Clippable plants for shape, structure and year-round garden interest

The sharp solidity of clipped evergreen shapes and hedges is the quickest way to inject a garden with architectural drama and ensures it looks good all year. 'True gardening is as much about the bones of a garden as its planting,' said the late garden designer Rosemary Verey. 'The structure of my garden is even more important in winter than in other seasons, because the bones become apparent and the eye is not distracted by beguiling planting.'

Hedging – large or small – creates a green skeleton, within which the garden's softness blooms, providing the perfect foil, and this framework comes into its own in the bare months of winter and early spring. Topiary provides accents and full stops throughout the garden and can take a myriad of forms, making it one of the most creative forms of gardening.

The (rather cathartic) urge to take a pair of shears to a plant is nothing new. The ancient Egyptians were cutting box (Buxus sempervirens) in 4000 BC and the Romans created entire gardens out of it. We Brits have a history of favouring eccentric topiary shapes, such as the chess pieces and birds seen at Levens Hall in Cumbria, while French clipping is characterised by elegant neatness and classical formality, and the serene Japanese style favours diaphanous cloud shapes.

Shearing and clipping is a great way to unleash your creativity outside, as well as being a vigorous workout that is much more fun than the gym, and there is a huge range of plants that can be employed.

To create detailed topiary pieces – from peacocks to teapots – a plant must have very small evergreen foliage and lots of it. Such little-leaf density lends itself to shearing, allowing the topiarist to create detail and sculpt with greenery. Yew (Taxus baccata) is excellent, either its standard black-green foliage or one of the golden forms (such as 'Semperaurea'). It is slow-growing but can live for a very long time; grow it in well-drained soil and keep the plants moist until they are established. Box (Buxus sempervirens) also boasts longevity, as well as wonderful scent. The species is a vibrant shade of green when grown in well-drained soil in sheltered semi-shade; and the variegated form 'Elegantissima' has lovely green and cream leaves. Whilst yew can be used to create sizeable topiary, box is better for small to medium shapes that don't exceed 1.8 metres. Although they are the traditional topiary plants for good reason, yew and box do take time to take form, so if you are impatient or want to create topiary with children, the little-leaved Wilson's honeysuckle (Lonicera ligustrina var. yunnanensis or L. ligustrina 'Elegant') is a great choice, being very clippable and robust; the only downside is it requires regular shearing throughout the growing season to maintain its shape. Of course, another reason to find an alternative to box is that it can succumb to box blight – if this is present in your area, consider the privet Ligustrum delavayanum as a good alternative in all but very cold gardens. (See the section on small hedging below for further box impersonators).

Evergreens with slightly larger leaves are excellent for shearing into shapes that don't require as much detail or fine, straight lines . . . for instance, globes, pyramids, and domes, as well as cloud hedges and cloud trees. Select a plant according to the size you want it to reach. For instance, holm oak and holly can be used to form large pieces, whilst hebes (such as Veronica topiaria and V. pinguifolia 'Pagei') are great for small border blobs.

To aim for a size somewhere in between, good old bay (Laurus nobilis) and privet (Ligustrum ovalifolium) are superb for clipping and widely available at low cost. Rosemary Verey liked to use golden privet for shaping. She was also fond of Portugal laurel Prunus lusitanica 'Myrtifolia', describing as 'the most useful of the taller evergreen topiary trees . . . to me, it is the epitome of elegance: it sparkles with its bright green leaves in winter and may be clipped hard to make perfect domes or any shape.' On top of this, it injects the garden with a fabulous Mediterranean look, as do the phillyreas, which are highly covetable for clipping. The genus, which belongs to the olive family, comprises just two species: Phillyrea angustifolia and P. latifolia. Both look halfway between a privet and an olive.

If you want topiary that flowers, Osmanthus x burkwoodii is beautiful and carries deliciously scented spring blooms; however, like yew, it takes time to establish. In Japan (for example, at the Togakuin and Shiofune Kannon-ji temples), clipped Japanese azaleas form striking boules of vivid colour in spring and early summer. Both osmanthus and azaleas can be trimmed after flowering.

Finally, for undulating evergreen mounds that resemble curvaceous banks of green snow, Wilson's honeysuckle is a great choice, and the topiary gurus at Architectural Plants recommend Baccharis patagonica.

Mixed hedging is the most modern form of hedge. Its variety provides an abundance for wildlife, including nesting, shelter, and food for birds, and nectar for pollinators; it offers interest all year, having spring blossom, summer flowers, fiery autumn leaves and berries, and evergreen colour in winter; plus, it's more exciting than a standard uniform hedge. The contrast of different textures, colours, and foliage shapes side by side is wonderful when clipped, and, over the years, the plants grow into and around one another, creating a living tapestry. This is standard practice in Japan, where different shrubs are often mixed and hard pruned into hedging. You can use deciduous plants (such as dog rose, hawthorn, Burkwood viburnum, hazel, copper beech, and field maple), interspersed with evergreens (for instance, golden privet, late cotoneaster, firethorn, Portugal laurel, and conifers). If winter structure or privacy is your main priority, a mixed hedge is best dominated by evergreens or deciduous plants that retain their leaves in winter (such as beech). The obvious boon of mixed hedging is that – unlike a mono-planting – if disease hits, only one plant need be removed, rather than the whole thing!

Low hedging is excellent for edging borders and for adding structure. Box (Buxus sempervirens) is the traditional choice, but can succumb to box blight. Thankfully, there are lots of alternative plants available, including Podocarpus nivalis, Euonymus japonicus 'Microphyllus', and Lonicera ligustrina var. yunnanensis 'Maigrün'. For a golden hedge, go for Ligustrum sinense 'Sunshine' or Podocarpus totara 'Aureus'. Barberries (Berberis) can also be excellent box lookalikes and offer a range of leaf colours: 'Nana' and 'Fireball' are beetroot-purple and red. Where the mini hedge is to line a path, opt for something fragrant, so that ankles brushing past will release the scent onto the air: lavender, rosemary, or – in mild areas – myrtle (Myrtus communis); all three have flowers, as well as aromatic leaves. Another great flowering hedge, which can be used to substitute box, is Rhododendron Bloombux. Trim after flowering.

Clipping varies from plant to plant, according to its speed of growth. For instance, box, privet, and Wilson's honeysuckle can be clipped twice or thrice in a growing season, whilst holly, beech, and late cotoneaster usually only need one cut. In general, it's best to trim box and yew topiary and hedging in early or late summer or both. If birds are nesting in the plant, wait until August or September. Search for your hedging or topiary plant in the RHS Plantfinder to discover which Pruning Group it belongs to, which will tell you when it needs a haircut.