shaping plants. landscape design
Plant shaping is a fascinating and interesting way to transform an ornamental tree or shrub that will be a beautiful accent in your garden. It’s no surprise that many landscapers use a variety of plant forms to create a garden.
Today, you can find cut plants of various shapes in many garden centers. Their formation requires a lot of experience, knowledge, patience and not everyone can do. How to properly form ornamental plants? What is the secret? In the right choice of plants.
Where to start
First of all, it is important to choose the place where the plant will be located. When choosing a place, it is important to consider not only your personal preferences, but also the microclimate of the garden.
It is worth choosing for the plant such an area of the garden, which is well lit by sunlight. This is one of the most important conditions, otherwise you will not achieve a dense form in the plant. In the shade, the leaves of the tree become smaller, and the crown – loose. Planting an ornamental shrub in a well-lit place will greatly reduce the likelihood of internal rotting of the branches of the crown.
choosing a shrub
Why choosing the wrong shrub is dangerous? Unfortunately, if you are not very responsible in choosing a plant, all your time and effort will be wasted.
When choosing a shrub of a certain shape, I recommend that you first think about the feasibility of the purchase. Remember: You can’t make a small shape from a tall bush, just like you can’t make a huge ball from a small bush.
In addition, the choice of plants should be made taking into account the climatic characteristics of your region. So, one of the most popular cut plants – boxwood – poorly tolerates winters near Moscow.
It is recommended to choose plants that are well amenable to pruning, form a thick and dense crown, branch abundantly and covered with dense foliage.
I will list to you some of the many species of plants that are ideal for pruning and forming the original crown:
To begin with, you need to pick deciduous shrubs – such specimens have an excellent growth speed. This fact allows you to significantly accelerate the creation of the desired figure.
Proceeding to the first pruning, you should not immediately set a strict shape: it is enough to cut off only a third of the growth. The main purpose of 1-2 cuts is to increase the number of shoots on the young plant. Once the bush reaches the necessary size, suitable for the conceived shape, you can proceed to create the future figure. It is very important to remember that each subsequent cut is made slightly higher than the previous one. If this rule is not followed – cut every year at the same height, then eventually the plant will lose its former splendor, leaving only bare branches. Landscape experts recommend pruning deciduous trees in the spring. March and April are considered the best times for middle latitudes. The same procedure can be repeated after the autumn leaves have fallen. Pruning plants is done about 2-3 times a year, taking into account the biological properties of the flower as well as the features of the bud. Pruning conifers should be done in early spring or in late June, after the young shoots have stopped growing.
With the help of a special tool, you can choose the shape and continue to implement the idea.
Options for shaping ornamental plants
ball
Do you want to see spherical plants in your garden? In this case, choose the following shrubs: nightshade purple, white turf, brilliant turf, gray spirea and Thuja westerly I-Western “Smarag” or “Brabant”.
In fact, the ball is not as easy as it may seem at first sight. It requires excellent eye sight and maximum patience. At the first stage, use aids. For example, you can buy a ready-made design. In such a blank is attached to the main stick wire circle, its radius is chosen according to the size of the future ball.
You can also create the space yourself with ordinary wire. To help the beginner, there are many plants with a natural spherical crown, for example, thuja western “Globosa”, “Hoseri”, “Danica”, they only need to be slightly shortened.
Determine the “equator” (center) of the ball and the four meridians before you start mowing. In addition, you can start cutting the crown on the remaining parts of the bush.
Cube
When choosing the desired size of the cube, consider the variety of plant, the number of bushes, the author’s intention. The acceptable area ranges from 1 to 5 or more. It is important to remember that in the process of growth forms a complete plant, from which the future green cube is formed.
If you decide to plant five young seedlings, which form a square shape, and put a bush in the middle, do not forget that the square at the base of the cube is larger than the one formed by planting a hole. For such a shape, you can choose the usual quolina, glossy aquarium. The density of the crown of the bush affects the beauty of the figure. Therefore, avoid a “loose” crown. To avoid such problems, it is enough to follow some simple rules. For example, the crown is made thicker by pruning the shoot just above the bud that is looking inward. With this trick, you can increase the size of the entire bush and make the crown look thick and lush.
The pyramid
Given the number of faces you want to see, you need to draw an equilateral triangle or square on the floor around the plant. The slats are placed in the corner stones of the drawn figure, they should stick to the imaginary center. Next, the side ribs of the future pyramid are outlined.
The cutting is carried out at once on all levels of the edges. Every mistake in the formation leads to an additional haircut. In order to get a beautiful and even pyramid figure, it is worth choosing dense small plants (shiny bacana, common Turkish).
At the stage of mastering pruning, choose the awn of the western “Smaragd”, which has a natural conical crown.
cone
The principle of organization and preparation of the work is the same as that of the pyramid. A circle is stretched at the base instead of a triangle and a square, then guides are installed, which should be stuck in the middle again. The more precise the shape, the more rails you need to take.
First spend a few pads on the rails, and then smoothly lift (in the middle). The radius should be determined already at the first mowing – the formation of the future crown depends on it. If the cone shape is to preserve the crown of the tree, when pruning we do not touch the lower branches and vertical axial shoots. But the leaf laminae, on the other hand, we trim regularly to achieve a holistic shape.
