It’s not just box and yew that make good topiary – holly is ideal for trimming into different shapes, along with lots of other evergreen shrubs and slow-growing trees.
The key to success is to trim topiary a couple of times a year to prevent any new growth becoming too leggy and spoiling the shape. All growth should be cut in spring, then again in midsummer, to encourage buds lower down the stems to grow into sideshoots, providing a dense covering of foliage.
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