topiaryadj.n.
/ˈtəʊpɪəri/, U.S. /ˈtoʊpiˌɛri/ Horticulture.
a. Consisting in clipping and trimming shrubs, etc. into ornamental or fantastic shapes.
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the world > food and drink > farming > gardening > management of plants > [adjective] > trained > topiary
topiary1592
topiarian1694
1592 R. Dallington tr. F. Colonna Hypnerotomachia f. 51 By a turnyng downe the transomes, did ioyne decently one with the other, with a Topiarie woorke. [Cf. Fr. ouvrage topiaire.]
c1660 J. Evelyn Diary anno 1644 (1955) II. 187 Much topiarie work & Columns in Architecture about the hedges.
a1680 S. Butler Genuine Remains (1759) I. 184 No topiary Hedge of Quickset Was e're so neatly cut.
1839 H. Hallam Introd. Lit. Europe IV. v. 444 Rapin was a great admirer of box and all topiary works, or trees cut into artificial forms.
1902 London Mag. June 474 A topiary garden is by no means an inexpensive hobby to indulge in.
b. n. The topiary art; the training and clipping of trees into artificial shapes.
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the world > food and drink > farming > gardening > management of plants > [noun] > training > topiary
topiaria1599
tonsure1621
topiary1908
the world > food and drink > farming > gardening > management of plants > [noun] > training > topiary > example of
topiary1908
1908 Sphere 10 Oct. 30/1 Topiary is essentially the art of a leisurely age, for it takes a long time to develop a tree into the acquired shape.
Draft additions 1993
2. A piece or example of topiary work; a topiary garden.
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1904 Curtis & Gibson Bk. Topiary 41 I believe it to be better to combine the Topiary proper and the flower garden.
1974 S. Pierot Ivy Bk. xvi. 118 You can fashion a complicated topiary in a day... Topiaries made with ivy have become a popular..pastime.
1989 Holiday Which? Mar. 86/2 Severe yew topiary encloses a stately parterre where herbaceous flowers rise in fountains of colour.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1913; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.n.1592