GRANDIOSE shrubs painstakingly clipped into ornate designs were once the preserve of stately homes – but topiary is undergoing a renaissance among ordinary lockdown gardeners, often armed with nothing more than a pair of kitchen scissors.

U.K. Royal Horticultural Society says searches for the subject on its website have risen by 81 percent over the past 12 months, while next month’s Chelsea Flower Show will feature two specialists for the first time.

James Todman is among those leading the revival, with videos on Instagram and TikTok demonstrating the skill using the most basic of equipment.“People used to think topiary was just for the rich with large formal gardens but I went on social media to make it more accessible,” he said.

He shapes cheap conifers, such as lemon cypress or white cedar, using kitchen scissors or ordinary garden shears. He added: “Spirals and ball shapes seem to be the most popular. I think people have just found it therapeutic in lockdown to do a bit of clipping and create something lovely.”

Topiary was popular with the early Romans and in Italian renaissance gardens, but it fell out of fashion. Walt Disney is credited with reviving interest in the 1960s, when he styled the shrubbery in his new theme parks into the shapes of cartoon characters.

Historically, the common box has been Britain’s favorite topiary plant, but the ravages of box blight have led experts to promote alternatives such as privet, yew, holly and beech. Guy Barter, of the Royal Horticultural Society, said most people were unaware just how difficult box is to keep disease-free.

(SD-Agencies)