Standards and Topiaries lend themselves to container and open ground planting. In both formal and informal garden designs they are useful for framing a view or an entrance, for using as a focal point, for creating a formal atmosphere through the use of symmetry, or for adding an element of strong architectural emphasis.  

The word “topiary” comes from the Latin word “topiarus” which means landscape gardener. Topiary is the art of keeping the landscape gardener busy with the clipping and training required to trim the plants into desired shapes. This art has been going in and out of fashion and trend for at least 2000 years.  Although the art of Topiary was generally practiced on large estates where formal gardening was the mode of choice, with the advent of large tracts of land being divided and sold off, it went into decline. Today, however, it has made a comeback as home-owners seek to enhance their gardens with plant sculpture.