If you follow the simple rules listed above, your plants are sure to get the shape you want. Proper care will allow you to enjoy your climbing shrubs for many years to come.
These are the simplest and fairly easy to maintain crown shapes. We will talk about more complex forms, such as spirals, umbrellas, arches and trellises.
Beautiful shrub trimming – the best trimming methods and techniques. A choice of plants and trimming shapes + 150 photo reviews
A well-groomed garden is a point of pride for every owner. Not only useful fruit and berry shrubs, but also decorative options are planted to anchor the area on rooftops. Make specimens designed for aesthetics. Even more interesting is helped by shaping shrubs.
The design option is a new round of popularity. The method of decoration requires the right approach, based on compliance with a number of requirements.
Brief overview of the article
The essence, the origin of the method of decoration
Interesting formation of the crowns of shrubs and trees has been known for a long time. Routine pruning for convenience and aesthetics has been carried out since ancient times. Sources from ancient Egypt mention the art of such design of green crowns.
The real breakthrough in this matter occurred in France. During the reign of Louis XV, it was decided to decorate the plantations of Versailles with a figure cutting. The move gave the area a real highlight.
The trend quickly gained popularity. The fashion trend immediately spread throughout Europe. The art was called topiary.
The choice of plants for shapely haircuts
If you look at some pictures of shrub trimming, it seems that it is impossible to achieve such results. The plants are not only neatly decorated, but also turned into real works of art. If bushes with crowns in the form of a cube, ball or pins evoke recognition and reproach, green sculptures evoke admiration.
It’s not just honing the features of a topiary that helps achieve perfect results. Choosing the right plants for pruning is important. Not every shrub lends itself to elaborate treatments. With the right choice, evergreen species lead the way.
There are upright, thick-leaved specimens. Each species is good for certain types of sculpture, certain conditions.
Laurel noble.
The variant belongs to the evergreen plants. The leaves of the specimen are dark green, the crown has a rough structure. The species has weak frost resistance, which leads to the impossibility of using the variant in the middle belt.
The bush grows slowly and allows you to do with minimal interventions to maintain the result. The laurel is ideal for spherical sculptures.
Laughs usually.
Bush’s crown has a small structure. The leaves have a noble dark green color. The plant looks respectable but is poisonous. The variant is ideal for creating detailed numbers. It is from boxwood that the best work is preserved, which everyone admires.
Tis berry.
A beautiful slow-growing shrub for shaping figures. The plant has beautiful foliage of rich dark green color, graceful red fruits. The variety is beautiful, but poisonous. The shrub is perfectly tolerant. It is used to make large green sculptures.
Cypress
The leaves of the plant are scaly in shape. The color of the crown, unlike most shrubs, has a variety of shades. There are leaves from yellow-green to blue-green. In view of this, the specimen looks unusual, causes interest. Combined with the special design, the shrub acquires a magical aesthetic.
Thuja westerly.
A beautiful, fine-structured shrub. The plant is characterized by moderate growth. A variant beloved by many gardeners for its smoothness in crown formation. Thuya is ideal for creating all kinds of shapes, simple figures.
Order of crown formation
Pruning shrubs to shape the crown is carried out at least once a year. Usually this procedure is carried out in spring. It is desirable to carry out the intervention before the appearance of fresh leaves.
If the bush blooms beautifully, the operation is not carried out during the budding period. For pruning, the shrub shears are used. The shape is set with the help of additional improvised means or special stoppers.
You can use a simple rope or create a cable frame. For complex numbers, the base is adjusted until the result is determined. For some parts, a frame is regularly required.
Secrets of creating different shapes
A bush pruner is just a tool to help in shaping the desired types of crowns. You need to know the secrets of creating the right shape or form to get the job done right.
A spherical “cap.”
To give shrubs a spherical shape, it is necessary to properly prune the side shoots. When working “by eye”, there is a great risk of error. When forming a cap, it is better to use a wire ball put on the crown. Pruning is carried out strictly along the contour. The option is ideal for forming small plants with a well-structured crown.
Cubic bush
It is not difficult to form a cube. To do this, it is enough to crown evenly on all sides. The easiest way to do this is to use a thread tightly stretched around the perimeter of the intended sections.
Work along the guide. All the tops are removed from the right sides with an even cut. In this way, you can not only formalize cubic shaped bushes, but also perform a perfect hedge.
Conical shape
To give a bush a conical shape, it is acceptable to use not only a stretched thread, but also a template made of beaten off planks. The cone is the only shape that can be made without additional equipment. It should be remembered that in such works there is a high probability of errors.
Spiral crown.
A young bush is tied to a pole. A rope is attached to the crown, which is directed after the object is twisted into a spiral. Mature shoots are trimmed to the shape indicated by the rope.
After the visible result is achieved, the rope is removed. The object is continued with the shrub and grass shears.
Complex shaped clippings
To get a complex shape, you need to try hard. Without special frames you can not do without. All methods are used in the work, focusing on the shape of individual parts of the figure. Living sculpture can consist of 1 or more plants. Shaping to the optimal result is usually engaged in 1 season.
Shaping the garden will help achieve an incredible aesthetic of the area. Croens should be constantly engaged in decorating and maintaining the result of crown pruning. The job won’t become a difficult, chore if properly approached. Achieving visible results will undoubtedly generate a rush of enthusiasm.
