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Pruning established bay trees for topiary

DevonianDevonian Posts: 176
in Tools and techniques
I have a question. Has anyone on here ever successfully pruned an established bay tree into topiary shapes? I have a row of 4-5 bays (each 5-6ft tall and with multiple stems, currently have leafy growth from top to bottom) which I'd like to prune into 'lollipop' shapes if at all possible. Because of the multiple stems I'm thinking this might take a few years to turn into something easy on the eye?

Posts

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    I don't think you could turn multi-stemmed bay trees into lollipops ... but I'd be quite excited to try cloud pruning them ... I think they could be fantastic 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    If they're young, whippy stems you can plait them together, strip the lower leaves and they will eventually fuse together after many years. 
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • DevonianDevonian Posts: 176
    Dovefromabove said:
    I don't think you could turn multi-stemmed bay trees into lollipops ... but I'd be quite excited to try cloud pruning them ... I think they could be fantastic 
    Just googled Cloud Pruning and I'm hooked! I've seen it with olive trees and didn't realise that's what the process is called, so I'll do a lot of research then have a try :)
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