This guy locally is selling various nicely pruned topiary type bushes / trees.... ex hollywood junipers, spiral cypress, etc... but he's charging about $1500 per plant stating the price is high because of the maturity of the trees. There's a nicely pruned blue spruce that I'm in love with that he says is 20+ yrs old that he is asking $3500 for. I'm a novice and not sure if I'm getting ripped off, but I haven't found any specimens that look like his anywhere else locally. I mean I see smaller versions of these going for $100 at home depot. He also says that you have to "train" these trees/bushes to look like this from their youth, that it is hard to buy an adult and prune it out this well. Is this true? Thoughts? spirals ( photo / image / picture from mizzles's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from mizzles's Garden ) ( photo / image / picture from mizzles's Garden )
I don't know if the price is fair or not. I've never bought anything like this myself but I think he's right when he says: "you have to "train" these trees/bushes to look like this from their youth, that it is hard to buy an adult and prune it out this well." Is it possible for you to compare prices with anyone else offering these types of topiary trees? I know that some bonsai trees that are very old, and shaped, can sell for very high prices.
I have seen a couple of gardening programs that showed the process for training those sculpted trees and they do have to start on young trees and it is a continuing process over many, many years. You need to do some online searching for others who create and sell the trees and compare prices. But remember that if you buy online you don't get to see the quality of the tree and choose your tree in person and you have to pay an enormous amount of money for shipping and then find someone knowledgable to plant it properly in your yard. So cheaper online plus shipping and not seeing your tree until it gets there could turn out to be a bad deal. You could ask the seller for names of some of his customers and get referrences from them about the quality and prices. Also, the price could include his services, as needed, to keep the tree in shape. Those have to be regularly pruned and unless you have been trained to do that you will need it done for you. I don't know if they will continue to get larger but if they do you will need his services to maintain that shape. Does the price include a money back guarantee or replacement if the tree is damaged when it is dug up from his location and fails to thrive or outright dies as result?
Thanks for the responses. No, the price is only for the price of the tree, without warranty. Installation + warranty is more. I have looked around at many nurseries but haven't found anything like these to compare, but I am continuing to look.
I say get a good quality topiary book and learn to do it yourself. That is unless you have hundreds to spend a year to have them groomed and maintained. I have heard hollywood rates as high as $150 an hour for topiary work. I have seen "similar" trees localy for under $200. They were not labeled hollywood trees that's for sure. They were not the same shapes but did have similar styles of pruning. I have also those special labeled trees sell for $5-7K in Texas so who knows. Do your research, know everything you need to know and don't go into buying something like this blind. Used cars aren't the only thing that dealers will try to rip you off when selling it to you.
