary, the majority, most likely, did not meet at all, however, you constantly saw what is obtained as a result of such an activity, as can be seen in the photo. Topiary are clipped plants in any shape. From them, both various sculptures and various hedges can be created. Topiary figures are a masterpiece that is created from plants by giving them certain shapes, for example, in the form of a ball or animals. Topiaries include both curly cut varieties of trees and shrubs, and sculptures that are created by means of earth and grass that need to be cut.

Topiary in the garden

The easiest way to get a beautiful front lawn
Of course, you have seen the perfect lawn in the movies, on the alley, and perhaps on the neighbor's lawn. Those who have ever tried to grow a green area in their area will no doubt say that this is a huge job. The lawn requires careful planting, care, fertilization, watering. However, only inexperienced gardeners think so, professionals have long known about the innovative tool - liquid turf AquaGrazz.

On the streets of megacities, figures from plants are used by everyone in great demand, so we increasingly see such masterpieces in public gardens and city parks. This way landscape design refers to Green Art. And most gardeners are already thinking about decorating their own with such an unusual sculpture. household plot. Getting a well-cut figure, as in the photo, in your garden is not as easy as it seems at first glance, however, it's worth it. To date, in our country, this method of landscape design has received not such wide use like in other countries.

The history of the emergence of topiary

On the territory of the countries of England, France, Italy, approximately in the middle XVII century and the beginning of the 17th century, all the gardens were decorated with topiary masterpiece sculptures. Versailles, which was located in one of the French gardens, was rightfully considered the most striking example of such art. And landscape designers in Britain generally considered topiaries a cult. As you can see in the photo, in England, almost all gardens were created in the form of labyrinths from numerous trimmed sculptures. However, the history of the emergence of this art has earlier roots. According to some reports, this species was widespread in the territory of Ancient Egypt. On the territory of our country, such figures could be seen in parks and gardens of cities since the reign of Peter I. When the era of classicism came, such plant sculptures were forgotten.

Even in medieval Germany, for the first time, one could see plant statues in the decoration of household plots, gardens and parks. Thanks to stone or marble sculptures, the owners of the estates thus attracted wealth and happiness to their estates. Then, the trend for such green masterpieces began to spread to other countries. They were often used in the decoration of city streets, places for public recreation.

Today, every gardener can already buy such ready-made or can do it with his own hands. And in the photo you can see such garden decor options. Choice among garden figures large, these are figurines of people, any fairytale heroes or animals. If you want to complement the decor of the pond in your garden, then best solution there will be beautiful mermaids, girls with a jug in their hand.

The type of topiary art appeared a very long time ago, at first the plants were shaped with an ordinary haircut. In most countries around the world, gardens and parks began to be decorated with plant figurines at different times, they were given different shapes and different plants were used.

Topiary varieties

Consider a few common today techniques for creating curly haircuts with your own hands for garden decor:

classic haircuts

In this technique, plants are shaped by cutting trees or shrubs by eye or in a certain pattern using a frame. The frame is installed on the bushes as the branches grow, they are tucked into the frame or cut along the contour. The classic version of the topiary, shown in the photo, is a haircut of already grown plants. This species is distinguished by a long period of its formation - it takes about 6 years to get green figurines for your garden.

Frame haircut

In this version, to create figures from plants, it is necessary to use special metal frames. Such types of topiary have arisen recently, with the help of this technique even ordinary amateur gardeners can create garden green figures with their own hands. And earlier, the creation of such sculptures from plants was the privilege of aristocrats. The frame for our figurines is usually made of wire, which is given a certain silhouette and already in finished version it is installed on a growing plant. Plants are "customized" to this frame by cutting, and when you get the desired result, the wire is removed. It is impossible to distinguish a topiary made by this method from the classic version, however, you can get a sculpture much earlier.

Shaping the bushes

Frame with filler

In this method, the frame is not installed, it is filled with soil and only then planted on it. undersized varieties plants, trimming as they grow. This method was invented by landscape designers from America and thus greatly facilitated the process of making complex figures.

