From AwayToGarden.com and RobinhoodRadio.com, this is AwayToGarden with Margaret Roach.

You're a weekly invitation to dig in and grow.

Today we're going to do some pruning, but not the same old straight forward kind.

Instead we're going to talk topiary and its transformative powers, not just on the

plant that is the subject that's getting clipped or on the garden that the living sculpture

will eventually adorn, but potentially on the creator too.

Topiary artist Mike Gibson is here to talk about the horticulture and the artistry and

what he does, and also about the therapeutic properties of making topiary.

More in a moment but first these messages.

Underwriting support for a Way to Garden provided by Colorblends Wholesale Flower Bulbs,

a third-generation bulb company offering top-sized flower bulbs directly to landscape professionals

and ambitious residential gardeners on the web, colorblends.com.

And by High Moeng Seeds, Wolcott Vermont, professional quality vegetable, flower, and herbal

seeds that are 100% organic and non-GMO project verified.

On the web, HighMoengSeeds.com.

And by Whiteflower Farm, offering a wide range of carefully selected and expertly grown garden plants.

On the web, whiteflowerfarm.com

Mike Gibson has been engaging with plants since childhood in Ohio.

Starting in late 2021, he contributed to the restoration of Pearl Friars famed Topiary Creations at the Pearl Friar Topiary Garden in South Carolina.

Mike now lives in Columbia, South Carolina, where he operates Gibson Works LLC. He was one of the experts profiled in Amy Stewart's 2024 book, The Tree Collectors,

has been featured on the HGTV show Clipped and is a popular lecturer and teacher of all things, Topiary.

Welcome, Mike. I'm so glad to meet you finally.

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