To specify topiary for a commercial interior, settle six things before you order: the fire requirement, the light at each position, the lead time, the mounting, who cleans it and how it gets in the door. Preserved and artificial topiary suit most buildings because they need no water. This checklist covers what to ask and what we can and cannot promise.
1. Fire rating: what we can and cannot claim
Nothing we sell is fire retardant by default. Preserved foliage is real plant material treated with glycerin, and it carries no flame-spread rating. We will not claim one.
Some outdoor-grade artificial pieces can be ordered with a fire-retardant option. The retardant is built into the material when it is made, so it has to be requested with the order. It cannot be added at delivery.
If your scheme requires rated interior finishes, tell us at inquiry. Our team will tell you which pieces can meet it and which cannot.
2. Light: the two positions to rule out
Direct sun fades preserved foliage unevenly and permanently. Atriums, glass links and west-facing walls need UV-rated artificial pieces instead.
Real damp softens preserved material, which rules out pool areas and wet rooms. Ordinary office humidity is fine.
Outside those two, a windowless interior is easy for both preserved and artificial. Preserved topiary for interiors covers the material in detail.
| Position | Best material |
|---|---|
| Windowless lobby, corridor, office | Preserved or artificial |
| Atrium or glass wall with direct sun | UV-rated artificial |
| Pool area, spa, wet room | Artificial |
| Entrance or terrace outdoors | Outdoor-grade artificial, or live with a care plan |
3. Lead time: ask for a current one
Stock pieces ship on the normal schedule. Anything built to a drawing depends on the queue on the day you ask, so ask for a current lead time.
Two things predictably slow it down. For December work, the queue is usually full by late fall. Large pieces need a route check and a footing plan before anything is built.
4. Quantities and trade terms
Multiples are quoted together rather than bought at list price. For a fit-out that is usually the cheaper route, because the freight is combined.
Send the rooms, the positions and the quantity in one go and you get a single number. Trade and wholesale volumes go through the wholesale page.
5. Mounting and public contact
Ask three questions: can somebody knock it over, can somebody climb it, and can somebody carry it off.
Interior pieces in busy areas need a weighted or fixed base. Large outdoor pieces anchor to a footing. Public sites need fixings that stop people moving them. None of these pieces are built to be climbed, so do not place them where people will try.
6. Who maintains it
Preserved and artificial: dusting now and then. No watering, no feeding and no maintenance contract, which is why both suit buildings where nobody owns the plants. Add the dusting to the normal cleaning round.
Live: a real commitment. In a commercial building that means a maintenance contract, or a plant that declines on a schedule. We will say so rather than sell you a plant for a dark corridor.
Mossed: regular watering, then a choice within about six months to plant into the moss or refresh it.
7. Delivery and access
Larger pieces travel by freight, quoted with the piece rather than added later. Curbside means curbside, so somebody has to be ready to receive it with the right equipment.
Check the route before you order. Measure gate and door widths, the turn at the top of a stair, the inside of the elevator and the floor the pallet has to cross. What freight delivery involves covers the process.
What to send us
Send a list of positions with the floor or surface at each one, the height range you have in mind, whether any position gets direct sun, and whether the scheme has a fire requirement. You get back a set, a price and a lead time. Our team replies within hours, usually the same day.
For sector work, start with hotels and resorts, events and brand activations and commercial sculpture.
Quick answers
Is preserved topiary fire rated?
No. Preserved foliage carries no flame-spread rating. Some outdoor-grade artificial pieces can be ordered with a fire-retardant option built into the material, and it has to be requested with the order.
Which topiary is best for a lobby with no windows?
Preserved or artificial. Neither needs light or water. Preserved looks the most natural up close.
Do you price by quantity?
Yes. Multiples are quoted together, which is usually cheaper for a fit-out because the freight is combined.
Who maintains commercial topiary?
Preserved and artificial pieces need dusting and nothing else. Live planting in a commercial interior needs a maintenance contract.