Topiary figurines for the garden

If you have decided to make plant statues in your garden with your own hands using classic way, then you will have to plant and trim it every year to get the desired figure. Or you can just shape it into a ball or cube. You can also DIY hedge, as in the photo, while you only need to trim the plants along the path. If for the first time you want to create such a figure in your area, then it is better to choose annuals.

An important point: the variety of plants must be selected based on the form that you want to get. If you decide to make a figurine in the form of a pyramid, then you will need a yew. If you want to have a figure in the form of a cube or a ball on your site, then use boxwood. And to create a hedge with your own hands, we recommend using thuja, hawthorn, spruce or yellow acacia.

If you have mastered this method of creating figures with your own hands, then you can also use a faster option - this is the creation of green sculptures using a frame. If you are an amateur gardener, then you can choose very simple shapes which are easy to obtain. The frame must be installed on a young bush, a haircut must be carried out when the branches of a bush or plant are knocked out of shape.

Lawn Grass Frogs

And if you still want to create complex figures with your own hands, then you should purchase metal carcass, which then needs to be filled with soil and planted on it or common grass for lawns. If you have experience in working with iron, then you can easily make a frame yourself from ordinary wire.

Rule for creating a topiary: you can safely experiment with various herbs and flowers, it is better to choose annuals in order to do something different in the second year.

Figures created from plants need standard and at the same time quite neat care. They need to be watered regularly, fed with mineral fertilizers. If you choose plants well, then the frame will be required only at the beginning of the creation of the composition. If you have chosen grass for lawns, then a frame will not even come in handy.

Topiary variant of a simple geometric shape

You need to start by identifying a "ward" for your first exercises. So, let's go looking.

Topiary variant curly haircut

Your goal is considered to be a tree or bush approximately 5 years old, with a well-developed root system and a crown larger in size than the marked size of the figure. Excellent options for making topiary, we choose from plants such as spruce or prickly, purple vesicle, brilliant cotoneaster, pinnately incised hawthorn, and Tatar maple. It is better to cut his haircut in March or April, or from June to August, however, not in autumn period so as not to weaken the plant before winter frosts.

Consider a step-by-step instruction that will help you make a topiary in the form of a cube:

On the ground, under the crown of a tree, it is necessary to mark a square with the required length of the side of the cube.
At the corners of the square, we install wooden slats or bamboo sticks with a diameter of about 3 centimeters and fasten them together using horizontal transverse slats - this will be your reference frame.
With the help of trellis scissors, we perform a rough haircut, outlining the approximate contours of the figure - we start from the top edge, then we process the side ones.
After checking the sides of the cube for curvature, we correct the planes and proceed to a final haircut, trimming the volume over time.
We carry out the final touch with a secateurs, removing small branches that stand out from the total mass.

Important point : from time to time move away at a distance of 3-4 meters from the topiary in order to assess the correctness of the form from afar.

The ideal way to show the world your own Creative skills and assert itself, is the creation of garden figures and sculptures. For this, it is not necessary to graduate from an art school or be an advanced designer. A little fantasy proper care and cutting plants in the near future will provide your garden with a park of exotic animals and green sculptures, vaguely reminiscent of the shape and form of your beloved woman.

From Gurzuf to Kamchatka, we will trim the bushes smoothly

The curly haircut of shrubs and trees, as an art, has its roots in the literal and figurative sense in the days of the Roman Empire. The first element in the form of a cube or a ball cut by the dexterous hands of a gardener appeared godfather garden topiary.

The most beautiful garden plots now it is impossible to imagine without original and expressive figures in the form of geometric volumes, architectural structures or funny animals. Today, the fashion for topiary from flowers or plants is at its peak. But in order to master the techniques and techniques of a curly haircut, you will need patience and imagination, as well as love and time.

The first timid attempts to create something similar in the Gurzuf park were clumsy and inexpressive. Something was missing when creating the figures: either the gardener was afraid to cut off the excess, or there was a lack of violent imagination and the embodiment of his ideas. If you fully possess all these qualities, or strive to acquire them, then this type of landscape gardening art is for you!

