Topiary Herbs Shaping Up Nicely
If you’ve ever admired those closely cropped plants that form fanciful shapes calledtopiaries, Wayne McLaurin says you don’t need a degree in horticultural art to get thesame effect using herbs.”Topiary herbs are functional and useful,” says McLaurin, a horticulturistwith the University of Georgia Extension Service.>”You can always use herbs in seasoning your foods,” he said. “And theymake pretty nice patio plants.”So how do you go from a little potted plant to an eye-catching topiary herb?Start with a healthy herb plant with an unpinched leader and a strong stem. Rosemary,French lavender and scented geranium work well. You’ll also need scissors, stakes, tiesand patience, McLaurin says.”This is about a two-year project, so you need to start now,” he says.The growing point or tip of the plant is important in topiary, because that’s where theplant grows.>”If you pinch it back, the plant will produce side shoots and will bebushier,” McLaurin says. “You can design what the plant will look like bypinching or not pinching the tips.”First let the plant grow straight up to the desired height. A slow-growing orsmall-leaf plant should be eight to 14 inches tall, and a fast-growing or large-leaf plantshould be two to five feet tall.Place a stake beside the plant and tie the plant to it for support. Allow only the tipshoot of the plant to develop by cutting off any side shoots that start to grow. Allowleaves to stay on the trunk.”Check the ties often so they don’t girdle or injure the growing stem,”McLaurin says. “Check for bugs that like to hide around the ties.”Turn the plant so each side gets enough light and it grows evenly. With every four orfive waterings during active growth, feed it a liquid fertilizer for houseplants.”The next stage is forming the top of the plant to the shape you want,”McLaurin says. “Before you pinch the growing shoot tip for the first time, think ofthe finished look you want. Consider leaf size and rate of growth. Where will you displayyour topiary? What kind of container will it live in?”When you know those answers, you’re ready to pinch out the tip of the plant to make itbushier. Allow three pairs of branches to develop. The trunk will lengthen a bit as itmatures and thickens. “Now comes the real art of topiary,” McLaurin says. “Keep in mind theshape you want the plant to take and train the plant through careful tip pinching. Pinchtips about every two inches.”Pinch or cut at nodes so new shoots will grow in the direction you want,” hesays. “Encourage width and branching at the base of the ‘head.’ Top growth willnaturally develop faster, so keep upward-growing shoots trimmed back.””As you become aware of growth habits and see theresults of careful pruning,” he says, “you’ll see how to train thetopiary to the shape you want.”