Very little has been published on the history of topiary: there are only a few slim volumes devoted to the topic. The first book on topiarian history was The Book of Topiary by Charles H. Curtis and W. Gibson, published in 1904. In his introduction, Curtis noted that “so far as the writer is aware, no attempt has hitherto been made to place such a history before the gardening public.”
Fifty years later, in 1954, Cecil Stewart wrote Topiary: An Historical Diversion, an essay illustrated with stylised engravings and printed on hand-made paper. Stewart was surprisingly pessimistic about topiary’s prospects: “it is difficult to see much future for the extraordinary art of topiary.”
Fifty years later, in 1954, Cecil Stewart wrote Topiary: An Historical Diversion, an essay illustrated with stylised engravings and printed on hand-made paper. Stewart was surprisingly pessimistic about topiary’s prospects: “it is difficult to see much future for the extraordinary art of topiary.”
After another half a century, in 2010, Twigs Way wrote Topiary for the Shire Library series (no. 580). Although The Book of Topiary was certainly more influential, Way’s book is the best-illustrated history of the subject. She is also more positive than Stewart, writing that “topiary is here to stay.”
This year, the Dutch magazine Pleasant Place devoted an issue (no. 6) to the subject of topiary. The highlight is an essay on “the history of the human delight of creative pruning.”
This year, the Dutch magazine Pleasant Place devoted an issue (no. 6) to the subject of topiary. The highlight is an essay on “the history of the human delight of creative pruning.”