Liven up your yard with plant sculptures

There are various styles of landscaping and topiary, the art of creating sculptures from grown bushes or plants, is arguably the most advanced form practiced in gardening today.

Although it has been in existence since medieval times, not many people are bold enough to adopt it in their compounds mainly because it seems hard to implement and maintain, which is actually not the case.

And although the style is not a common especially locally, the art of growing living, three-dimensional sculptures is appealing.

The flowers grow on a sculpture that is made of conjoined steel wire which provides support. As the plant or the twigs grow, they are clipped on the sculpture to take its shape.

It takes an artistic process for the plant to cover the whole sculpture. The plants are grown at the base (the hooves) of sculpture and allowed to climb up before pruning can begin. And when the plant is mature, it is pruned to keep the shape of the free-standing sculpture lush with live foliage.  

Another way of growing a topiary is to first stuff the sculpture with moss and then plant flowers on the moss. The ideal plants for topiary have small pinnate leaves and experience vigorous growth. They include the creeping fig, ivy plant and boxwood.

To do it yourself, hire a welder to make the sculpture, get the moss, order plants from a florist and do the heavy lifting. Otherwise get professional help from gardening and landscaping firms.

To keep the topiary looking healthy and striking, keep it watered and trimmed. Put fertiliser when needed and remove opportunist weeds as soon as they appear.

The designer of the garden used a unique theme to portray a set-up only found in the wilderness. The two topiary giraffes seem to be walking towards an acacia tree.

Indoor rock garden

Instead of the usual way of growing flowers in vases especially in an indoor set-up, there is the creative technique of planting flowers on rocks. To keep the indoors clean, the stone is supported and elevated using metal stands.

This method is best for plants that are tolerant to harsh weather conditions and requires less money and time to manage. To give the flowers a firm grip, a hole is made at the centre and filled with rich soil to ensure adequate supply of nutrients.

To avoid disruption because of their sizes, rock gardens are best kept at the corners of the house, against walls or even some distance away from the house probably at the edge of the garden.

To keep the rock bed clean, regularly brush the stone and remove weeds.

Architectural design

Incorporating small flower gardens in the architectural design of a home is another artistic method of sparing space for flowers. Instead of filling the spaces with mortar, turning them into gardens is the other alternative way of bringing a beautiful touch into the living space.

The space is filled with soil then covered with small pebbles to keep the small garden looking beautiful and neat. Planting flowers indoors purifies the air and adds beauty into the interior space of the house.

Bold features

Bold features like a waterfall into your landscaping takes a lot of space and investment. However, it is achievable. To give life to the waterfall, add features like a small boat and lilies to give it a natural look.

A waterfall attached to a house (as shown in the photo) is ideal for multi-storied houses because of the depth it requires to come out attractively. Installing such a feature in the compound is a sure way of turning the outdoor set-up into an attractive space.