But the fantasy of newly minted topiary gardeners knows no boundaries in summer cottages and landscape areas. Today, magnificent figures can be seen not only in boring Jurassic parks. How to become a real toriary?

Topiary techniques or how to make a green beast

There are several techniques for creating topiary. These are frameless and frame technologies.

frameless technology

Frameless technology is based on hand-cutting shrub plants garden shears. With frameless technology, the accuracy of the haircut and the creation of the required volume depend on the skill and skill of the gardener. With frameless technology, you should choose a suitable plant so that the possibility of an overgrown crown influences the choice of the shape of the desired figure. This largely depends on the type of plant and the density of the foliage, its length and the shape of the leaves. We will suggest that to create a beautiful topiary or hedge, it is preferable to use thuja, boxwood, privet (Ligustrim) and conifers.

every gardener wants to know

Not all plants and shrubs are suitable for creating topiary. These should be plants with hard and fast-growing leaves, such as thuja and boxwood. Thuja is a genus of evergreens coniferous trees and shrubs of small height of the cypress family. There are several types of thuja that are suitable for creating topiary.

boxwood is also a representative of evergreen shrubs and has about 40 species. Boxwood is a shrub up to 12 m high with leafy shoots. Leaves are sessile different sizes. Boxwood is planted in the spring and, when rooting, the first cutting of the leaves is carried out. With timely watering and spraying the shrub, it does not stop the growth of shoots, which provides a dense green crown.

Privet is a genus of shrubby plants of the olive family and has 40 species.

For sculptures and figures use climbing plants, namely: akebia five, ordinary ivy, round-leaved tree pliers, parthenocissus three-pointed and five-leafed. The duration of the green cover is determined by the climate of the area and the plant variety for the topiary with the possibility of wintering.

Useful tips: choosing plants for topiary

For the hand-made creation of forms and sculptures, it is better to give preference to plants with small leaves, which throughout growing season able to form replacement shoots. Not bad if there are many living dormant buds on the branch, ready for the subsequent growth of foliage. Now the matter remains the right choice plant cutting tool.

haircut tool

The workshop of a real topiary should have a powerful tool in its arsenal - a tool for cutting foliage. What criteria should be used to select a haircut tool?

For the daily care of the figures and bush sculptures, you will need minimum set tool, which is represented by sharply sharpened trellis (garden) scissors, secateurs (straight and side), lopper and saw.

Care using a tool involves regular crown alignment with cutting off growing shoots according to the semantic load of the plant. In addition, care involves watering and feeding the plant.

frame technique

The frame technique is fundamentally different from the curly haircut.

Having mastered the technique, you can confidently answer the question: "How to make a topiary with your own hands." IN frame technology topiary, the technique of filling the frame of the figure with soil mixture and subsequent planting of vegetation in the frame is laid.

The process of creating a figure or sculpture consists of the following steps:

Selection of the location of the figure and plant

Creating a layout and wire frame

Filling the frame with soil mixture

Planting vegetation in a filled frame.

The basis of the topiary (topiary frame) is a home-made or purchased ready-made wire frame. Using the framework, complex sculptural forms and tiny desktop compositions are created.

Any step-by-step wireframe topiary begins with a wire frame sketch and embodies the idea in a cardboard layout. Modeling will allow you to make adjustments to the image of the sculpture and eliminate modeling errors.

framework anatomy

The anatomy of the frame should correspond to the idea of the figure. We will suggest that if a hare is planned, then the emphasis must be increased on long ears, and if it's an elephant, then on the trunk and tail. The long hind legs of a hare are anatomically completely unsuitable for an elephant and vice versa. There was also a novelty in topiary - animals with lamps.

Imagine a lynx or a tiger standing on two hind legs and holding a lamp in the front. Therefore, it is necessary to transfer all the dynamics of the green beast in the frame.

