Agrumi Bespoke Topiary Logo

Foxes and Rabbits Run Wild in the Cotswolds

 

Wild Rabbit pub with topiary rabbits
A pair of topiary rabbits flanking the entrance to 'The Wild Rabbit'
Fox Pub with fox topiary
A topiary fox at the front of 'The Fox'

The Wild Rabbit and The Fox are both part of the Daylesford estate – one of the most sustainable organic farms in the UK.

Agrumi has a close relationship with Daylesford and was more than happy to create a few custom topiary pieces to adorn their Inns.

Firstly, a threesome of living topiary foxes were created - each with a unique pose: alert, leaping and sitting.

They are displayed in 3 different areas around 'The Fox' Inn, to create interest at the front entrance, garden steps and bar window.

The inns were both restored using locally sourced natural materials and centuries old techniques, creating a long-lasting environment with minimum impact to the surroundings. They used reclaimed timber, with roof insulation made with sheep’s wool from their organic farm and turned their own cattle hides into leather for the pub’s seating. The aim is to leave the lightest imprint on our planet while creating unique spaces filled with warmth and character.

Sustainability is a key value for Daylesford, which is why they choose to use living plant topiary in their designs. This approach not only adds natural beauty and life to the Inns, but it is also environmentally friendly as the plants continue to grow and thrive over time. By using living topiary, Agrumi and Daylesford are showing their commitment to preserving the environment and promoting sustainable practices in their work.

 

More recently, a pair of living topiary rabbits was created for another inn: 'The Wild Rabbit'.

The name is a nod to its original title: Conygree Farm – an Anglo Saxon word meaning rabbit enclosure. More recently it was the Tollgate Inn; a building constructed in Cotswolds stone with beautiful proportions, known for its convivial atmosphere and unusual double fireplace.

 

topiary rabbits at the wild rabbit inn

The Wild Rabbit inn with topiary rabbits

topiary rabbit at the wild rabbit inn

If you are ever in the Cotswolds area, make sure to visit the Daylesford estate, a beautiful and picturesque destination that offers a glimpse into the charm of rural England.
When you're in need of a refreshment, consider stopping by either 'The Fox' or 'The Wild Rabbit', two of Daylesford's Inns, and see the beautiful living topiary animals that have been crafted by Agrumi. These unique and visually appealing pieces will add an extra special touch to your visit and provide a memorable experience.

Swing Seat installed in planter

Sitting Spiritually” is a Dorset based manufacturer of quality wooden swing seats. They are the only bespoke swing seat maker endorsed by the Royal Horticultural Society.

Their headquarters are located down a country road and they wanted a statement piece of topiary out front, so that customers could easily find them.

Kyokusen Swing seat photo

Swing seat design sketch

We designed a topiary version of their favourite swing seat design: the Kyokusen , which is Japanese for “Curves in the air”. The seat’s design draws upon the curves and flow of the Torii, a traditional Japanese gate most commonly found at the entrance of a shrine.

Topiary Swing seat completed

The stand’s shape was adapted to fit into their custom made planter, and covered in star Jasmine plants. In the summer the stand will be covered in white flowers, which will create a wonderful scent.

The seat was covered in Ligustrum plants, which is traditionally our favourite topiary plant. It’s evergreen and has little leaves, perfect for design details.

Topiary Swing seat installed photo

We installed the topiary into their planter at their Lyme Regis HQ, ensuring that the planter and compost had sufficient drainage.

Sitting Spiritually said about the topiary sculpture:

“TA-DAA
Check out our latest installation at Sitting Spiritually HQ!
There's no missing us now!”

Topiary Swing seat installed instagram post

Could your business benefit from some topiary sculptures? Just get in touch!

The Manchester Flower Festival is an integral part of this exciting city, many important landmarks and streets are enhanced with blooming flowers and vibrant colours.

The festival is always popular in Manchester, even more so with it being the first big event of 2021… and it didn’t disappoint!

