St Peters RC Church Hamilton

Winter topiary is such a beauty,

Statuesquely eye-catching.

And when frosty, definitely attention demanding.

It is not so much the colour, but the texture

Majestically stiff and starchy!

All upright growth appears to be on sentinel duty,

Standing to attention smartly.

Frost adds interest by a weave white and lacy.

Could any December garden be more pretty?

Low sunlight strikes the sculptured forms,

Well highlighting careful detail, worked cleverly

In the careful cut managed intricately.

And for anybody wishing for a scattering of snow already,

-For winter has only just begun, never late, never early-

Snow contrasts well with the topiary greenery.

Topiary has a place in garden design not occasionally,

Not randomly, but needs planning meticulously.

When this is accomplished, and the topiary does flourish

What interest it adds to a winter scene

Whether Jack Frost has been or not!

The neat style sits well against the trees and is complimentary,

As trees without leaves, stand out boldly.

Towering about the conical and spherical topiary,

The beauty of deciduous trees is offset readily.

Perhaps it is the contrast with neatness against liberty.

The backdrop of trees spread and sprawl,

Branching out from trunk to bough to twig widely,

As if wanting to provide a sheltering canopy,

To shield that garden below and yield opportunity

For hedges and edges to be marked out clearly if frosty.

The garden has taken on a nature at variance with summer,

When its detail and attraction is mainly colour.

Autumn took up the same happy refrain brightly.

But now, winter arriving is time for surviving.

No show of splendour in colour now.

But how attractive and interesting the garden can be

When interlaced with winter topiary,

With its cutting edge so fine, shaped attentively,

How wonderful that nature gifts so many an interesting feature.

I can only assume the Master Planner and Designer

Is skilful beyond our imagining or dreaming.

Luckily the evidence is there in the looking.

Winter topiary is a special God given beauty,

A real December blessing for any with eyes to see,

Minds to amaze and hearts to offer thanks and praise.

Any winter garden gets off to a splendid start

If boasting of topiary cut according to a talent given.

Then the rest of us should be most grateful

For the beauty we see so dramatically engineered,

A very valuable skill having clearly appeared.

Lord, formerly I did not like the formality of topiary, but I have changed! I think You opened my eyes to see Your given gift of skill to some gardeners. This makes me more appreciative, thank You. Please continue to open my eyes, mind and heart to the incredible wonders of Your creation. Amen.