Looking for information on artificial topiary, silk trees and others plants, both indoor and outdoor? Welcome to Artificial Topiary HQ. Our aim is to provide all the information you need to help you beautify your home, office or garden with fake topiaries which look amazing, but require no maintenance.
What is Topiary?
Topiary is the art of training living plants to grow into a specific shape; its a form of sculpture and comes from the Latin word topiarus which is the word for an ornamental gardener. Boxwood is an good example of a plant used in topiary; it is evergreen and has very small leaves as well as woody stems.
Artififical topiary is now widely available, so while topiary was originally enjoyed only by the rich, (because plants required maintenance and must be kept in shape) these days we can all enjoy topiary through the use of silk, or artificial plants.
Although fake plants are often referred to as ‘silk plants’ it is more accurate to use the word artificial when talking about topiary. Unlike silk flowers, artificial topiary is designed to be used outside the home, hence only a few are made from silk; most artificial topiary is manufactured from plastic of one kind or another, yet these faux trees and bushes can be extremely realistic.
Artificial topiary trees are popular in gardens, guarding front doors, sitting on balconies and defining boundaries. They have a sophisticated feel about them, and will instantly give home or garden an upmarket look, without requiring any of the expensive maintenance needed by their live counterparts. For this reason they make excellent tools for interior designers as well as realtors and home owners when selling a home. In fact we’ve devoted an entire post to that subject.
Artificial topiary trees and bushes are also very popular for weddings, where they can define the aisle, decorate doorways and, when small, act as table centers.
A single amaryllis bulb growing in a pot
But modern faux topiary need not be green; artificial flowers can be arranged in a typical topiary shape (long stem, wide head) and many lend themselves to this very naturally. Lillies, daffodills and amaryllis all have large trumpets, sunflowers and gerbera daisies have the ‘lollipop’ shape and other flowers, such as hydrangeas provide a mass of blossom at the top of a single stem.
With these it is easy to create an artificial topiary arrangement by simple gathering a few flowers, pinching them together beneath the blooms and wiring the bunch together, in fact a simple amaryllis in a pot, as shown can provide the essence of a topiary.
What Shape Should My Topiary Be?
Artificial topiary, unlike its living counterpart, will not change shape after purchase, so it’s important to choose something that will create the right impression. While living topiary comes in every shape and size, silk topiaries are typically available in set configurations. One of the best places to find topiary forms for indoor, floral topiaries is save-on-crafts
Ball topiary. A long stem with what looks like a ball of foliage or flowers at the top. Buy an artificial topiary bush in this shape for a sophisticated, stylish look in your garden, especially when potted and in pairs. You can create a floral topiary this shape in many ways. One is to take a long piece of wood, a dowel rod or broom handle, cut it to the required length and clue a ball of florists foam to the top. Then add flowers and leaves until the ball is covered. Put the stem into a weighted pot and cover the pot with moss or a mixture of moss and a few more flowers. For more decoration, add a florists bow just beneath the flowers and have the end trail down the stem. You can see a pair of floral topiaries for a wedding being made in the video at the end of this page.
A lovely accent for your path way at Christmas is an artificial topiary made from ivy, with one the same height, but made from holly.
Spiral topiary. This is my personal favorite, I have a number of artificial topiary trees in spiral shapes on the balcony where I’m typing this. The nicest are made from plastic which does a very good job of imitating rosemary. I do miss the scent, but since they are artificial I can have them on my balcony where it would be very difficult to water them, and of course I don’t have to worry about keeping them in shape. There is also something very aristocratic about spiral topiary.
A pair of spiral topiaries are an excellent accent for a doorway. Again these should be in pots, and their height proportional to that of the door. In winter time, or for parties, they can be decorated with lights for a touch of Christmas cheer.
Double Ball topiaries. These are great fun and add a touch of humor to a garden or pathway. Floral topiaries in the ‘double ball’ style are often seen at weddings.
Other common shapes include the cone and the cone and ball.
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