Then, the frame of the mold is assembled from the wire, taking into account the possibility of layering until the formation of volume. At the intersections, the wire is fixed by welding, ensuring the stability of the sculpture. The finished frame is braided with a mesh with cells no more than 10 mm.

Useful tips: collecting soil for filling

The soil mixture for the contents of the frame is carefully selected. In one container, a nutrient mixture and soil are mixed, consisting of leafy soil, turf and the top layer of peat. Then finely chopped straw is added to the resulting mass. Due to the presence of straws and moistening of the soil mixture, the latter will not spill out of the frame. Then balls are made from the mixture and placed in a frame container.

How to fill the frame with soil is shown here.

landscaping filling

The final step in creating a frame topiary is the landscaping of the filler. The filler is populated with plants in the order in which they subsequently grow. This means that the “culture” is planted first, and then the lawn. For example, to create an imitation of the skin of a lion, germinated seeds were first introduced into the soil mixture, and then for the mane - lawn mix with long stems.

Let's tell you that they start filling the frame with landscaping with small details - the tail, ears, beak and limbs. The planting technology is as follows: in a lump of the mixture, a deepening is made with a sharp object to a depth in which seeds or plants with a root will fit.

After such an injection, the recess is closed up and rammed with moss.

Each frame figure is equipped with support posts and platforms, thanks to which the frame, filled with earth mixture, stands steadily in a conditional place.

For the convenience of caring for the structure, they think over and carry out the system drip irrigation. The tubes are placed on the frame for uniform watering, facilitating the care of the original and picturesque object. suburban area- for topiary.

A popular craft, which is diverse among other types of topiary, is the flower tree of happiness.

They make crafts from any fresh flowers that are bought in stores or are in the house:

tulips;
chamomile;
orchids;
lilies;
peonies;
poppies;
lilies of the valley;
roses;
peonies;
asters.

But living plants are not the limit. Artificial flowers from various materials are also suitable for topiary:

paper: corrugated, colored, foamiran, napkins;
fabrics: satin, organza, tulle, burlap, mesh;
knitted from yarn.

Important! Crafts from fresh flowers are performed mainly in the spring and summer. They are a good alternative to a vase of water. In the fall, you can make crafts from dried flowers. For winter, use fabric or paper homemade flowers to decorate your home.

To add splendor to the crown, use sisal or bast. To decorate the trunk, satin or floral ribbons, threads, twine are suitable. It is also allowed to use real plants, such as moss, to decorate the pot.

A popular version of the topiary is a craft made from real or dried fruits. Decorate the product small berries in combination with fresh flowers. Flower and fruit topiary will be a decoration for any occasion: birthday, wedding, anniversary.

A useful master class for those who want to make a tree from natural flowers is presented in the video:

How to make artificial flower topiary

The simplest is a tree of ready-made artificial daisies, asters, roses, peonies. We offer you a small and easy master class on how to make a tree of happiness with your own hands at home.

For work you will need 1 hour of free time and skills to work with glue gun. Be sure to prepare materials:

thermal gun;
glue;
a foam ball of the required diameter;
a branch from a tree for the trunk;
ready-made artificial bouquets;
toothpick;
scissors;
a stand in the form of a cup, glass, pot or homemade container;
gypsum.

Advice! As an alternative to a foam ball - a base made of polyurethane foam. The stand is chosen in such a diameter that it does not exceed the size of the decorated crown.

Important! There are no restrictions on the dimensions of the topiary. If you have a spacious room, make an outdoor flower tree that is 50 cm high.

To create your own masterpiece, follow the instructions step by step:

cut the flowers from the stems with scissors. Leave the tail length at about 5 mm. Do not throw away the cut stems and leaves, they will come in handy for decorating crafts;
make a hole in the base to a depth of 2 cm, where you insert the trunk;
decorate the ball. Make small holes around the perimeter with a knitting needle or a toothpick. Spread glue on the stems on the flowers and quickly insert into the base. Distribute all the elements correctly so that there is no chaos. Fasten the flowers so that the base is not visible;
insert the trunk in the form of a branch from a tree into a pre-prepared hole with glue;
close the transition from the base to the trunk with cut leaves;
decorate the branch with stems from artificial flowers;
dilute the gypsum mortar and pour into the pot. Insert the trunk with the finished crown and wait a few minutes until the plaster hardens;
decorate the top layer of the frozen solution artificial grass or sisal, which are sold in any florist's shop.

