Topiary a brief history see pics on Goypeadia

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Is it a ship is it a plane? No its my trimmed box
Goypeadia has a topiary category and will be looking to add pictures I will be editing this and hope you will contribute or nominate pictures, enjoy it and see the fun side too. Thanks Denise.
A Brief History:
Bacon wrote in 1624 ‘Images cut in Juniper or garden stuff they be for children’ . Thus the argument that is still relevant today.
Like it or not Topiary is important in the history of European gardening, be it an ugly and an unnatural form or a useful, pleasing part of garden design.
Most gardeners that cut their bushes into special shapes do so because they like it, with often no idea that Topiary was practiced by the ancient Egyptians and that the Persian Empire had grand hedges shaped from Myrtle. The art of Topiary – the clipping of trees and shrubs into geometrical or fanciful shapes was practiced by the Romans.

After the fall of the Roman empire a type of plain topiary was continued by monks in the medieval monasteries of Europe and this influenced what was later seen in the shaped trees and boxed edged flower beds in 15th century manor houses.
The transformation of British gardens began after Kings Charles 11 returned from exile where he had visited the gardens of the french landscape architect Le Notre’s. Later William and Mary added the dutch influence making the 17th century the height of the Topiary craze. The King built a mock Fort from Yew and Holly, but then Topiary fell from favour and nearly all of this early work was lost.
Most of the grand house Topiary we see today is less than 100 years old. As again in 19th century out had come the shears the small clippers and the wire to train the branches.
Although Topiary can be seen at places like Hever Castle Kent, Levens Hall Cumbria, Rockingham Castle Northants, Mount Stewart Northern Ireland, Powys Castle Wales and Crathes Castle Scotland. The sheer numbers of labourers needed to maintain it means that is unlikely ever to come back on a grand scale.
But in gardens across Britain it can still be seen from the box hedges enclosing flower/herbs and the front door step box balls to much more adventurous ones in some suburban gardens.

• 17 Nov, 2009
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