TOPIARY HEAVEN.


When faced with a blank canvas for a garden five years ago, we could not wait to inject some style and beauty in to what was quite frankly, a disaster area!  There had been no garden on the former equestrian site, and our house build had left the surrounding two acres of land, designated for a garden, looking like a bomb site with mountains of mud, rubble and broken glass........it could not have looked more far removed from the dream that we had for it!

Having put so much hard work, patience and love in to our new home - the garden deserved the same treatment.  So started the long arduous process of landscaping.......

I am fortunate to have a husband who loves nothing better than to toil for hours on end cutting trees, clearing, digging and the back breaking job of shifting tons of earth and mud.  He sees it as 'therapy' or at least a good healthy contrast to his business orientated day job.  I admit that I don't quite have his stamina (not many do!) and am more an ideas person (!) but even I have put in many hours of back breaking work, trying to transform our much loved outdoor space.  Although gardens are never really ever complete and are always evolving, we now feel that we are on the homeward straight.  The 'bones' of our designs are almost complete and we just now need to wait for 'nature' to do her thing and make everything grow!

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Topiary was always going to feature in this new garden, particularly the formality of box hedging which we love.  It seemed fitting and natural to want to create something so in contrast to the former disaster area.......the problem is, it is addictive.......what started as a plan for just one side of the garden, has gradually grown and every time we complete a new area, yes you've guessed it, we plant more! Without it, our schemes seem lacking.....unfinished.....like a sentence without a 'full stop'.  Yes, each June when it comes to trimming all this box hedging, we shall with sore backs and cramped hands,  question our crazy topiary addiction......but when we look back and admire, it will be with a smile and satisfaction, that we have created something that brings us so much pleasure.

I shall leave you with some beautiful images of topiary.....from the simple to the wildly over the top!  Enjoy.......

All images via: Pinterest

Hope you are having a happy Wednesday?

Sophia xx