Show #29/3303
Fall Can Be A Special Time In The Garden

Shaping A Shrub Into A Chicken

In the Temple Garden, Ryan features a lot of topiaries in pots. This area takes a whimsical approach. Robert, Ryan's assistant, is currently creating topiary forms. Robert takes a Holly and creates a chicken form, including the head and the tail. He gradually trims and shapes until he ends up with a topiary shaped like a chicken. It looks good now but will not be complete until next spring when it flushes out. So, if you make a mistake, don't worry, it can be corrected next spring. But it doesn't appear Robert has made many mistakes, it looks great right now. Eric likes the playfulness of the chicken topiary and notices a much larger version in a different part of the garden. It's huge and impressive.
Another part of this garden applies the art of topiary to fruit trees, which is referred to as espalier. One series of 3 was created by Peter Thevenot of River Road Farms and has been here for about 10 years.