The Well Trained Herb

Casual Fridays are becoming a thing of the past. Apparently, some employees were abusing this privilege by showing up for work in flip-flops and the like. Plants can hardly be accused of similar fashion crimes, but nonetheless formally trained plants have become increasingly popular. A number of herbs and other plants are available as topiaries and standards.

Running Press has recently released a magnificent book on the art of topiary. "Ultimate Topiaries" by Elizabeth Buckley is sure to inspire those gardeners with budding artistic talent. This well-written, beautifully conceived book provides a complete history of topiary through the ages from the ancient Egyptians to the contemporary. It provides an authoritative survey of the different topiary shapes and styles, and the purposes they serve in the landscape.

This book is practical, for it shows the topiaries in different seasons of the year and the numerous styles that are used for doorways, and various areas of the landscape. The authors point out that traditionally topiaries have been trained in classical shapes, but they also explore the new styles that have become popular in the 21st century. The book features an entire chapter on topiary for weddings. At the end of the book, they provide a directory of recommended plants and information on topiary tools.

Sunset's "Theme Gardens" features topiaries as a garden style. With stunning photos of exquisite gardens, this guide can help readers choose a distinctive garden style appropriate for their landscape. The authors explore a wide range of styles from Mediterranean and Japanese to tropical, cottage, naturalistic, and sanctuary gardens. This book has illustrations and instructions on how to create and maintain topiaries.

According to the authors, this style is especially suitable for new formal gardens. In the past, formal may have meant stuffy. However, contemporary garden designers have injected fun, playfulness, and individualism into this style. This title has complete instructions on using, displaying, and caring for topiary.

Time-pressed gardeners may prefer to buy pre-trained plants. These are widely available, for I have seen them at the Home Depot and other chain stores.

For those willing to try their hand at training herbs, the rewards are many. Yes, it will take time and effort. But the result is truly a work of art. They're more like works in progress, for they do require regular pruning in order to maintain their chic shapes.

Novice gardeners may want to begin with a simple and easy project, such as a rosemary topiary. In "Projects for Small Gardens" by Richard Bird et al from Ryland Peters & Small, the authors provide fully color illustrated, step-by-step directions for this and other delightful projects. They show how to take a young rosemary plant and turn it into a stunning, formally trained plant.

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