TOPIARY is an exciting design feature that can bring grace, elegance and even humour to the smallest plot.

The tradition of clipping plants regularly to create all manner of shapes and effects is an ancient one, with living examples such as those at Levens Hall in the Lake District being more than 300 years old. Today topiary is finding a new home in domestic gardens all over the country.

One of the biggest strengths of topiary is its versatility. If you want to draw attention to a piece of statuary, a water feature or frame a gateway, topiary can be ideal.

A wide range of shapes can be created, from geometric cubes, spheres and pyramids to imaginative birds or animals. Curvy shapes can communicate a sense of movement and flow. The plants which are used tend to be evergreen, so there is the added bonus of foliage in winter.

Many plants will respond well to regular clipping but Buxus, or box, is one of the most popular. Its dense growth and evergreen leaves make it ideally suited for this purpose. Plants don’t have to be long-established specimens growing in the ground; container plants are popular subjects for topiary too.

You can be as reserved or flamboyant as you want with box, establishing symmetrical hedging, perhaps for framing a feature or lining a path, or you can really let yourself go with a riot of shapes and an imaginative layout.