Topiary Elephant and Giraffe, made with artificial grass

Agrumi designed and created an artificial baby giraffe and elephant to be placed in Angel Meadow Park. The topiary were within budget, required no maintenance and provided an Instagramable opportunity for visitors to the event.

Topiary Elephant and Giraffe - made with Artificial Grass
Flowers were planted around the bases of the sculptures, which helped to ground and enhance them visually

The pictures that were shared on social media platforms were a huge hit and really became a stand out feature within the city.

Topiary Elephant and Giraffe, made with artificial grassTopiary Elephant and Giraffe, made with artificial grassTopiary Elephant and Giraffe, made with artificial grass

We at Agrumi love to be part of such events and create topiary features that stand out for others to enjoy.

Could your town benefit from some topiary sculptures? Just get in touch!

Peter Rabbit Sculpture at Brighton Beach

Agrumi were thrilled to be asked to support Linney – the creative production specialists in marketing- with their launch of Peter Rabbit's topiary tour at the start of the summer holidays, ready for the film’s release.

The promotion of the feature involved creating a 3 metre tall rabbit in a similar pose from the film, made from artificial boxwood for the body and specially ordered light blue artificial grass for Peter’s denim shirt jacket on top of a green base.

Peter Rabbit - covered in artificial Boxwood with blue grass jacket

It was crucial that the sculpture was able to be moved around multiple locations including Manchester’s Trafford Centre, the Bullring in Birmingham, London’s Olympic park and Brighton beach. The base was specifically designed with a compartment for weights, meaning they could be easily removed when travelling and weighted down once in place, for security.

Peter Rabbit sculpture with Imogen Thomas
Imogen Thomas and her daughters Ariana, age 8, and Siera, age 5, celebrating the digital release of Peter Rabbit 2. Photo credit: Doug Peters/PA Wire

Topiary Peter proved extremely popular for families to take photos including stars of the film and celebrities such as Imogen Thomas, who posed with her daughters at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, recreating his cheeky pose!

Children posing with the Peter Rabbit sculpture

Could you promote your upcoming event with some topiary sculptures? Just get in touch!

Topiary Butterflies at Norfolk Square Gardens

With the importance of butterflies and our environment being so prevalent, Agrumi were delighted to be asked to help Paddington’s Business Improvement District (Paddington Now) with their plans to create a butterfly friendly garden in Norfolk Square.

Topiary Butterflies for Norfolk Square Gardens

Agrumi made 2 large butterfly sculptures for the garden project, which not only are bright and beautiful, but they also help to attract pollinators. The body and wings are wrapped in Star Jasmine plants; their fragrant white flowers are rich in nectar, which is ideal for lots of bees and butterflies.

Topiary Butterfly at Norfolk Square Gardens

The wings of the butterflies were created with coloured dry moss. Agrumi produced the wing formations stuffed with dry moss and added the paint in the two colour schemes that the BID selected. We think the colours on the butterflies look great together and hope that visitors to the garden agree!

Topiary Butterflies at Norfolk Square Gardens

The BID is working with ‘Big City Butterflies’ to encourage more butterflies into the area and will monitor the numbers over the coming years. It has brought about a butterfly count in the garden during July and August 2021, as part of the Butterfly’s Conservation initiative.

Topiary Butterflies at Norfolk Square Gardens
To encourage more butterflies into the garden, the BID organised a large pollinator-friendly flower bed surrounding the Butterfly sculptures

You can read more about the entire Norfolk Square Butterfly garden project here

Paddington's Twitter post about Agrumi's butterflies

Could your town’s BID benefit from any topiary sculptures? Just get in touch!

Topiary Butterflies at Norfolk Square Gardens

Famous face of Paddington next to Agrumi's Butterfly

Agrumi have created a metal sculptures range created especially by their head topiary artist, Luigi Frosini. These mainly include British animals such as Roe deer, Sheep, Hares and Pigs. Inspired by the natural world around him, Luigi endeavours to create lifelike animal sculptures.

