May 3
...serving up your daily dish.
There was a fire drill at Forest Avenue School in Glen Ridge today, and unexpected bonus for the kids. Across the street from the school, at 281 Forest Ave., garden designer Barbara Miller is showing off her new collection of animal topiary, inspired by her visit to the Philadelphia Flower Show in early March.
The charming collection of a dozen pieces, which are actually filled with sphagnum moss, is already half sold. Many of the pieces are going to be for sale at Watchung Plaza Home, which has its grand opening on Saturday. Barbara's prices range from $75 for the hanging monkey to $500, for a lifesize llama (not shown.) The giraffe is $110 and the elephant is $175. There are also cats and a rooster. Recommended for a "touch of whimsy," appropriate in formal or informal gardens, and (best of all) no maintenance required if you don't plant anything into them. The display will be up for several days.
May 3, 2006 in Seen around town | Permalink
P'ant, you buy a piece of topiary, you have generally committed yourself to a lot of work. You'll have to keep trimming lest, for example, your cute little baby elephant suddenly becomes a woolly mammoth.
I don't know how big these topiary animals are. But someplace famed for them like the Gardens By the Sea outside Newport, RI, they'll tell you they take years and years to grow. (They're basically trimmed hedges, that's all.) I'm guessing the ones pictured had some major "help" in the form of wire frames, it's quicker this way. But if you'd like a sort of life-sized Chia Pet, why not? Just keep them well-watered.
Posted by: cathar | May 3, 2006 6:31:16 PM
I've been to the Gardens by The Sea and the gardens are really beautiful.
In fact, all of Newport is neat - hmmmm....it's been several years since we've been there - might have to consider a visit there this summer.
Posted by: Anne Prince | May 3, 2006 8:14:47 PM
The care of the topiary are very easy, in fact. First, the size of the animals are anywhere from 12", 19", and 29". The llama is the largest at 48". They are stuffed with sphagnum moss, which acts as the structure of the animal. If the topiary is not planted with plants, then there is zero maintenance. If someone wants to plant their topiary, I am recommending chicks and hens, grasses or sedges, or herbs. These plant requirements are full sun and can take some dryness, but then you have to make sure the plants are watered often. These are not planted with ivy or boxwood which are very high maintenance.
Posted by: Barbara | May 3, 2006 8:16:06 PM
