Abstract:
The topiary form includes a wire frame having a predetermined shape. The wire frame includes two halves connected together by a plurality of hooks and loops or eyeholes. The two halves are pivotal on at least one of the hooked connections, allowing the halves to easily wrap around the topiary to be shaped and to be easily removed.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0001]    This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/282,955, filed Apr. 29, 2010. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
         [0003]    The present invention relates to horticultural accessories, and more particularly to a topiary form for creating uniformly shaped shrubs. 
         [0004]    2. DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART 
         [0005]    Many property owners prefer to have ornamental topiary on their property as part of the landscaping design, including plantings in the yards or the gardens. Such topiary provides aesthetic appeal enhancing property values as well as a reflection of the owner&#39;s moods or whims. While visually appealing, the task of making and maintaining such topiary can be very labor intensive, costly and prone to non-uniformity in the shapes of the bushes and shrubbery when performed by the average property owner. 
         [0006]    One of the solutions to the above involves using a preform topiary cage having a predetermined shape. The typical preform topiary cage tends to be open yet rigidly constructed so as to confine the growth of the bush into the shape, e.g., a wire mesh surrounding a frame. The preform cage is usually installed on the bush or shrub to be shaped in a semi-permanent manner with heavy gauge wire twist ties or screws. However, these types of fasteners tend to increase the difficulty in removing the cage. As a result, if the user desires to have several bushes with the same shape, then the user may deem it easier, despite the additional expenses, to use a plurality of cages instead of a single cage that can be used on each bush. Thus, it would be a benefit in the art of landscaping to provide an economical topiary shaping aid with features for easy installation, maintenance and uniform shaping of bushes and shrubs. 
         [0007]    Thus, a topiary form solving the aforementioned problems is desired. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0008]    The topiary form includes a wire frame having a predetermined shape. The wire frame includes two halves connected together by a plurality of hooks and loops. The two halves are pivotal on at least one of the hooked connections allowing the halves to easily wrap around the bush or shrub to be shaped, and to be easily removed. 
         [0009]    These and other features of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification and drawings. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0010]      FIG. 1  is an environmental, perspective view of a topiary form according to the present invention. 
           [0011]      FIG. 2  is a perspective view of the topiary form according to the present invention in an open state for installation. 
           [0012]      FIG. 3  is an enlarged, perspective view of the fasteners for the topiary form according to the present invention. 
       
    
    
       [0013]    Similar reference characters denote corresponding features consistently throughout the attached drawings. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
       [0014]    The present invention relates to a topiary form, generally referred to in the drawings by reference number  10 , for easy installation and removal of the same to facilitate shaping of a plurality of shrubbery S into the same shape. As shown in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the topiary form  10  includes a wire frame  11  having a particular shape. In the exemplary embodiment, the topiary form  10  is spherically shaped. The topiary form  10  may also include geometric, animal, plant or other shapes as desired. 
         [0015]    Two hemispherical halves  12 ,  14  define the spherical shape. The first hemispherical half  12  includes a top semicircular frame  16  and a bottom semicircular frame  18  with a plurality of arcuate wire members  20  spanning the top and bottom semicircular frames  16 ,  18 . Similarly, the second hemispherical half  14  includes a top semicircular frame  22  and a bottom semicircular frame  24  with a plurality of arcuate wire members  26  spanning the top and bottom semicircular frames  22 ,  24 . Both the wire members  20  and  26  define a substantial portion of the spherical shape. Similar construction may be used to define other desired shapes. The spacing between the wire members  20  and  26  is preferably wide so as to prevent bunching of the shrub S. 
         [0016]    To enable the first and second hemispherical halves  12 ,  14  to be detachably mounted to each other, the top and bottom semicircular frames  16 ,  18  include hooks  28  in the first hemispherical half  12  at the distal ends. The top and bottom semicircular frames  22 ,  24  in the second hemispherical half  14  include corresponding loops or eyeholes  30  at the respective distal ends. As shown in  FIG. 3 , the simple fastening facilitated by the hooks  28  and the eyeholes  30  permits easy assembly and disassembly of the topiary form  10 . 
         [0017]    The following describes how to use the topiary form  10 . In use, the two halves  12 ,  14  may be opened like a clam so the halves  12 ,  14  pivot about one pair of top and bottom hooked connections. A more preferable method is to open the halves  12 ,  14  about one of the lower hooked connections. Once opened, the topiary form  10  may be wrapped around the shrub or bush to be shaped and closed. With the preferred method, the topiary form  10  can be wrapped around the shrub from the bottom towards the top to follow the natural growth angles of branches, which results in an easier installation of the topiary form  10 . Preferably, the hooks  28  and eyeholes  30  each respectively project away from the corresponding end wire members. Thus, when the topiary form  10  is closed about the bush or shrub, the adjacent end wire members of each half of the frame are spaced apart so as to prevent pinching of branches of the shrub or bush. 
         [0018]    Once installed, the user may then trim around the topiary form  10  to obtain the desired shape. The topiary form  10  may be easily unhooked and installed in another shrub or bush to repeat the trimming process so that the same shape may be reproduced on a desired number of shrubs. Alternatively, the topiary form  10  may be installed on a shrub to guide or train the growth thereof into the desired shape. Additionally, it should be noted that, in addition to providing a form for trimming a bush or shrub into a desired topiary, the topiary form  10  further acts as a restrictive cage or frame for preventing unwanted growth of the shrub or bush, and to allow the shrub or bush to grow into a desired shape. 
         [0019]    It is to be noted that the topiary form  10  encompasses a variety of alternatives. For example, the topiary form  10  is preferably made from steel, but other materials, such as wood and plastic, may also be viable alternatives. The topiary frame  10  may also be coated with a weather-resistant layer or weatherproof paint to resist wear from the environment. 
         [0020]    It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, but encompasses any and all embodiments within the scope of the following claims.