Swan topiary
A swan topiary is built around a curve — the neck is the whole piece, and if the line of it is wrong nothing else rescues it. Ours are welded in galvanized steel and finished in moss or outdoor foliage, for ponds, formal gardens, entrances and weddings, at sizes from a tabletop bird up to a life-size pair. Because the frame is galvanized including the welds, a tired swan can be stripped and re-covered rather than replaced.
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.
How it is finished
The same swan, four ways.
Every piece starts as the same welded, galvanized steel frame. What goes over it is the choice.
The neck is the sculpture.
Everything a swan communicates is in one line, from the water up through the breast and over the head. It is drawn and bent before the body is built, because a body can be adjusted and that curve cannot.
It is also the part that takes the most punishment outdoors, being the thinnest section carrying the most leverage, which is why it is galvanized like the rest and built heavier than it looks.
A swan that had stood outside for eight years came back through the workshop for a strip and re-cover — the restoration is documented here.
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
Swan topiary questions, answered.
Can a swan topiary sit by water?
Yes, and it is where they look best. Set it on a level footing above the waterline rather than in it, so the base is not standing wet.
Do you make pairs?
Often. A pair reads better than a single bird at an entrance, and the two are usually built as mirrored poses rather than identical ones.
What finishes?
The swans in stock are mossed or bare galvanized frames. Outdoor artificial foliage is available on a commission where the piece has to hold colour with no upkeep.
Can it be restored later?
Yes — that is the advantage of a galvanized frame. If the steel is sound, a tired piece is stripped, re-coated and re-covered rather than replaced.
Is it suitable for a wedding?
They are hired and bought for weddings regularly. Tell us the date early; build time is four to ten weeks.
Other animals we build
Bunny topiary · Dinosaur topiary · Dog topiary · Horse topiary · Elephant topiary · Deer 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.
