Artificial cones and spirals are the easiest artificial topiary to get right in a formal position, such as either side of a door, at a gate or in a lobby. Both shapes are geometric, so there is no natural irregularity for the eye to test the material against.
Choose the height for the doorway, match the grade to the sun, and weight anything tall.
Why these shapes work in artificial
Cones and spirals are the safest artificial purchase for a position you walk past daily. An artificial spiral holds up at close range better than an artificial flowering plant of the same price, because it copies a shape a gardener already clipped.
The foliage texture and the trunk can still give a piece away. Cypress and cedar foliage is fine and feathery, which molds well. Boxwood cones are the harder test, because small repeated leaves can repeat visibly.
Check those two things before anything else. How to tell good artificial topiary from bad sets out what to look at.
The sizes, and what they suit
Ours run from a 34-inch boxwood cone up to a 10-foot spiral cypress.
Under four feet is a container piece for a doorway, a step or a terrace edge, usually bought in pairs. The boxwood cone and teardrop sit here.
Four to six feet frames an entrance without crowding it. The four-foot spiral is the usual doorway pair.
Eight to ten feet is architectural: a lobby corner, an atrium, a formal approach. Freight and handling matter at that height, so these pieces are quoted with delivery.
Which ones can go outside
| Piece | Grade |
|---|---|
| Boxwood cone, 34 in; teardrop, 36 in; spiral, 4 ft | Full outdoor grade, for open sun |
| Spiral cypress, 10 ft | Lighter UV grade, for shade or a portico |
| Double spiral cypress; cedar cone, 6 ft; podocarpus cone, 8 ft | Indoor only |
Full outdoor grade carries a 5-year fade warranty, 3 years in Florida and Arizona. The lighter UV grade lasts up to about 2.5 years in sun. What UV-rated means explains the difference.
The trunk fails first
On any piece with a stem, the failure point is where the trunk meets the pot. The head is a lever and the wind load ends up there. On a ten-foot spiral that lever is long.
Ask what is inside the trunk. A steel core takes weather and handling better than a hollow molded stem, and the molded ones usually give way at the pot line.
For anything over about six feet outdoors, weight the container properly or fix the piece down. How to plant artificial topiary trees in pots covers the method.
Give them a plain background
These are formal shapes and they want a formal position: symmetry, a plain background, a clear base. A spiral against a busy border disappears. Against a wall or beside a door it does what it is for.
Two of the same artificial item match exactly, which is why most people buy them in pairs. Two live spirals cut by different hands will not.
Indoors these are the easy buy, because there is no sun and no wind. The artificial cones are in artificial cone topiary and the spirals in artificial spiral topiary. For the living versions, why a boxwood spiral costs what it does and cone topiary, the easiest shape to keep set out what they need instead.
Quick answers
Do artificial spirals look convincing?
Better than most artificial plants, because a clipped spiral was geometric before anyone copied it. Up close the foliage is what people notice, so fine, feathery cypress reads better than a broad leaf.
Cypress or boxwood?
Cypress and cedar have fine, feathery foliage that molds convincingly. Boxwood is the harder test, because small repeated leaves can repeat visibly.
What size for a doorway?
Under four feet for a step or terrace edge, four to six feet to frame an entrance. Eight feet and above wants a lobby, an atrium or a portico.
Can artificial spirals stay outside?
Some can. The four-foot spiral is full outdoor grade, and the ten-foot spiral cypress is the lighter UV grade for shade or cover. The double spirals are indoor pieces.
Will a pair match?
Yes. Two of the same item are molded the same way, so they match. Two live spirals cut by different hands will not.
