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Topiary
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<p>Topiary is the <a href="/facts/Horticultural/m8qBLuT3">horticultural</a> practice of training <a href="/facts/Perennial_plant/MQ3NvAUW">perennial plants</a> by clipping the <a href="/facts/Foliage/1m6wCNTg">foliage</a> and <a href="/facts/Twig/w7tnrzU7">twigs</a> of <a href="/facts/Tree/HVVn3srN">trees</a>, <a href="/facts/Shrub/X1gKVxL5">shrubs</a> and <a href="/facts/Subshrub/NRV9LAHv">subshrubs</a> to develop and maintain clearly defined shapes, whether geometric or fanciful. The term also refers to plants which have been shaped in this way. As an art form it is a type of <a href="/facts/Living_sculpture/VfhVEJSn">living sculpture</a>. The word derives from the <a href="/facts/Latin/pM3Kge85">Latin</a> word for an ornamental <a href="/facts/Landscape/pU9HneR0">landscape</a> <a href="/facts/Gardener/WyqA5J6Y">gardener</a>, <i>topiarius</i>, a creator of <i>topia</i> or "places", a Greek word that Romans also applied to fictive indoor landscapes executed in <a href="/facts/Fresco/oj49kcQa">fresco</a>. </p><p>The plants used in topiary are <a href="/facts/Evergreen/bcLptUdV">evergreen</a>, mostly <a href="/facts/Woody_plant/xXCI9yys">woody</a>, have small <a href="/facts/Leaf/1m6wCNTg">leaves</a> or <a href="/facts/Needle_(botany)/vDUgqxCx">needles</a>, produce dense foliage, and have compact and/or columnar (e.g., fastigiate) growth habits. Common species chosen for topiary include cultivars of European box (<i><a href="/facts/Buxus_sempervirens/3c8U6x5d">Buxus sempervirens</a></i>), arborvitae (<i><a href="/facts/Thuja/HkjQtV8J">Thuja</a></i> species), <a href="/facts/Bay_laurel/zU3Xdvke">bay laurel</a> (<i>Laurus nobilis</i>), <a href="/facts/Holly/8WwdaGm7">holly</a> (<i>Ilex</i> species), <a href="/facts/Myrtaceae/s1QMCFTj">myrtle</a> (<i><a href="/facts/Eugenia/fDdHxKaT">Eugenia</a></i> or <i><a href="/facts/Myrtus/kw7umG7z">Myrtus</a></i> species), yew (<i><a href="/facts/Taxus/5ka8mmEG">Taxus</a></i> species), and privet (<i><a href="/facts/Ligustrum/YQl1oPTa">Ligustrum</a></i> species). Shaped wire cages are sometimes employed in modern topiary to guide untutored shears, but traditional topiary depends on patience and a steady hand; small-leaved ivy can be used to cover a cage and give the look of topiary in a few months. The <a href="/facts/Hedge_(barrier)/qp0wBkIf">hedge</a> is a simple form of topiary used to create boundaries, walls or screens. </p>