Elephant topiary
An elephant topiary is a heavy, wide-bodied animal built on welded galvanized steel and covered in moss or outdoor foliage. Its scale is what makes it work — an elephant reads as an elephant at life size and looks like a toy much below it — so most of ours are built large, for zoos, parks, hotel grounds and entrances.
Made in our own workshopWelded, galvanized and covered here — not drop-shipped.
Ships across US & CanadaSmall pieces by UPS, large ones by freight with delivery quoted.
Built to outlast the foliageGalvanized steel under everything, including the welds.
4–10 weeks for a commissionReady-made pieces leave sooner; we tell you which before you pay.
In the workshop now
8 elephant pieces, from $162.
Elephant Topiary, Wire frame, 19–60 in
$162
Elephant Topiary, Mossed, 19 in
$294
Family of Elephants, Scrap Metal Sculpture
Priced on quote
Lifesize Elephants Topiary
Priced on quote
Elephant Topiary, Mossed, 32 in
Priced on quote
Elephant Topiary, Mossed, 48 in
Priced on quote
Elephant Topiary, Mossed, 60 in
Priced on quote
Black Elephant Topiary, 3.77 ft
Priced on quote
How it is finished
The same elephant, four ways.
Every piece starts as the same welded, galvanized steel frame. What goes over it is the choice.
Scale is the whole problem with an elephant.
An elephant only reads as an elephant at something near life size. Below that the proportions start to say ‘toy’ rather than ‘animal’, because the thing everyone knows about an elephant is how big it is. That is why most of ours are built large and why a calf usually appears beside an adult rather than on its own.
At that scale the piece is built in sections with marked break points, crated, and assembled on site — a full-grown African elephant stands ten to thirteen feet at the shoulder and nothing that size travels in one piece. The ears are the part that catches wind, so they are braced back into the body rather than cantilevered off it.
Large commissions of any species start in custom made topiary; the sixteen-foot T-Rex in dinosaur topiary is built the same way.
What it needs once it is standing.
A mossed piece wants misting through dry spells and a refresh of the moss every year or so. A bare frame wants nothing at all until you decide to plant it. Turf and artificial pieces want an occasional rinse and no more — no watering, no trimming, no seasonal work.
The steel underneath is the part that decides how long the piece lasts, and galvanized steel outdoors is measured in decades rather than seasons.
Full instructions by material are on our care pages; if a piece has gone tired, this eight-year-old swan shows what a restoration looks like.
In the workshop
Steel first, then green.
Three of the six stages every piece goes through. The frame is the sculpture; everything after it is surface.
02Steel rod, bent and weldedSteel rod bent by hand and welded into a cage that carries the pose. Anything over six feet also gets steel tubing run inside it.
03Galvanized, welds includedGalvanized over every surface including the welds — which is exactly where outdoor steel fails first.
04Sphagnum packed by handLong-fibre sphagnum packed into the cage by hand and bound down, so the piece is green the day it arrives.
The full sequence — drawing, welding, galvanizing, mossing, planting and installation — is set out step by step in how a topiary form is made.
Before you order
Elephant topiary questions, answered.
How big is a life-size elephant topiary?
A full-grown African elephant stands around ten to thirteen feet at the shoulder, and a piece at that scale is built in sections and assembled on site. Smaller elephants read best as a family group rather than alone.
Can it stand outdoors permanently?
Yes, on a proper footing. The armature is galvanized over every surface including the welds, which is where outdoor steel normally fails.
Moss or artificial?
The elephants in stock are mossed or bare frames. On a commission we also build in artificial foliage, which holds its colour in full sun with no upkeep — the usual choice for an unattended public site.
Do you install it?
On anything large, yes — across the US and Canada. Installation is quoted with the piece.
Can we have a group?
Family groups are common and usually stronger than a single animal, because the scale difference between adult and calf does the storytelling.
Other animals we build
Bunny topiary · Dinosaur topiary · Dog topiary · Horse topiary · Deer topiary · Swan topiary · Giraffe topiary · Frog topiary · Bear topiary
Something bigger?
Tell us the animal and the size.
Send a photograph or a sketch with the height you need and where it will stand. We come back with a design, a price and a delivery date — then build it in our own workshop.
