Topiary Plants - Sculptural Shrubs for Garden Art

Starry Wild Jasmine,also known as 'Boerejasmyn', is a  versatile semi-climber that can reach up to 3m in height or transform into a compact, tidy hedge when pruned. Its fragrant, white flowers with delicate pink undersides grace your garden from September to January.

Notably, the Starry Wild Jasmine is indigenous, promoting biodiversity, and its exquisite fragrance makes it a delightful choice for attracting pollinators and enhancing your garden's sensory experience.

 Duranta Nonna's Gold is a favorite among many garden enthusiasts, known for its captivating golden foliage. This versatile shrub is a top choice whether you're looking to create a low, clipped hedge or border, or you need a tall growing screen for added privacy. 

Its stunning golden leaves offer a striking contrast in your garden beds, and the occasional appearance of blue flowers in spring and summer complements the yellow foliage of Duranta Nonna's Gold beautifully.

Gardenias, renowned for their captivating fragrance and beautiful white or yellow flowers that bloom during spring and early summer, are suitable for gardens or indoor pots. This evergreen shrub thrives in warm climates with indirect sunlight. It requires well-drained, acidic soil enriched with organic matter. Regular watering is essential, but take care not to overwater, as their roots are sensitive to waterlogged conditions. Plant them near a patio, garden bench, or window to fully enjoy their fragrance. They do best with morning sun and afternoon shade.

Highly recommended for its prolific growth, the Salt Bush lends itself beautifully to marvelous formal applications, including crafting shaped balls and clipped hedges.

When planting, choose a well-drained soil location with full to partial sun exposure for optimal results. The fantastic silvery-grey foliage of the Salt Bush not only adds to its own allure, but also showcases the colors of the plants planted around it, creating a visually stunning landscape.

The Leyland Cypress is an evergreen conifer with densely packed foliage. It is a fast grower and often used as Christmas trees or to form wind breaks or screens in the garden. Plant 1 m apart for hedging purposes. The Leyland Cypress is a fast grower and can be clipped into formal hedges or left natural.

The Honey-Bell Bush is a beautiful, tall growing indigenous shrub with slender, rather loosely spreading branches that flowers profusely. This fast-growing, waterwise shrub benefits by regular pruning to encourage bushy growth. Flowers mainly in Spring. The Honey-Bell Bush can also be used to create a hedge and does equally well in patio pots.

 This evergreen shrub resembles rosemary but lacks its fragrance and culinary value. It excels in coastal gardens, withstanding salt spray admirably. It thrives in sandy, well-drained soil and becomes relatively drought-tolerant once established, requiring less water than other plants. Additionally, it responds well to pruning, allowing you to shape it into beautifully pruned balls, hedges, or lollipop standards. During spring and summer, it adorns itself with dainty white or blue flowers.

Buxus ‘Faulkner’ is a compact, slow-growing evergreen shrub, widely used in landscaping and formal garden design. Known for forming exceptionally dense hedges, it’s often chosen for maze gardens, borders, and low structural plantings.

With its rich green foliage, tidy growth habit, and excellent tolerance for shaping, it’s ideal for Cape Town gardens where structure, elegance, and low maintenance are key. 

• Forms one of the densest hedges you can grow
  
• Tolerates heat and light drought better than many box varieties
• Best in well-drained, slightly acidic soil
• Prune regularly for shape and compact growth
• Excellent in pots, borders, paths, or parterres

Although it grows on the slower side, the reward is a long-lived, highly sculptable hedge that adds structure and polish to any space.

An excellent plant for potting that can be pruned severely to make a gorgeous 'lollipop'. New leaves arrive in a reddish hue and change to green with aging. Choose a large pot with plenty of holes in the bottom. Use a good potting soil with generous handfuls of sand added to increase porosity.

Laurustinus Lucidum,also known as 'Wild Laurel', is widely considered to be a 'Golden oldie'. This versatile plant remains popular for its ability to be a perfect specimen for use in small gardens, in pots and even on balconies. In late winter flattish heads of pink flower buds appear, opening into tiny white flowers. Clusters of small metallic-blue berries mature in autumn. 'Wild Laurel' is a  popular evergreen choice for hedging and also often grown as a compact standard tree. 

This hardy tree is an exceptional option to clip into a topiary standard or ‘lollipop’. In 'wilder' garden settings it also works excellently as a screening hedge that can be tamed to any height desired. It can also grow into a dense shade tree.

This hardy tree is an exceptional option to clip into a topiary standard or ‘lollipop’. In 'wilder' garden settings it also works excellently as a screening hedge that can be tamed to any height desired. Can also grow into a dense shade tree. 

