Our topiary artists create the sculptures and frames by hand, in this custom-designed topiary workshop.
Luigi - Having worked closely with nature, Luigi can recreate realistic 3D forms, capturing the personality of each animal perfectly.
Rachel - Working as Luigi’s understudy, Rachel makes smaller topiary and also helps to design and coordinate bespoke larger sculptures.
For our living topiary, the rootstocks of the plants are secured into place at the base of the sculpture.
Each branch is then carefully woven around the armature and secured in place with paper covered wire, to reduce the use of plastic.
The planter is then filled in with peat-free compost, pumice stones and mycorrhizal fungi.
Once Agrumi has made the sculpture, the Ligustrum delavayanum plants require a growing season or two to ‘green up’. This is when the leaves have filled out and the surface appears fluffy with foliage.
The plants don’t always green up at the same rate. The last bit to green up is on the woody parts (like on the stag’s legs).
The really young shoots have leaves at closer internodal lengths, which mean that they grow at a faster rate. The older stems (sometimes used structurally in the designs) take longer to green up.
