South Carolina topiary artist Mike Gibson wields his shears like a sacred brush, honoring a “God-given” gift to sculpt nature’s beauty and transform the world into a living masterpiece.
Story by Sheryl Nance-Nash, Photos by Tanya Ackerman
While most kids were glued to cartoons, topiary master Michael P. Gibson was wandering the halls of a fine arts museum in Youngstown, Ohio, studying the works of Monet and Renoir alongside his father.
“Early on, I knew I wanted to be an artist like my father, I just didn’t know what the medium would be,” says Mike, who taught himself how to draw by checking out books from the library.
Unbeknownst to him, the path had already been paved.
“As soon as I was walking, I was working in the yard with the rest of the crew — my three older sisters,” he recalls. “We had duties like holding the dustpan, keeping the bag open for dad, and putting tools in the garage.”
By the age of 7, Mike was strong enough to wield garden shears and quickly became familiar with the rhythm of pruning.
“I was determined to perfect the craft,” he says. “My father taught us to do things right the first time, so we didn’t have to do it again. He taught me how to prune.”
What began as a childhood chore soon became a passion.
“By 10, I loved it,” he says. “I kicked my sisters out. I told them, I’ll plant the flowers and cut the grass. I did the entire property.”
His skills sharpened so quickly that he started maintaining neighbors’ yards as well. From those early roots blossomed his lifelong calling: topiary — the art of sculpting trees and shrubs into living works of art. Today, Mike is owner of Gibson Works Property Art in Columbia, South Carolina, and a self-taught property artist and topiarist with more than 30 years of experience. He’s completed more than 700 topiary pieces across the United States while fulfilling his mission, “to use his God-given gift to beautify the world with topiary.”
“The art Michael creates is like none other. Each piece has an underlying meaning. He will not settle for less than perfection. He has an incredible ability to see the art in his mind before making it come to life,” says Katrina Quint, a horticulturist who recently collaborated with Mike on a project.