The Compact Laurustinus is a small-growing Viburnum variety. The dense, compact growth of this beautiful evergreen shrub is perfect for small hedges, screens or foundation plantings. The leaves are slightly smaller and darker green than V. tinus. Tight clusters of lightly fragrant pinkish-white flowers in spring are followed by dark blue-black fruit. The compact Laurustinus is very suitable for use in pots and containers.

The Gold Leyland Cypress is a  beautiful, pyramid-shaped conifer and a smaller variant of the popular Leyland cypress. Evergreen, with striking yellow-green foliage, it is excellent for screening and hedges.The Gold Leyland Cypress is hardy,relatively fast-growing and perfect for a sunny spot in your garden. 

Excellent plant for topiaries, hedging and screening. Lush and fast growing with dark pink to red berries which will attract birds to the garden.

This 'best-seller' shrub is your answer when you need a tall growing screen, hedge or topiary and you need it quickly. A fast-growing, hardy,  evergreen shrub with fragrant funnel-shaped white flowers. 

A beautiful shrub with slender rather loosely spreading branches that flowers profusely

This compact, evergreen shrub with its beautiful dark green leaves and sweetly fragranced pure-white blooms has an extremely long blooming season. They also make wonderful container plants.

A fast growing and decorative evergreen tree with a lovely bushy habit.  Hawaii has large variegated leaves in dark green to grey-green and white. Ideal for pots when kept trimmed.  A lovely addition to create height and structure in the garden.  Prune to shape.

Juniperus chinensis 'Torulosa Variegata' features the same twisting, irregular branching pattern as Torulosa but with golden-yellow or creamy-white variegation on its green foliage, making it an ornamental, eye-catching conifer. This variety is drought-tolerant, low-maintenance, and thrives in full sun, making it an excellent choice for landscapes, hedging, or specimen planting.

The Australian Brush-Cherry (also known as Eugenia myrtifolia) is a popular plant for topiaries, hedging and screening. It makes a strong trimmed hedge and is a fast grower. Untrimmed it forms an excellent boundary wind break.  Small fluffy white flowers early summer are  followed by small, dark pink to red edible berries that will attract birds to the garden. Can grow in narrow areas between buildings due to its ability to adapt to light changing conditions.  Has a shallow root system. 

This plant thrives in full sun to semi-shade and responds well to pruning, making it perfect for formal hedges or sculpted shapes. It is suited to a range of soil types, provided they are well-draining, and benefits from regular watering, especially when young. Once established, it becomes moderately waterwise.

 Well adapted to coastal areas and windy conditions, the brush-cherry is a favourite among Cape gardeners for its neat appearance, easy maintenance, and all-season appeal.

 Eugenia Hedgemaker, also known as 'Australian Brush Cherry', is a fast-growing, dense, evergreen shrub ideal for hedging and topiary. Its vibrant green foliage responds beautifully to pruning, making it perfect for shaping into neat, formal hedges or natural privacy barriers. Low-maintenance and drought-tolerant once established, this hardy plant thrives in full sun to partial shade. Whether used to define garden borders, reduce noise, or enhance curb appeal, Eugenia Hedgemaker is the ultimate choice for a lush, striking, year-round hedge.

A beautiful evergreen, variegated Trachelospermum, that features bright green, white and pink leaves. It produces fragrant, small white flowers from late spring to autumn. Ideal as a wonderful ground cover and admired for its interesting foliage. Although it is a slow growing plant it makes a statement in a garden

Star Jasmine is renowned for its delightful spring fragrance, and this versatile vine also enhances the beauty of trellises, fences, or walls. 

Its year-round charm culminates in late spring when the plant bursts into a profusion of fragrant star-shaped blossoms that adorn it for 5 to 6 weeks.

In expansive landscapes, it is often utilized as ground cover, excelling equally as a topiary specimen or an elegant hedge. To ensure optimal growth, plant the Star jasmine in well-drained soil enriched with compost.

This hardy plant is an exceptional option to clip into a topiary. In 'wilder' garden settings it also works excellently as a screening hedge that can be tamed to any height desired. It can also grow into a dense shade tree. 

'Australian Coastal Rosemary' is an evergreen shrub that resembles Rosemary,but lacks its fragrance and culinary value. It excels in coastal gardens, withstanding salt spray admirably. It thrives in sandy, well-drained soil and becomes relatively drought-tolerant once established, requiring less water than other plants. Additionally, it responds well to pruning, allowing you to shape it into beautifully pruned balls, hedges, or lollipop standards. Australian coastal Rosemary adorns itself with dainty white or blue flowers during Spring and Summer.