Topiary is the art of clipping trees and bushes into shapes. Popular designs include spheres and cones, right through to complex geometric shapes and intricate animal forms.

Although you can buy ready-made topiaries in garden centres, they’re usually very expensive after spending at least 5 years being cultivated in a nursery. Creating your own topiary sculptures is fun, creative and rewarding. Plus, many gardeners say it’s a fantastic way to practice mindfulness.

Topiary is an ancient art with roots in both Ancient Rome and Ancient Egypt. However, it’s having a resurgence – perhaps due to the popularity of period dramas like Bridgerton and Downton Abbey.

Search data shows a steady increase of interest over the past five years – with Google searches up 50% compared to 2017.

Whether you have a 5,000-acre estate like Highclere Castle, or a balcony with a single olive tree, topiary is something you can have a go at. In this guide, we answer some of the most common questions about how to create a topiary yourself.

Looking to make a topiary of your own? Below we’ve laid out our top tips with help from topiary expert and author of Growing Topiary, Anthony Blagg.

You should never trim topiaries during winter as this leaves them exposed to frost and risks damaging and disfiguring the tree. This is especially important for newly planted trees.

To get started, all you need is a pair of scissors. Make sure you keep them solely for garden use though! As you progress, you may find you need to invest in secateurs, loppers and pruners.

1. Hedge shears are perfect for tackling larger trees, or for general shaping before you go in for the detail. They tend to have wishbone handles to give you maximum traction. Opt for lightweight ones for large projects to save your arm muscles.

2. Secateurs or pruners offer greater precision. They often have a curved blade and are designed with a v-spring which means they can be used with one hand.

3. Lopping shears are best for cutting through larger branches. Some of them feature telescopic handles to help you get those hard-to-reach spots.

It’s easy to get carried away when pruning a tree – but this can be dangerous. Over pruning can cause irreversible damage to the tree. Remember, you can always cut more off, but you can’t glue anything back on if you’ve been too rigorous!

Sometimes, you can get absorbed by the side of the tree you’re working on and forget about the rest. Regularly evaluate your topiary project from all sides while trimming so you don’t end up with a wonky masterpiece!

Browning is usually due to too little or too much water. Potted topiaries, especially those in terracotta pots, need watering more than trees planted directly into the soil. Some types of plant don’t like being waterlogged in winter too – so make sure you’re not planting in boggy soil.

Stuck in a topiary rut? There’s tons of inspiration to check out both on and offline. Instagram is always a great place to start.

Topiary frames are mesh or wire structures that provide a guideline for shaping. They tend to be quite expensive and absolutely aren’t necessary. However, you might want to use one for your first project to use as a cutting guide until you gain confidence.