The art of topiary dates back for centuries in Europe. The Garden at Kirby in Northamptonshire with its ornate topiaries in decadent urns dates back to the 17th century. This distinctive horticultural art form adds class and style to any garden. You may ask what a topiary is?

Roman planters are the most popular design for topiaries. 

A topiary is a living sculpture. It is the art of training a perennial plant by clipping its foliage into a shape. Many topiaries are placed in outdoor or resin planters to show off their beautiful shape.

Topiaries can be placed in garden planters outdoors or indoor in urn style planters. The sculpted plant is usually a shrub or vine with green foliage. Some of the common plants used are:

• Box Hedge or Buxus Sempervirens
• Holly or Ilex aquifolium
• Yew or Taxus Baccata
• Ivy or Hedera Helix

These are some of the more common plants that can be clipped into a fantastic art form. Some other flowering varieties are used that are also beautiful.

Many times the art sculptures are accented with another plant at their bases such as lavender, trailing greenery, vibrant colored flowers such as gerbera daisies, pansies, geraniums and other showy flowers.

For a more dramatic topiary effect a decorative urn planter full of different succulents. Placing a variety of succulents to form a living tower with dramatically cascading succulents sweeping the ground is a magnificent garden piece.

Flowering topiaries are also a great accent to an outdoor garden.
The trained flowering tree can be accented with trailing greenery flowing over the sides of garden planters or urns.

Multi-trunked topiaries planted in resin planters are popular for indoor decor. The multi-trunk artform can be used to make shorter topiaries for indoor use in small spaces. Adding living art adds life and a feeling of well-being to any space.

Multiteirred topiaries are also found in urns or garden planters. Some of the art pieces have a spiral shape as the focal point with trailing colored flowers such as petunias and geraniums flowing from the planter. There are so many shapes and colors to choose from to make a unique sculpture for your garden.

When making a statement piece for your garden keep in mind the different types of planters that you can use. Here are the four most popular choices:

• Urn planters
• Garden planters
• Outdoor planters
• Resin planters

Find a planter that fits your desired style for your outside garden or inside decor. Then start planning your desired shape and colors that you would like to use. Also think about the textures you would like to have for example the multi-trunked topiary.

Get an idea in mind that you can either have someone make for you or you can begin preparing your living art form yourself. It does not matter who makes the topiary just having a living sculpture that dates back to antiquity as part of your collection is special.