Two thousand years ago, a man by the name of Julius Caesar decided to start a hot new trend in ancient Rome – topiaries. Stemming from the Latin word topiarius, topiaries have long been a popular addition to gardens and outdoor spaces.
How Topiaries Got Their Big Break
Julius Caesar made it his prerogative to influence the Roman culture. His choices would spread like wildfire, one of which happened to be the practice of creating luxurious city gardens dotted with topiaries.
History records the Roman topiary as decorative, living art. Figures of animals, geometric shapes, and even people began to crop up in the gardens of wealthy Romans. Topiaries represented the Roman desire to bring order to the natural world around them.
But, with the fall of Rome came the fall of the topiary, at least for a while. With the Medieval Age, the luxuries of Roman gardens disappeared as civilization struggled to adapt to a world without the Roman Empire.
Image Credit:Steven Miller / flickr
The Topiary Travels To Asia
After the fall of Rome, it was the empires of China and Japan that kept the topiary flame burning. In Japan, the practice of bonsai appeared around 700 A.D., while in China and Vietnam, the practices of penjing and hon non-bo grew.
The Eastern topiary tradition pruned trees and shrubs to evoke the natural world or make a miniature version of the natural world. These traditions of miniaturizing nature through topiary, statues, and water features remain a lasting topiary tradition in Japan.
The Topiary Returns To Europe
As monarchies began to appear in Europe during the Medieval period, the luxuries of days past began to reappear. The great empires of the Moors in Spain, the Francs in France, and the rise of the Italian city-states saw a resurgence in gardening as stability returned to their lands.
However, it was not until the Renaissance that topiaries really hit their stride. Europeans desired to connect to their Roman roots and rebuild their prestigious past during this era. Thus, Rome’s literature, art, and philosophy spread like wildfire through Europe.
As with all matters of art, ornamental gardening exploded during the Renaissance. The art particularly thrived in Italy, where it first found popularity under the ancient Romans. Wealthy Italians eagerly developed their own take on the ornamental artform.
The Topiary Grows
During the Renaissance, topiaries traveled to the outer reaches of the old Roman Empire. The monarchies of France, England, and Scotland tried their hand at topiary gardens. Over time, the topiary’s popularity became permanently embedded in European society.
As the world grew more stable, owners of country houses, manors, mansions, and castles settled into creating a garden utopia all their own. Gardens grew larger, boasting fountains, walking paths, trellises, and intricate topiaries for their owners to enjoy.
The Topiary Evolves
Though topiaries appeared in gardens throughout Europe, their application varied by region.
- France
In France, topiaries took on the appearance of embroidery, the French practice of parterre de broderie. The grand palace at Versaille had miles of gardens in this flowing style, emphasized by flowering trees shaped into cones and spheres.
- Dutch
In the Dutch Empire, topiaries took on a fantastical trend. Animals of all shapes and sizes, humans, and fantasy creatures dominated the gardens of Holland and the Netherlands.
- England
The English, renown for their gardens today, adopted a combined approach of the French and Dutch (or Franco-Dutch) topiary garden. Strong geometric patterns took hold, accented by statues and water features.
The Topiary Goes Global
At the dawn of the 16th Century, a New World became the focus of the great European nations. In 1492, Columbus discovered the Caribbean, and not too much later, Spain landed in the Americas. As Europe conquered, the topiary followed.
The topiary did not flourish in the Americas for several decades. Colonists were more concerned about developing a civilization, and it was not until colonies like Williamsburg and Hartford became stable that topiaries began to appear in American gardens.
The colonies of New England relied on boxwood plants and hardy bushes to create their English-styled gardens. They took their queue from England, altering and evolving their gardens as their neighbor across the pond did.
The Topiary Goes Out of Style
A man by the name of Alexander Pope briefly did away with the practice of topiary in Europe and New England. In 1713, The Verdant Sculpture, his famous satire, lambasted topiaries as gaudy and extreme. Quickly, the practice all but died out in the English garden.
As England set the trend during the 18th Century, the Western world quickly forgot about the topiary. Instead, gardens became more natural, sprawling, and unorderly. But soon, a desire to return to classical gardening returned.
The Grand Topiary Tradition Returns
The botanist John Loudon and proponents of the “English Cottage Garden” brought back the topiary practice with enthusiasm. By the 20th Century, topiaries decorated gardens everywhere, from Buckingham Palace to Washington D.C.
Topiary evolved again to encompass a new trend in gardening: carpet bedding. Amidst the vibrant colors of flowers, ornamental shrubs, and trees carved into sculptures decorated the gardens of Gilded Age billionaires and royals.
In the United States, topiaries found a loving home. The gardens of the Rockefeller mansion, Carnegie homes, and Smithsonian Botanical Gardens found a place for the topiary. But their true fame came when Walt Disney introduced the natural decor to Walt Disneyland in 1962.
Today’s Topiary
Walt Disney took the topiary to new heights in his magical theme park creating magical topiary forms. Popular characters like Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty started the tradition. As Disney’s films evolved, the topiaries expanded to include everything from Aladdin to Lightning McQueen.
Now, topiaries continue to thrive. Major sporting events like the Kentucky Derby and the Olympics use topiaries to decorate their stadiums. Disney’s EPCOT holds an annual flower festival and features topiaries year-round.
With an auspicious past, it’s no surprise that the art of topiary continues to thrive. For nearly two thousand years, these gorgeous bushes and trees have added whimsy and charm to gardens. And, one thing is for sure, the topiary won’t be going anywhere any time soon.
