Since its inception a couple of years ago, Pimpernel Press has carved a niche as the garden library-building publisher.
Photography by Andrew Lawson, except where noted.
Yes, it’s about clipping greenery, but it’s also a universal subject, covering the full gamut, as the author Caroline Foley points out, “from the ridiculous to the sublime.”
The sublime gardens at Broughton Grange, Oxfordshire, designed by Tom Stuart-Smith. In fact, cutting into an overgrown boxwood hedge is topiary, and if it is allowed to express itself with natural lumps and bumps, then it is cloud pruned.
Photograph by Caroline Foley.
Owlpen Manor in Oxfordshire. Owlpen Manor, shown here, was an aesthete’s dream at the beginning of the 20th century, being a deserted Tudor mansion that was then revived and loaded with extra atmosphere.
The Lynn Garden, at Ascott House, Buckinghamshire, designed by Wirtz International. In this garden, designed by Wirtz International, grass, trees and paths are the only essentials: the fascination of shape and texture precludes flowers.
Eupatorium in a border at designer Piet Oudolf’s own garden at Hummelo. In the story of topiary, one particular thread seems most relevant to today’s gardeners: how to combine naturalistic planting with a strong garden structure.
The terrace at Cothay Manor in Somerset.
Photograph by Carol Casselden.
Great Dixter in winter; the Peacock Garden near the house.
Topiary, Knots and Parterres, by Caroline Foley, is published by Pimpernel Press, at £50.