Stretching the term niwaki (literally garden tree) to its limit, here's a collection of pictures aimed to inspire. Crossing the boundaries between authentic Japanese pruning, western topiary, modern organic topiary, and all sorts of other stuff.
Images marked J are of my own work, usually down in Dorset.
All photography by me, unless mentioned. (If you're interested, I use a Nikon D200, usually with a 35mm lens, and a Ricoh GRD. I don't do much editing, but ocassionally jack the saturation up a bit)
Not really a blog, just a random trawl through the archives. Updated occassionally, new ones at the top.
Last updated: 20/06/08

© Jake Hobson 2008

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Remarkably wide spreading plane tree in Provence.
I imagine it's pollarded every year- this is September, so would be a full summer's growth. You see a lot of these flat, wide
trees in Provence and other parts of the Mediterranean, where their shade is essential in the summer, but not the winter.

These were taken on May 30th. This is Rob (and Darcey) who has so much box clipping to do, amongst other things, that electric hedge trimmers are the only answer- and he does a great job too. Personally I only use shears and topiary clippers, which I find give a better finish and are more enjoyable to use- but take longer.
We always try and get all the box clipping done by early June (traditionally Derby day was the day, June 7th this year.) By then the first flush of growth should have stopped- do them any earlier and it all just grows again immediately. Of course scorch is always a problem, and clipping on a cooler, cloudy day seems to help.

Here's the view last summer, towards the end of June:

Looks like it could be coniferous forest on a muntainside somewhere, but in fact it's the top of a yew tree (Taxus baccata Fastigiata) in a churchyard in Sussex. Nice, slightly Japanese sense of scale to it.

Quercus ilex outside the front of our old house in Chichester (above) and Phillyrea latifolia in the back garden (below)
They were just starting to take shape when we moved, wonder what they look like now... J.

Cupressus glabra. These were planted 16 years ago as small plants. Pruning began 7 years ago.
2 clips a year, one late May/early June, then another at the end of the summer. 8' tripod ladder, Tobisho tools.
That's me, by the way, Jake.
Photos by Keiko.

The pink sheet is covering a yucca, Ever tried removing cupressus clipping from a yuca?

My new secret weapon: Tobisho shears with curved blades. Coming soon!

Clipping the underbelly of each branch is vital, for the crisp outlines and dark negative spaces.

Cleaning up is always a bore. I always use sheets over other plants or gravel, but better still- get someone else to do it.

Finished, in the evening sun: new stone causeway, stone stacks and yew twmps.

One of my favourite gardens in Kyoto, Shisendo-in. Banks of clipped azaleas, nice old ladders. Clipped shapes, usually azalea but not always, as single plants or en masse, are known as karikomi.

Boggis and Bunce and Bean. Cupressus sempervirens in Tuscany. The one on the left must have been chopped in half or died back.