An interesting option for a flower tree is a bicycle-shaped base. It is prepared from cut cardboard or a thick sheet of foam. The wheels are decorated with artificial flowers. It looks creative, suitable for a gift to a female colleague or on March 8th.

A detailed tutorial on creating artificial flower crafts in the video:

Topiary of artificial roses

Popular flowers for decorating the crown of the tree of happiness - small and large artificial roses different shades. Materials for manufacturing are:

foamiran;
corrugated paper;
paper napkins;
satin ribbons;
crepe paper;
organza;
latex;
felt.

If the interior of the room is decorated in vintage style, an craft from a combination of white dry roses with homemade flowers from a music notebook. Such a topiary can be decorated with satin ribbons and beads in pastel and light colors. Dried rose buds are allowed.

Master class on making round volumetric pink roses for the crown, see the video

Topiary in the form of a sunflower

You will fill your home with sunshine if you make a sunflower topiary. You can use one flower instead of a crown, decorate the base with a few small sunflowers. Both options look advantageous.

To make a solar sunflower, use:

yellow napkins;
corrugated paper;
satin ribbons.

Flowers from ribbons using the kanzashi technique look believable. How to make a sunflower with your own hands, see the master class:

Below you can see the original kanzashi sunflower topiary.

Make your own flower topiary

When making a tree of good luck from living plants, an important role is played by a basket of flowers. It is important that the plants do not wither, therefore, how to make such a basket for a flower tree of happiness, look in the master class:

How to make DIY flowers for a topiary

There are many lessons on the Internet on how to make crafts from daisies, roses, asters, sunflowers, using corrugated paper, paper napkins or satin ribbons.

DIY ribbons

For example, how to make roses from napkins with your own hands, see the detailed MK:

Easy to make crepe paper roses for topiary. To do this, stock up on the necessary color of corrugated paper. The chamomile crown looks unusual and creative, which has ear sticks instead of petals.

Advice! To save your time, purchase ready-made cold porcelain flowers for crown decoration. So you just have to fix them on the base and not waste time on manufacturing.

For the base, it is practiced to use not only a spherical base, but, for example, a house, eiffel tower, bicycle with flowers. Decorate the base not only with flowers, but also with fruits. To do this, make dummies of suitable fruits or dry real ones.

For lovers of the classic style fit topiary of flowers in the technique of kanzashi.

Creative housewives will love the topiary - a cup with flowers. It looks like a floating mug in the air with flowers pouring from the mug in the saucer. How to make it, see the video:

flower cup

By the way, instead of a saucer, you can use a basket of flowers.

It is customary to additionally decorate a tree with flowers with coffee beans, pebbles, beads, ribbons. A wedding topiary with beads and flowers to match the style of the event looks profitable and beautiful.

Topiary as a species garden design, has been known since ancient rome. In the gardens of wealthy townspeople one could see bizarrely trimmed trees and shrubs. Plants were given strict geometric shapes, patterns were cut out, and even figures of animals or birds were formed. At present, the art of garden topiary is still at the height of fashion. In parks, public and private gardens, in city squares, one can see not only neatly trimmed hedges, but also real works of art - green figures of people, animals, compositions of flowering sculptures.

In addition to the gardener's imagination and skill, choice plays a huge role in the successful result of creating a topiary. suitable plant. It must meet several requirements:

respond well to a haircut;
be unpretentious and winter-hardy;
have the ability to actively form new shoots from dormant buds;
grow slowly;
grow well in the shade.

