Topiary Gifts

With the many holiday dinners, gatherings and celebrations coming up, we often find ourselves in need of a hostess gift. One suggestion for a great holiday gift is a topiary. No longer limited to mere ivies, you may now choose from a variety of plant types in topiary form. Rather than give a mum or a poinsettia that will most likely be discarded after the holiday, give a lasting gift than can be used throughout the year.

Topiaries can make great accents to indoor decor. They can serve as a centerpiece during a holiday meal and then decorate a mantle the rest of the year. Some, like the Swane's Golden Italian Cypress (pictured left) can double as a small holiday tree. They can also be planted in the landscape and allowed to grow to their full size of 15'-20' providing a stunning golden feature.


For avid cooks, rosemary and bay topiaries make attractive and useful gifts. Small standards and globes are easy to keep on the kitchen counter and dining room table providing an elegant way to keep your fresh seasonings handy. Because they respond well to frequent trimming, using them just makes then more attractive.

Finally what could be more classic than a topiary olive? In their landscape form, Little Ollie Olives grow only to 4'-6' making them a perfect choice to be trained into globes or standard. And unlike their fruiting cousins, Little Ollie's are fruitless so their is no mess to worry about.



To care for your topiary place it in a location that will get several hours of direct sunlight each day or outside in location that will get full sun. Make sure to check the water needs often and keep the root ball moist. Most topiaries require a bit more water than their landscape counterparts because of the way they are trained. Never let the root ball dry out completely.