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Tabletop Topiary
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The ancient art of topiary has seen a resurgence in recent years with a new generation of gardeners getting out their secateurs and shaping their garden shrubs into fantastical shapes and animals. However, you don't have to have a garden the size of a country estate to sample the joys of topiary. Topiary is a cousin of the Japanese discipline, Bonsai and, like it's Oriental relative, can be practised on smaller, household plants as well as larger outdoor varieties.
Topiary and Interior Design
The rise of 'shabby chic' in interior design has seen a new breed to decorative potted plant appearing across our country and many people acquiring a topiary table piece somewhere in their home. Popular topiary designs include vintage rose bushes and hydrangea plants crafted into balls and pom poms or feature ivy or vines threaded around tiny trellises to create delicate heart shapes and rings, amongst others. Another common topiary centrepiece is a miniature bush trimmed into an egg shape or cut to resemble a twisted ice cream cone. If you check out your local plant nursery or florist you'll find an increasing number of small-scale topiary pot plants that are suitable for display in and around the home.
The Pluses of Artificial Topiary
One of the main attractions of indoor topiary is that many of the topiary designs available are constructed from artificial flowers and plants. Whilst manmade topiary may sometimes be glaringly obvious in a garden setting, inside it often blends naturally with other ornaments and artworks in a sitting or dining room. Artificial flowers have a clear advantage over real ones in that they can't be killed and so can be thrust, cut and moulded into any shape you choose without harming them. Whilst true topiaries have to be nurtured and pruned by a skilled topiarist whose talent with the trimming shearers is akin to that of a sculpture with his hammer and chisel, the only maintenance that artificial trees require is occasional dusting.
Fruit Topiary
Topiary is coming back as a centrepiece for dinner parties and what could be a more attractive decoration for a table heaving with delicious food than gorgeous fruit topiary? Fruit topiaries can be both colourful and witty whilst evoking the decadence of earlier ages like the French court of Marie Antoinette and the overly indulgent dinner table of Bacchus. This combination of fun and extravagance makes this style of tabletop topiary ideal as a centrepiece for a wedding reception. Indeed, many florists and flower shops can provide topiaries either to buy or simply rent for parties and celebrations. Talk to your local florist and see if they have a topiary design suitable for your next get together with family and friends.
Tabletop Topiary Gifts
Tabletop topiaries make great gifts. They are compact and perfect in themselves, more original than a simple bouquet of flowers or bunch of roses and, of course, last long after a regular posy. Pick a pot plant dear to your recipient's heart and get it sculpted into a topiary they will always cherish. People love a personalised present and a carefully considered tabletop topiary can tick all the right boxes.
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