dimanche 6 mai 2018

How To Be Good At Ivy Topiary

By Ronald Hughes


It is not an easy thing to make a garden or home beautiful. To most home owners, beauty is something that must be achieved. There are several ways this can be achieved including installing of statues and planting of flowers. On the other hand, this can also be well achieved by use of topiaries. Topiaries are art works that involve shaping plants in the compound into different shapes.

Topiary is an old practice that started with some of the oldest civilizations such as the Roman and Greek Empires. Today, the art has developed a lot, with many people engaging in it. The number of plants used in this art has increased in the same way that tools and equipment used for the job have. Ivy is one of the most commonly used plants because of its ease of shaping. This plant also achieves the required shape easily. This makes ivy topiary common.

There are many other small-leaved plants that are suitable for this exercise besides ivy. Such plants include boxwood, cypress, cedar, tea leaf, lavender and podocarpus. Some of these plants are more suitable for this exercise than others. It is said that the suitability of a plant usually depends a lot on the kind of shape that needs to be attained. That means that certain shapes are best done using certain plants.

Shaping needs to be done regularly for the best results to be achieved. The type of plant used will determine the interval of time one will take to perform shaping. The time interval should be enough to ensure the plant has time for the leaves to build up. The plant gets destroyed when it is shaped regularly with no time for leaves to regrow.

Individuals with talent in this work do it without much strain. Normally, those kinds of people have worked for several years hence have attained great experience. For learners, there are many challenges that need to be overcome before perfection. By practicing more, one masters the skills and improves their work. Using pre-fabricated shapes assists in achieving the right shapes more easily.

The easiest way to achieve best results is to ensure that the plant is grown in soil that is deep, fertile, and well-drained. Soil that retains water may cause water-logging, which may in turn kill the plant. The site should also be shaded partially. At any time, the soil should never be allowed to dry because of lack of water. That means that daily watering is necessary.

It is also important to ensure fertilizer is provided to the plant when there is need. One can observe the plant leaves to detect lack of nutrients. This is indicated by cream colored leaves. The plant should be weeded and an insecticide sprayed frequently to keep away harmful insects and organisms.

Lastly, the shaping process must be done using the right kind of tools. The tools must also be in good condition. For instance, shears used must be sharp to avoid destroying leaves and young branches. One should seek advice from a qualified professional on how to carry out the job if they are not sure about what to do.




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