Topiary & Ornamental Hedging in Crawley Down

Topiary in Crawley Down

Box, yew and privet shapes clipped by hand, three or four times a year.

Topiary in Crawley Down tends to be on a domestic scale: a pair of clipped balls by a front door, a cone or two in a gravel bed, a low box edge round a herb patch. Small, but it needs a steady hand. A shape left for a season loses its line, and getting it back takes far longer than keeping it.

We clip by eye, with hand shears for the detailed work, and we take our time over it. Then we check the plant itself for pests and disease, because these days that matters as much as the shape does. If we spot trouble, you’ll hear about it.

Topiary pruning through the year

Most shapes want three or four trims between May and September. Box and privet hold a crisp line best with little and often. Yew grows slower and can manage on one or two clips in late summer. Shapes in pots, or planted on dry, sandy ground, need watering through a hot spell, because a stressed plant browns at the tips and the shape goes patchy. If we notice a pot drying out, we’ll tell you rather than clip round the problem.

An honest word on box moth and blight

Box has been through the wars lately. Box blight leaves brown patches and bare stems, and the box tree caterpillar can strip a plant in a few weeks of summer. On every visit we look for webbing, caterpillars and brown patches on the box we clip, and we’ll tell you what we find. If a plant has gone too far, or you’re starting fresh, yew makes a fine replacement for larger shapes and holds a crisp edge for years. Small-leaved privet and Japanese holly suit low hedging.

Topiary in Crawley Down: your questions

Anything else, just ring. You’ll speak to the people who do the work.

What is topiary care, beyond clipping?

Watching for pests and disease, feeding in spring, watering pots in dry spells and clearing clippings out of the plant so they don’t rot inside it. Clipping is the visible part, but the rest keeps the shape green.

Can you rescue an overgrown topiary shape?

Often, yes. Yew and privet regrow from older wood, so a lost shape can be cut back and rebuilt over a couple of seasons. Box recovers more slowly and forgives less. We’ll be straight with you about what’s realistic.

Can you create a new shape from scratch?

Yes, given a suitable plant and some patience. A ball or cone can be formed from a young yew or box in a few seasons. Spirals and fancier shapes take longer, and we trim towards them a little at a time.