A while ago, Burford Art Gallery approached Agrumi about making a Metal Horse for a display. (Burford Art Gallery is part of Burford Garden company, an Oxfordshire based Garden shop. They ‘love things that are a little different', so we think we’re a great match!)

This enquiry soon evolved into a series of regular orders of animal sculptures, and now Agrumi has an entire range based on these Metal Animal Sculptures by Luigi Frosini.

Metal Piglets

Having worked closely with nature, Luigi can create realistic 3D forms made of steel, whilst capturing the personality of each animal and character perfectly.

Metal Ram Sculpture

These are made from annealed steel wire, which naturally turns a rusty brown colour when left outside. We are able to add a lacquer coating, or paint to the sculpture, to help prevent oxidisation, if you prefer this finish.

Metal Animal sculptures in gardens
A selection of customer photos

A selection of these was exhibited at The Chelsea Flower Show 2021, as part of Agrumi’s New Forest exhibition stand.

These are all available to buy from Burford Art Gallery, we can take commisions for custom orders, or you can buy them online from our webshop TopTopiary.

 

Topiary Horse, Fox and Elephant in memorial garden

Sunday 27th October 2019 marked one year since the helicopter accident that claimed the lives of the late Leicester City Chairman (Khun Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha), staff members Kaveporn Punpare and Nusara Suknamai, and pilots Eric Swaffer and Izabela Lechowicz outside King Power Stadium.

We were asked to produce three topiary sculptures for the memorial garden built on the crash site – one fox, one elephant and one horse.

Topiary Prancing Horse
2.5 metre high Prancing Horse covered in Star Jasmine

The fox was chosen as the club logo is a fox and it was covered in ligustrum. The elephant was chosen to give a nod to Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha's Thai heritage and that, as well as the prancing horse, was covered in star jasmine.

Topiary Elephant
3 metre long Elephant covered in evergreen Star Jasmine

The club hosted a private multi-faith ceremony on 27th October 2019,  at the garden, exactly one year after the helicopter crash that killed Khun Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha and 4 others.

We worked flat out to produce and deliver all the animals so that they could be planted before opening day.

Topiary Fox next to visitors
Guests at the memorial opening, waiting in line to leave mementos to those who died in the crash

After the opening day, the present CEO requested for the elephant’s pose to be changed. We happily accepted the elephant back at our workshop for alteration. We adapted the elephant’s head to be facing upwards, so that it had a more lively appearance.

Topiary Elephant Trunk Up
The elephant with its head changed to the 'trunk up' position
Birds Eye View of the VC Memorial Garden
Birds Eye View of the VC Memorial Garden

Leicester City Chief Executive Susan Whelan said about the garden: “…something peaceful, something poignant and something beautiful, where supporters of today and of future generations can remember what one man’s vision did for this Club, this community.

“The Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha Memorial Garden will be the latest in a series of lasting tributes that will form part of Khun Vichai’s legacy.”

If we can help you with some topiary sculptures please do get in touch!

Topiary frames

Underneath every one of Agrumi’s beautiful topiary pieces - whether made from living plants, grass, moss or artificial boxwood - lies a sculptural frame fashioned by hand from thin metal rods. Our gifted and imaginative team use their skills to craft these robust structures so they are capable of withstanding the plant weaving process, yet detailed enough to show the characteristic features of the design below.  The frames can be bought ‘off the shelf’ from one of our existing designs, or made completely bespoke to your own ideas. We also make topiary frames, to any size, suitable for the horticultural techniques of training plants into pleached, espalier, arched, or caged designs.

Our topiary frames - works of art?

Minus the plants woven around the sculptures, Agrumi’s topiary frames are equivalent to works of art.  The physical manipulation of material to form sculpture dates back to prehistoric times. Today the signature of a particular artist on a sculpture can command huge prices. Of course we’re not saying that Agrumi’s topiary frames are in the same league as art by Anish Kapoor, yet in their own way they catch the eye and prompt the viewer into a response – be it admiration for the modeling, appreciation of the skill involved in the fabrication or simply a recognition that it captures something authentic about the character of the figure portrayed.

