Boston Flora

Tag: topiary

  • Thursday, October 30, 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm Eastern – Topiary 101: A Beginner Guide to Living Sculpture, Online

    Topiary is one of the most enduring and expressive forms of horticultural art. In this October 30 American Horticultural Society online introductory lecture, participants will explore the essential principles and practices behind creating and maintaining topiary. From plant selection and tool recommendations to basic shaping techniques, this session offers a practical foundation for anyone interested in bringing structure, creativity, and form to the garden. Whether you’re a home gardener, educator, or simply curious about the art of living sculpture, this presentation will provide the insight and inspiration to help you get started. $15 for AHS members, $20 for nonmembers. Register at https://ahsgardening.org/ahs-live-topiary-101-a-beginner-guide-to-living-sculpture/

    Michael P. Gibson is a world-renowned, self-taught topiarist, Therapeutic Horticultural Practitioner, and founder of Gibson Works LLC, with over 30 years of experience transforming spaces through his signature “illusion topiary” style that blends geometry, symbolism, and storytelling. After leaving a successful corporate career in 2019 to pursue topiary full-time, he has created over 600 living sculptures across the country, been featured on HGTV’s Clipped with Martha Stewart, served as artist-in-residence at the Pearl Fryar Topiary Garden, and received honors including the APGA Garden Scholar Award and the U.S. Botanic Garden’s Sowing Excellence Award. Based in Columbia, South Carolina, Gibson shares his craft through lectures, demonstrations, and Topiary Therapy workshops.

  • Tuesday, December 10, 10:00 am – 11:30 am – Holiday Boxwood Topiary Tree Workshop

    Bring a touch of nature into your home this holiday season by creating a stunning Boxwood Topiary Tree. In this Massachusetts Horticultural Society festive class at Elm Bank, you’ll learn how to craft and decorate a beautiful 14-inch tabletop tree that will remain vibrant for weeks with the right care.

    The art of topiary dates back centuries, allowing for endless creative possibilities in shaping and design. Whether you’re looking to enhance your holiday decor or searching for the perfect hostess gift for your next holiday visit, this adorable topiary tree is sure to impress. Throughout this workshop, we will guide you through each step of the process, from selecting the freshest boxwood branches to shaping and decorating your tree with charming holiday ornaments.

    By the end of the class, you’ll have a gorgeous centerpiece that adds a festive flair to any room. Plus, you’ll take home the skills to create more topiary trees in the future! $65 for Mass Hort members, $80 for nonmembers. The class takes place December 10 from 10 – 11:30. Register at www.masshort.org

  • Saturday, August 26, 10:00 am – 12:00 noon – Topiary Demonstration

    To topiary or not to topiary? While letting plants flourish au naturel can yield breathtaking results, there’s no denying the charm of a carefully manicured piece of greenery.

    Learn the art of training, trimming, and guiding a plant into a shape that is different from its natural form with landscape architect Anthony Bellomo, proprietor of  Orangerie Garden and Home in Millbrook.

    In this August 26 Hollister House Garden illustrated lecture, Anthony will talk about the history of decorative topiary and the type of plants most suited to this form. He will demonstrate how to care for your topiary and how to maintain (or even change) the shape.

    Topiaries and garden accessories will be sold following the lecture. HHG Members $25 Non-Members $35 https://hollisterhousegarden.org/event/topiary-demonstration-with-anthony-bellomo/

  • Friday, May 5 – Sunday, May 7, and Saturday, May 13, 9:30 am – 4:00 pm – Lyman Estate Spring Herb Sale

    Celebrate the arrival of spring with a visit to the Lyman Estate annual herb sale featuring thousands of naturally grown culinary, medicinal, and ornamental herbs. Scented geraniums, herbal topiaries, pottery, and garden gifts are also available, and the staff is on hand to offer expert advice. The Lyman Estate Greenhouses are located at 185 Lyman Street in Waltham, and the sale will take place Friday, May 5 – Sunday, May 7, from 9:30 – 4, and will be repeated Saturday, May 13, also from 9:30 – 4. Free admission. For more information, call 617-994-5913, or log on to www.historicnewengland.org

  • Wednesday, January 26, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm – Balmoral Cottage, Benenden, Online

    A visit to the extraordinary and charming garden around Balmoral Cottage in Benenden, Kent has become a ‘must‘ for all lovers of topiary. This Gardens Trust lecture , co-sponsored with the Kent Gardens Trust, on January 26 at 1 pm Eastern time will attempt to recreate the magic on our screens. £5. Register HERE.

