Topiaries

Perhaps unlike any other gardening endeavor, topiaries provide a gardener with a sense of history because they must be maintained year after year. They can be traced back to ancient Greece and Rome. Even the Asian art of bonsai is a form of topiary, but it was in the 15th- and 16th-century European gardens where topiary became an obsession.

Many topiaries are grown on metal frames you can purchase at craft stores or garden centers. You can start from scratch with a small plant and train it to grow onto the frame, but the process can take years. If you aren't that patient, try a fast-growing vine that you can wrap around or attach to the frame.

The sky's the limit when it comes to creativity and topiaries. So if growing plants has become ho-hum, why not give topiaries a try? You'll have a work of art inspired by nature.