Surely the reason why a piece of art is covetable is that it is distinctive and individual? The buyer pays for the time and effort the artist has contributed and in return expects to own something that is an exclusive one-off: an object that no one else has. Agrumi’s topiary frames offer a similar experience for comparatively little expense. Each frame is not just a commodity manufactured through a soulless production line; our frames are special. Each one is unique precisely because it is handmade. This means that no two frames are identical – even when they are constructed to the same physical dimensions and design. Each frame has quirks and idiosyncrasies that make it stand out from its peers.

Our topiary frames – a bit about their history

The fabrication process used by our team have been tried and tested over years of experimentation. Our senior topiary artist Luigi was originally from Northern Italy. He started work as an apprentice in the furniture-making industry for which his country is rightfully known as a world leader. Chairs and sofas need to be constructed from frames that are sturdy and durable, yet exhibit appealing aesthetic qualities when they are covered in fabric or leather. The process of attaching the covering to the frame beneath is also a skilled job where a true artisan can excel if they have an eye for detail, patience and dexterity of hand.

These accomplishments are not so very different from the techniques needed for topiary making. Recognising this, Luigi saw an opportunity to offer his natural aptitude and acquired skills to some of the many agricultural nurseries that abound in Northern Italy where topiary is an important part of the stock ranges. He also welcomed the chance to give his creative flair free reign outside the factory environment where he was previously employed.

Ever on the look out for new and interesting product lines to offer Agrumi’s customers, our Director Stanley Jackson routinely sources some stock from the Northern Italian specialists. Having lived in the area for years and speaking fluent Italian, he views it as a second home where he can obtain high quality plants at wholesale prices to pass on as savings to his customers. While there, Stanley came into contact with Luigi, a friendship was formed and, seeing a new opportunity for his unique skills, Luigi moved to the UK. We have been very lucky to benefit from his talent – expertise that he is now passing on to others at our New Forest nursery.

Our topiary frames – sculptures for gardens or businesses

Our topiary frames make wonderful stand-alone sculptures in a garden, landscape or home. Imagine the impression among family, friends and other visitors when they see one of our designs displayed to optimum effect in your personal space. Picture the delight of children encountering a family of elephants trailing across your lawn or a group of hares racing and boxing.

Our topiary frames can also be used to enhance exhibition spaces and communicate business and PR messages in a playful yet sophisticated way. A golfer outside a golf club; a horse outside a stud or stables; a car on a dealer’s forecourt: all these things advertise what your business is about clearly, but the message is upmarket and subtle. Look at the photographs on this page and you’ll appreciate creativity behind the replication of a life-size racehorse in steel, the capturing of the cheeky personality of a little terrier dog, the elegant sophistication of a stiletto shoe or the latent power of a Harley Davidson.

Our topiary frames – expertly engineered

Each of our topiary frames also offers a master class in the application of precision engineering and three-dimensional modelling. For people purchasing our frames for display purposes we increase the amount of metal detailing to ensure that as much fine detail as possible is achieved.  The frames can be purchased galvanized or un-galvanized giving you the option of letting your new sculpture rust gracefully outside as it ages or of resisting corrosion from the elements. Inside of course, our frames retain their pristine looks.

Our topiary frames – ideal for budding topiary artists

Traditionalists more interested in the artistic attractions of clipped topiary than the substructures beneath, might be intrigued by the creative challenge of fashioning their own topiary sculpture from scratch. If you buy a frame, pot and plant from us separately, we’ll show you how to put the three together to make a stunning topiary focal point in your own mini Versailles. Creating a natural wonder out of steel and plants is skilled work, but with Agrumi’s know-how behind you it won’t be impossible to achieve. We’ll be there whenever you need help and advice on precision pruning.

Give our team a call on 01590 683487 to order a topiary frame today.

Topiary Frames

Topiary Frames

Why not discuss your ideas with us?

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