The origins of topiary are generally traced to the gardens of ancient Rome.
Topiary is the horticultural art of training and clipping living plants into ornamental shapes, whether geometric, figurative, or fanciful, using shrubs and trees with dense foliage such as boxwood, yew, privet, holly, and cypress. The word itself derives from the Latin topiarius, meaning an ornamental gardener or creator of landscape decorations, a term that already implies artistry rather than mere maintenance.
Inspired by the ideas of English designer and architect Charles Locke Eastlake (1833–1906).
The Eastlake Movement was a decorative arts and architectural style that emerged in the latter half of the nineteenth century, inspired by the ideas of English designer and architect Charles Locke Eastlake (1833–1906). Eastlake’s influential book Hints on Household Taste in Furniture, Upholstery, and Other Details (1868; American edition, 1872) outlined a philosophy of design that emphasized simplicity, honest craftsmanship, and ornament derived from structure rather than excessive decoration.
