Topiary in Oxted

Clipped box, yew and formal shapes for Oxted’s older gardens, kept crisp by hand.

Topiary in Oxted suits the town’s houses. Arts and Crafts gardens were often laid out with clipped yew and formal hedging framing lawns and paths, and Oxted is known for its Arts and Crafts houses. A pair of box balls by the door looks just as right on a stucco-fronted house near the station. Either way, shapes only stay sharp with patient, regular trimming.

We clip balls, cones, spirals, yew shapes and formal edging by hand, at the right time of year, and take every clipping away. If your box is in trouble we’ll tell you, and explain what we’d do. Sometimes that’s treatment. Sometimes it’s swapping it for something tougher.

Topiary pruning on dry sandy soil

On greensand, clipped plants grow a little slower than on rich clay, which is no bad thing, because shapes hold their lines longer between trims. The risk is drought. Box and yew in sandy soil can brown in a dry summer, and a stressed plant doesn’t take a hard clip well. So we time trims for after rain where we can, avoid clipping in a heatwave and suggest a mulch round the base to keep the roots cool. Most box shapes want two trims a year here, early and late summer. Yew usually needs one, in late summer.

Topiary balls and the trouble with box

Box blight and the box tree caterpillar have hit gardens across the south east hard. Blight shows as brown patches and bare stems. The caterpillar spins webbing deep inside the plant and can strip it in a single season. We check the box we clip and tell you plainly whether it’s worth saving. For topiary balls and low hedging, Ilex crenata and yew both make good replacements, and yew will regrow from old wood, which gives you a second chance if a shape ever gets away from you.

Topiary in Oxted: your questions

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

How often does topiary need clipping?

Twice a year for most box and privet shapes, in early and late summer. Yew usually gets by with one cut in late summer. In a very dry year we may hold a trim back until after rain.

Can you rescue an overgrown yew shape?

Usually. Yew is the one common conifer that reshoots from old wood, so it can be cut back hard and rebuilt over two or three seasons. It’s slow, but it works.

Is my box worth saving?

If the damage is light and caught early, often yes. If it’s been stripped or blighted for a couple of years, replacing it is usually quicker and cheaper in the long run. We’ll give you an honest view.