Many trees and shrubs meet these requirements. They can be divided into two groups: deciduous plants and conifers. Ephedra grow more slowly, the result of the work will have to wait longer, but they are decorative all year round. From conifers to create garden sculptures fit:

spruce ordinary and prickly;
thuja western;
juniper Cossack and ordinary;
fir;
boxwood;
Siberian larch.

Deciduous plants for topiary:

Tatar maple and ginnala;
apple tree (wild) and pear;
small-leaved elm;
small-leaved linden;
common barberry and Thunberg;
vesicle;
cotoneaster;
hawthorn;
euonymus;
irga;
spirea;
currant golden.

Whatever the gardener's choice, the plant must be healthy. As a rule, the formation of the desired forms begins no earlier than the age of five trees. By this time, it will form a well-developed root system and quickly recover after a haircut.

Basic rules for creating a topiary

There are topiary sheared and frame. The first ones are simpler, their creation is within the power of a beginner. Shearing gives plants simple forms:

pyramidal
spherical,
cuboid.

Frame ones are more complex and allow you to create real green sculptures of animals, people and any objects (cars, houses, furniture). For such forms, a metal frame is made, inside which plants are planted. They fill the space of the frame, all the extra branches that go out are cut off. Small parts of the frame are filled with a mixture of peat and moss, where seedlings are planted, achieving the desired density and volume. It is not at all necessary to create a sculpture from one type of plant. Forms consisting of foliage of different shades and shapes look very picturesque. Often flowering crops or cereals are additionally planted in the frame topiary.

Haircut is carried out no more than 2 times per summer, removing no more than a third of the crown. The latest pruning is carried out no later than September. So the plant will be able to restore strength before wintering and will not get sick.
During the season, you need to give the necessary top dressing to the seedlings.
Sometimes, if the crown is too dense, it is necessary to thin out thick branches, letting light in. If this is not done, you can get bare areas - not getting enough light, the branch will simply shed its foliage.
Stock up on patience. Even to create simple geometric shapes take at least 3 years.

Tools for the job

For work, the gardener will need: a pruner, trellis scissors, a pruner, a level, wire and slats for the frame, a template, garden var for covering cuts. Everything cutting tools should be sharp.

If you plan to arrange a topiary in the form of a ball or other complex shape, you cannot do without making a template. On a piece of cardboard or plywood, lines of the necessary shapes are drawn, the excess is cut off. For example, if you plan to cut the crown of a tree in the shape of a ball, then an arc is drawn on the template in half a circle, of the desired size. The inner part of the circle is removed.

When working with a seedling, the template is applied vertically to the crown, and all shoots that go beyond it are cut off. Here it is important to keep the template evenly relative to the vertical so that the ball is obtained from all sides without distortions.

You can arrange a template for a globular wire topiary. An arc bends from it desired shape and size, and small hooks are bent at the ends. The lower end is attached (not tightly!) To the trunk of the seedling from below, the upper hook of the template clings to the central vertical branch (if any). Carefully leading the template in a circle around the plant, cut off the excess shoots.

For more complex shapes the wire frame is bent directly around the seedling. Sometimes a metal or plastic flexible mesh is used, fixing it over the main frame. If it is pre-painted in the color of the crown of the tree, it will become completely invisible.

The grid greatly facilitates the work when creating a green sculpture.

Step-by-step instructions for creating a pyramid-shaped topiary

A healthy, well-developed plant with a dense crown (thuja, larch, barberry, yew) is selected, not younger than 5 years old.
An even triangle is drawn on the ground around the seedling - this is the future base of the pyramid.
Even long sticks are installed at the vertices of the triangle. Their ends are tied together at the top of the "pyramid". The frame of the future topiary is ready.
First, with a lopper, then with scissors and secateurs, they begin to cut the branches protruding beyond the frame. They form even corners and a top, then align the planes. For the convenience of aligning the sides of the pyramid, periodically apply a wide, even rail to the end bars.
At the end of the work, the template is removed.

During the season, the sculpture is regularly trimmed, giving clarity to the edges. All beauty geometric shapes in plants, in their even and straight lines. The slightest negligence and curvature is noticeable and ugly.