Booklist Review

Here are detailed instructions for creating 25 topiary designs from readily available plants such as rosemary, boxwood, corn, jasmine, lavender, and ivy, and the leaves of magnolia, oak, and beech trees. With each project Jones lists the ingredients needed, along with instructions on maintaining the sculpture. Jones divides these designs into cube and square shapes, spirals and cones, spheres and circles, and freeform displays. Introductory chapters give information on selecting and using materials and equipment, making wire frames, repotting, preservation, and choosing containers. There is a directory of about 65 living and dried plants that can be used for indoor topiary. Some of the projects are relatively simple, others more complex. There are four-color photographs throughout the text. --George Cohen