Monday, March 15, 2010

Mini Topiary Trees

Bonsai trees are a type of mini topiary tree.


When ordinary plants and shrubs don't fit the bill, gardeners sometimes choose to decorate indoor and outdoor areas with mini topiary trees. These trees add shapely dimension but can require more upkeep than their counterparts. Does this Spark an idea?


Definition


Topiary trees are plants or shrubs that gardeners prune or trim into visually interesting shapes, such as animals, wreaths or geometric figures. Mini topiary trees are smaller versions of regular topiary trees and are often more suitable for indoor decorating than regular topiaries.


Types


Gardeners can shape many different shrubs or garden hedges into mini topiary trees, but common candidates include rosemary bushes, bonsai trees, evergreen bushes and juniper trees.


Decor Ideas


Instead of simply growing the mini topiary tree in a potting plant, some decorators adorn the tree with accessories. Some add wrought iron towers with creeping ivy or sculpt the tree branches around a stuffed animal.


Climate


Mini topiary tree climate varies by plant type, but they commonly require partly shaded areas in a room-temperature environment.


Care


Once shaped, gardeners must routinely prune the mini topiary trees to remove new growth and maintain shape. The United States Department of Agriculture warns that improperly pruning such trees can destroy them.







Tags: mini topiary, topiary trees, mini topiary trees, topiary tree, mini topiary tree