18 Incredible Garden Topiaries

See beautiful works of garden art from botanical gardens across the country.

By: Jeff Stafford

Related To:

Layer Cake Design

This is one of the more iconic sights at Longwood Gardens, which is located 30 miles from Philadelphia. After Pierre Du Pont purchased the property in 1906, he established a magnificent topiary garden of yews clipped into geometric forms and animal shapes. Today there are more than fifty of them.

Animal Shapes

Influenced by European topiary art, Longwood Gardens also inspires a sense of wonder and whimsy with its magnificent yew sculptures.

The Living Canvas

The ultimate playground for children, Longwood Gardens is also an inspiration to painters with its beautifully designed landscapes and topiary garden.

Yaupon Oasis

An island of intricately trimmed Yaupon hollies (Ilex vomitoria) form a memorable driveway centerpiece at the Pearl Fryar Topiary Garden in Bishopville, South Carolina. Since the early 1980s, self taught artist Pearl Fryar has been cutting, trimming and sculpting trees and shrubs around his two-acre property into fantastic shapes.

Holly, Is That You?

'Compacta' hollies (Ilex crenata) become strange and wonderful abstract shapes after Pearl Fryar works his topiary magic.

Nature's Fishbone

A Leyland cypress (Cupressocyparis leylandii) is transformed into one of Pearl Fryar’s signature art works. Although Pearl had no horticultural or artistic training, he has turned the trees and shrubs on his property into beautiful works of living sculpture through countless hours of hard work and a passion for topiary.

A Shave and a Haircut

Pearl and his assistant Michael (in the background) trim Yaupon hollies (Ilex vomitoria) at the Pearl Fryar Topiary Garden, which attracts approximately 20,000 visitors a year.

Hip to Be Square

This live oak (Quercus virginiana) topiary cut and trimmed into a square design is one of the most distinctive images at the Pearl Fryar Topiary Garden in Bishopville, South Carolina.

Super Size Me

A Weeping Deodar cedar (Cedrus deodara 'Pendula') strikes a snakelike pose in this representative sample from the Pearl Fryar Topical Garden.

Deconstructing Nellie

A 'Nellie R. Stevens' holly shrub is given the tier treatment, courtesy of Pearl Fryar, in this unique presentation of the popular specimen plant.

Heavy Metal Wedding Cake

Pearl Fryar creates “junk art” fountains and sculptures out of scrap metal such as this wedding cake creation which blends in perfectly with the fantastic shapes of his topiary garden.

Cherry Picker Surgery

Pearl Fryar performs some routine trimming and cutting on a thirty foot tall Leyland cypress from a cherry picker.

Lawn Envy

A two acre bowl-shaped lawn with topiary borders and pools provides an idyllic setting for one of the main attractions at Ladew Topiary Gardens. Located in Monkton, Maryland, this twenty-two acre estate and manor house was developed by Harvey Ladew in the late 1930s and heavily influenced by his travels in England where he fell in love with topiary.

Tally-Ho

Hunters on horseback follow a pack of dogs in this recreation of an elaborate topiary tableau Harvey Ladew first witnessed in England while attending a fox hunt. You can see this at Ladew Topiary Gardens in Monkton, Maryland.

Pack Mentality

The fox hunt takes on a more surreal ambiance when viewed as a living sculpture landscape attraction at Ladew Topiary Gardens.

Yew Lake

A topiary swan swims across a sea of yew in this unique detail from the Great Bowl lawn, one of the key features of Ladew Topiary Gardens.

Not Your Typical Sculpture Garden

Lyre birds, Winston Churchill’s top hat, the victory sign and sea horses are just a few of the sights awaiting you at the Sculpture Garden at Ladew Topiary Gardens.

Unicorn in the Garden

This mythical woodland creature towers over the visitors to the famous Sculpture Garden at Ladew Topiary Gardens.

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Photo By: Image courtesy of Longwood Gardens/L.Albee

Photo By: Image courtesy of Longwood Gardens/L. Albee

Photo By: Image courtesy of Pearl Fryar Topiary Garden

Photo By: Image courtesy of Pearl Fryar Topiary Garden, pearlfryar.com