Topiaries are the perfect way to add a little sophistication and character to gardens. With fancy creatures or symmetrical figures, you can beautify any garden. Per the Wikipedia definition, a Topiary is a horticultural practice of training perennial plants by clipping the foliage and twigs of trees, shrubs and subshrubs to develop and maintain clearly defined shapes, whether geometric or fanciful.

Topiary was the favorite horticultural technique in the Middle Ages. But, it’s still popular to this very day, there are creations that resemble everything from Disney characters to mushrooms and architectural sculptures.

Let’s take a look at some gorgeous examples of topiary gardens that can be found on the internet.  You can take some inspiration for your own garden and experiment with these wonderful horticultural techniques.

Photo Architectural Digest

These stone dogs were carved by the French artist Jacques Sarazin in the 17th century. They overlook a lawn that is dotted with topiaries in the garden of fashion designer Valentino Garavani. His 17th-century residence is outside of Paris at the Château de Wideville.

Photo: Richard Felber

The estate of Cil Draime and her late husband, Max, can be found in northeastern Ohio. They created a setting that looks like a park and stretches over ten acres, it is also accompanied by a small lake and seven smaller ponds. The trees in this topiary garden are trimmed twice every year.

Photo: Eric Piasecki

This pool house garden in Southampton, New York was created by landscape designer Charles Stick. Which was also made by Stick with the help of architect Charles Muse. The sheep sculptures were made by François-Xavier Lalanne.

Photo: Pieter Estersohn

The lattice wallcoverings by Gracie were painted by hand for this sunroom in this home in Richmond, Virginia. The greenery of the topiary plants provides a perfect contrast to the wallcoverings for a unique designed backdrop.

The home is decorated by Bunny Williams in a Georgian style. The topiary on the left is planted in a Treillage antique urn. The painted shell-back chairs are from John Rosselli Antiques, while the dining table is from the 19th century.

Photo: Roger Davies

This is a 1920s home that can be found in the San Francisco area. There are boxwood hedges that line a path throughout the garden, and they were updated by Strata Landscape Architecture.

Photo: Eric Sander

This garden belongs to Prince Stanislas Poniatowski and features an heirloom stone basin in the center of it. It was designed by Louis Benech and it can be found in Cernay, a French village.