Topiary in Reigate

Yew, box and privet shapes kept sharp around Reigate’s Georgian and Victorian houses.

Topiary in Reigate suits the town. Georgian and Victorian houses look right with a pair of clipped balls by the door or a yew cone at the end of a path, and the old town has plenty of both kinds of house. Keeping shapes crisp takes a patient eye and regular trims, which is exactly the sort of careful work we enjoy.

We shape and maintain box balls, cones, pyramids and spirals, keep formal hedging sharp-edged, and work in yew, box, privet and laurel. Everything is clipped by hand where the detail matters. We’ll also tell you straight when a box plant isn’t worth saving, rather than taking your money to keep nursing it.

Yew is the town’s natural topiary plant

The council’s appraisal of the Reigate conservation area notes yew used for formal hedges and as a prominent small tree around the Priory. It’s a sensible plant for the town. Yew is happy on free-draining greensand as long as it never sits waterlogged, and it regrows from old wood, so a shape that’s lost its line can be brought back. One good trim in late summer usually holds a yew shape all year. Privet needs more frequent attention to stay sharp.

Box blight, box moth and what to plant instead

Box is the classic topiary plant, and it’s had a rough time. Box blight causes brown patches and leaf drop, especially in warm, humid spells. Box tree caterpillar strips plants from the inside out. Not every box can be saved. Where it can, we keep it clipped, clear fallen leaves and keep watch. Where it can’t, yew or a small-leaved holly make good replacements that clip to a similar finish, and on Reigate’s sandy soil yew is usually the better bet.

Topiary in Reigate: your questions

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

How often do topiary balls need clipping?

Box balls usually want two trims a year, in late spring and late summer. Yew often manages with one. Privet shapes need nearer three to keep their edges.

Can you rescue a shape that’s lost its form?

Usually, if it’s yew or privet. Topiary pruning to restore a shape can take two or three seasons, cutting back a little more each time. Box recovers more slowly.

Can you create new topiary?

We can train young plants into balls, cones, pyramids and spirals and keep them going. Larger or unusual designs are a longer project, so we’ll talk through what’s realistic first.

Do you take the clippings away?

Yes, every time. Box and yew clippings are small and get into everything, so we gather them up carefully and leave the paths, lawn and gravel clean.