    Just over 30 years ago, Donald and Charlotte Molesworth were, by good fortune, able to purchase the almost derelict small house that stood in the abandoned old kitchen garden of Collingwood (Cherry) Ingram’s house, The Grange. They moved in with one light bulb, a bed, a small table , 2 dogs, a donkey , 7 hens, and boxes of Narcissus pseudo-narcissus from Donald’s father’s garden, yew seedlings as part of a wedding present, and numerous plants in every conceivable kind of container. A new garden started to form in their minds the next day.

    Thousands of boxwood and other cuttings were taken, the old kitchen garden dug over and weeded to form a temporary nursery, and a pond was dug by a friend as a wedding present! A detailed plan emerged, and in time became a reality. Donald had gained inspiration from a wonderful garden made by his father; Charlotte had become inspired by the topiary loved by her mother. The fusion of interests at Balmoral Cottage has resulted in a marvelous blend of weird and wonderful topiary interspersed with quiet niches filled with plant treasures of all kinds.

    Charlotte Molesworth is a professional garden designer and artist and has built up a reputation for her topiary designs. Donald has been a horticulturist for as long as he remembers!

  • Saturday, June 8, 5:00 pm – 8:00 pm -Fête des Fleurs

    Berkshire Botanical Garden’s annual Fête des Fleurs on June 8 is THE garden party of the season, and this year the Garden celebrates the opening of Lucy’s Garden, donated last autumn by Lucy and Nat Day, and considered one of the finest collections of topiaries in North America.

    Be prepared for photo ops galore as you enter the magical garden space and encounter topiary animals, each representing a different country and decked out in their party best, along with ‘live’ furnishings including a wing chair, table, urn, floor lamp, umbrellas and more. Meet Jumbo the elephant with his spouting trunk and personal attendant who will assist guests in climbing aboard his howdah while a caricature artist creates a drawing to mark the moment. 

    An adjoining tent decorated with whimsical whirligigs and lanterns will feature music by Boston-based swing band The Late Risers. A topiary inspired meal will be catered by Main Street Hospitality, and a signature cocktail, “Rites of Spring Punch,” served by the staff of U.K.- based Tenure Vodka will be featured at the bar. Our friends from Tenure will also staff their signature “Royal Mail” station, where guests snap a photo using an instant camera, write a note to a loved one on a beautiful notecard, and mail it off using an old fashioned, Tenure-branded wax sealer.

    Tickets start at $150 for BBG members, $175 for nonmembers. Register at https://www.berkshirebotanical.org/events/f%C3%AAte-des-fleurs

  • Wednesday, July 10, 11:30 am – 2:00 pm – Great American Gardens: Historic, Personal, & Visionary from the 19th to the 21st Century

    As director of preservation for the Garden Conservancy, Bill Noble is fortunate to work with garden owners and community activists who are working to save great American gardens. He will draw examples from the estate gardens of the early twentieth century, such as Shelburne Farms, as well as more recent gardens that give voice to regional and cultural expressions of a time and place, such as Ruth Bancroft’s Garden in Walnut Creek, CA; George Schoellkopf’s Hollister House Garden in Washington, CT; Pearl Fryar’s Topiary Garden in Bishopville, SC and the Gardens of Alcatraz. Bill will tell the stories of the individual creators of these extraordinary gardens. He will also show how some of the garden ideas (and plants) he has picked up through his work with gardens across the country have shown up in his own Vermont garden. This July 10 program will take place at The Inn at Shelburne Farms, in the Marble Dining Room, and the $75 fee includes lunch, program, and a $50 donation to the Formal Gardens Restoration Project at Shelburne Farms. To register, and for complete information, visit www.shelburnefarms.org.

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  • Saturday, November 20, 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm – Moss Topiary Trees for Winter Celebrations

    On Saturday, November 20, from 1 – 3, the same day that Betsy Williams of The Proper Season conducts the Thanksgiving Centerpiece workshop at Tower Hill Botanic Garden, she will also teach a workshop where students will make a set of three mossy, stylized topiary trees set in terra cotta pots, in either round or cone shapes.  Please bring an apron and floral scissors.  THBG members $54, non-members $60.  To register, log on to www.towerhillbg.org.

  • Tuesday, July 14, 4 – 8 pm – Children’s Party at Green Animals Topiary Garden

    Children and adults of all ages are invited to join the festivities at the Preservation Society of Newport County’s annual Children’s Party at Green Animals Topiary Garden, 380 Cory’s Lane, Portsmouth, Rhode Island. The party will feature circus acts, music, magic, clowns, puppets, pony rides, kiddie rides, refreshments and much more on this historic seven acre estate overlooking Narragansett Bay.  No reservations required, and tickets are sold at the door only. Adults: Members $10, General Admission $15; Children 6-12 years: Members free, General Admission $5; Children 5 and under free.  For directions, log on to www.newportmansions.org. Rain or shine event.