Tag Archive for: Topiary

Artificial Boxwood: introducing our topiary range

Floresy’s extensive range of artificial trees and plants includes a collection of artificial boxwood products. Boxwood is also more simply referred to as ‘box’.

What is box?

Box is a small, slow-growing tree or shrub with small, glossy green leaves. Box is a popular choice with gardeners and is often found in the form of neat hedging.

Because of it’s small, dense leaves and slow-growth, Box is also the perfect choice for topiary.

What is topiary?

Topiary is a horticultural practice of training and clipping plants into forming different shapes. The choice of plant isn’t exclusive to Boxwood but usually involves evergreen shrubs of some kind. Laurel and Holly are also popular choices.

Topiary is an ancient practice. In Europe, it dates back to Roman times and is mentioned in Pliny the Elder’s famous book, Natural History.

There is no limit to the shapes you can create. Perhaps only gravity or the gardener’s imagination are the boundaries. More formal shapes include simple rectangular hedging, columns or spheres or ball shapes, sometimes stacked on top of each other. Archways sometimes feature within a row of boxwood hedging.

But animals and crazy shapes are also popular. We may question whether the more wonky shapes were intentional or happy accidents, however.

Bonsai is a specialist form of topiary where plants are clipped to mimic miniature trees.

The benefits of artificial boxwood topiary

As you would expect, Topiary is a labour intensive pursuit. It requires the careful maintenance of the boxwood tree to keep the desired shape looking neat and trim.

Artificial boxwood trees balls don't require pruning.

Artificial boxwood trees don’t require pruning.

Artificial boxwood trees don’t require pruning. There are no dead branches to remove plus they won’t suffer from boxwood blight.

Each topiary shape won’t change and is maintenance-free. So, you will never accidentally trim the wrong branch and ruin the shape.

What Artificial Boxwood Trees are available from Floresy?

Artificial Boxwood Balls

The artificial boxwood range of products starts with balls. Yes, artificial boxwood balls! This classic design is also called Standard Trees or Tree Standards. This is a classic design. Other types of plants that are popular for standards are anything that grows a woody stem including Lavender, Conifers and Fuchsias.

Boxwood balls are either in singles or combine multiple balls on top of each other, sometimes with bare woody stems separating each sphere.

Our artificial boxwood ball trees with single spheres come in miniature 25cm and 30cm sizes. Plus a 100cm deluxe tree and a boxwood ball available in different sizes.

Artificial Boxwood Spirals

Perhaps the most impressive products in our range include these two spiral trees.

The Boxwood Royal Spiral has a very grand appeal with it’s tapering design and impressive 190cm height. Therefore, they are awesome for framing a doorway or creating a central focal point to a display.

By contrast, the boxwood spiral tree is not a mere commoner, however. It’s a quirky and fun design giving it surprising versatility. It’s modern and eclectic and contemporary with a nod to formal gardens of the past.

Artificial Boxwood Trees

Less showy than other forms of topiary, these shapes are great for adding architectural structure to a planting scheme.

The shapes are surprisingly versatile and are perfect for use in both formal, classic gardens/schemes or contemporary/minimalist designs. The boxwood tower tree has a softer shape whereas the boxwood pyramid tree has a more rigid and defined shape.

Floresy for Artificial Trees

Floresy is an industry leader for artificial plants and trees because we have years of design and manufacture experience.

We stock an extensive range of products to suit any budget which includes our popular artificial boxwood topiary. These products make great investments for any hotel especially those with function rooms that cater to weddings.

Define doorways using this simple design trick

First impressions really do count when your business relies on attracting customers from the street – whether you are a retailer or in the hospitality trade. So the most important area of business premises is, therefore, it’s doorways. In one cursory glance from a passer-by, you need to be able to communicate what your business is and who your clients are.

A very popular technique for defining the doorways to your premises is to use a pair of trees or plants. Placing the plants in matching containers either side of the door or porch will demark and frame the doorway. Whether you use boxwood or olive or whether it’s a standard or a natural shape, it’s a quick and easy to achieve a polished look.

Traditional and formal doorways

Nothing creates a traditional, elegant and refined look to an entranceway like a topiary of classic clipped boxwood. Symmetry is important with any formal look. These plain grey planters, neat box and black door make an imposing and professional entranceway.

It is not an inviting look. It suggests authority and power and that only a select few may enter. Perfect for a members-only club.

Formal Front Door with boxwood trees

Neat boxwood, grey planters and a big black door.

 

Executive hotels also want to appear exclusive but need a softer image to invite in the right kind of clientele. The Marignan Hotel in Paris uses these impressive planters to create a more contemporary look to this very formal entrance. Doubling up on the pairs of plants doubles the impact. And having a doorman is always impressive too.

Marignan Hotel Paris Entranceway

A very impressive facade at the Marignan in Paris

Modern and clean doorways

When you are a retailer, attracting customers in from the street is crucial to your success. Framing a doorway with symmetrical planting will give a sophisticated look but it also needs to be inviting. 

The Hudson Grace store in San Fransisco uses a cone-shaped boxwood topiary to frame the door whilst retaining a modern, clean look.

Classic contemporary topiary Doorway

Hudson Grace Shop Front Doorway with a classic yet contemporary topiary

This Dior shop front still conveys sophistication and refinery. However, the harsh formal look is softened by the addition of the pretty whites flowers and the wooden planters. The coordinating pale grey and white painted shop front echoes the tones of the wooden planters and flowers.

Dior Shop Front Doorway

The formal yet appealing image helps attract customers into your shop.

Warm and homely doorways

Humble Pie Whitby Doorway

Humble Pie shop in Whitby uses galvanised tin planters

So, the severity of this formal look is easily adapted to create a warm and inviting exterior. Combine the main tree or shrub with flowers. Change the planter for something informal. Humble Pie in Whitby (above) uses galvanised tin planters to decorate their shop front. Adapting the classic look by placing both trees central to the shop window, most likely due to space. Serena Lily’s home decor store uses re-purposed beer barrels as planters. This hotel in Province, Crillon le Brave, uses worn terracotta pots. The black and white shop front (photo by Mackenzie Horan) uses wooden containers in black to match the awning. The planting is softened by sweet little colourful flowers.

Standard Trees available at Floresy

Floresy design, make and sell a variety of trees perfect for use defining any doorway:

This classic long trunk olive at 210cm tall will add an instant wow factor to any premises entrance. Perfect on its own in an equally impressive container.

The Croton Artificial Tree has a unique appearance with a variegated leaf tinged with brown for a very natural look. It comes in two heights (150cm and 180cm) and would be great for a relaxed and tropical style restaurant.

The fabulous Ginkgo tree is 190cm and has an interesting leaf shape and a vibrant mid-green colour. It has a sunny feel and would be perfect for any cheerful and happy shop front.

One of Floresy’s many Ficus trees, this particularly bushy product is 120cm and would create a traditional topiary look, outside a hotel or office building.