262 Landscape Design, Installation, and Management Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. The same plant can be applied to an inward facing vertical line as well. Ever- greens are commonly used as corner plantings because they provide foliage year-round and can be lightly pruned to maintain the pyramidal shape. Topiary A topiary is a shrub that has been pruned and sheared into an interest- ing shape or imaginative character. Strategic pruning is used to form the basic shape of a topiary. The early pruning is followed by repeated shearing until the plant has acquired the desired form. Topiaries need trimming or shearing on a regular basis to maintain their shape, Figure 10-29. Career Connection Brie Arthur, Garden Communicator Originally from southeastern Michigan, Brie Arthur is a home gardener, author, and communicator who discovered her love of horticulture through 4-H. She studied Landscape Design and Horticulture at Purdue University and initially worked as an estate gardener at the Montrose Gardens in Hillsborough, North Carolina. She spent more than a decade as a professional plant propagator at Plant Delights Nursery and Camellia Forest Nursery before transitioning her focus on Green Industry communications through writing, public speaking, film production, and consulting. She is a published author with her debut book, The Foodscape Revolution. As Vice President of Horticulture at Gardenuity, a direct to consumer on-line gardening company, Brie is able to use her plant knowledge and extensive grower network to reach consumers nationally. The goal of Gardenuity is to make growing herbs and vegetables as accessible as possible and to engage young customers by connecting growing plants to a healthy diet and clean living. In her role as a garden industry communicator, Brie is leading the national suburban Foodscape movement a model of community development that incorporates sustainable, local food production. She speaks internationally and is a correspondent on the PBS television show Growing a Greener World, sharing practical gardening advice from her one acre suburban foodscape. In 2017, Brie was awarded the first “Emerging Professional” distinction by the American Horticultural Society. Brie serves as GWA (Garden Writers of America) National Director of Region IV representing garden communicators across the southeast United States. As a founding member of Emergent: A Group for Growing Professionals, she encourages an open dialogue and networking opportunities between seasoned professionals and rising green industry members. She sits on the Executive Committee for the International Plant Propagators Southern Region and is on the board of directors for the North Carolina Botanical Garden Foundation. “Working in the realm of garden industry communications has been an amazing transition in my career. I have control of my schedule, my pay rates, and am able to travel across the United States and beyond inspiring others to embrace the hobby of growing plants.” —Brie Arthur Consider This 1. Brie Arthur has held many positions in the green industry. In what ways did each experience contribute to the following position? 2. What types of personal goals would you set for yourself to follow a path similar to Brie’s? 3. In what special niche of the green industry are you interested? Brie Arthur