Ahead of the summer season, Paul shares his top tips for beginners’ topiary with The English Garden Magazine.
Paul Tattersdill is the Head Gardener at Tylney Hall and has worked there since the Hampshire mansion house first opened as a hotel in 1986. Paul has played a leading role in the restoration of the hotel’s 66-acre estate, bringing it back to its former glory with his expert knowledge of topiary.
Paul leads a team of five gardeners to tend to the gardens of Tylney Hall, which range from formal Italian and Dutch Gardens and scenic Water Gardens to rolling fields, lakes and woodland. Paul’s biggest challenge and greatest achievement at Tylney Hall to date has been renovating the Water Gardens over the course of 25 years, with the official reopening taking place on Saturday 7 May.
Beginner’s Topiary
- The easiest way to create your design is with a frame. Frames can be purchased in a wide variety of shapes, from simple pyramids to intricate animals, but I’d recommend starting simple then working up to more difficult shapes.
- The size of your design will usually dictate the best type of plant to use. Taxus baccata (common yew) is best for larger projects, Buxus sempervirens (common box) will suit smaller designs.
- Choose a plant that’s as close in size to your frame as possible, rather than choosing something larger that you have to cut back. Then instead of clipping you can simply tie the shoots to the frame in the direction you wish them to grow.
- Use equipment relevant to the size of topiary you’re working on – petrol powered clippers will do the job better on large pieces like hedges, but hand sheers are much easier to use for more intricate work.
To find out more about the beautiful grounds at Tylney Hall, click here.
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