Topiary Trimming Guide

When to Trim

• According Saga.co.uk, your topiary plant should begin bursting with new life in early spring (most likely sometime in March). A number of new, lighter-colored green shoots will penetrate the older, darker surface of the topiary plant and eventually cover the shape. Of course, your first instinct will be to trim these new shoots right away, as your topiary may begin to appear a bit wild and disheveled and in need of a haircut. However, Saga.co.uk warns that trimming the newly formed shoots right away can be bad for the plant's foliage, causing unsightly bruising. You should instead wait until the end of spring or the beginning of summer, such as in the middle of June in most areas, to trim your topiary plant.

How to Trim

• Traditionally, individuals relied solely only on their eyes when it came to ensuring that topiary plants were trimmed to perfection. Today, this traditional method can still be used effectively with simple shapes, however the whole process of topiary trimming can be made easier by using straight edges and other cutting guides.

  For example, according to Saga.co.uk, you can trim a cone shaped topiary plant by using three poles or sticks (very straight ones) and some garden wire. You essentially build a teepee or wigwam over the plant by laying the poles vertically against the plant, effectively surrounding it, securing the pole bottoms into the ground, and then fastening the tops of the poles over the plant using string, rope, or garden wire. You can then wrap garden wire around your trifold structure and use it as a framework for trimming your topiary plant. When it comes to trimming a spherical shaped topiary plant, you can simply curve a section of garden wire so that if the curve was to continue it would form an appropriate-sized circle, and move it around the plant as a trim guide. You will need to trim off any growth that sticks out past the curve. You should make your curve slightly smaller in comparison to the circumference of the plant, as this will ensure a crisper, more pronounced shape.

What to Trim With

• According to saga.co.uk, for optimal topiary trimming results, you should avoid using motorized hedge trimmers, and stick with the hand trimmers, which look similar to sheep shears. This well ensure a clean finish.