How to Make a Topiary Tree Article

Follow the steps below and illustrations to make a star ivy ball topiary for for your home or garden. Substitute the star ivy with artificial star ivy vines for an indoor topiary display.

Creating an Ivy Topiary

Ivy topiaries do not need much water. Over watering could cause root rot and it will then die very quickly. When watering your topiary test how much the topiary weighs when full of water. When it seems lighter in weight, it needs to be watered. Do this by submerging the whole plant in water, leaves and all. Leave it for about one or two minutes, but no longer. This works especially well with forms that are made with moss.

To get started. Pick a topiary shape you want to create. This should be a plastic coated wire metal form. You can find them at most garden centers and craft stores.
To keep its shape, wind the new growth around the form and pinch off dried & dead leaves.
Ivy topiaries flourish in either bright or partially shady locations. Most varieties do not tolerate full sun.

Make a Wire Topiary Form

Topiary forms like these can be purchased at garden or crafts stores

Materials:

• Plastic coated 19-gauge electrical wire or wire coat hanger
• green sphagnum moss (optional for homemade forms)
• narrow-gauge spool wire
• pliers
• Decorative container

Steps:

1. Make a simple shape (fish, heart, star, etc.) using the plastic coated wire. Give the frame a wire stem with a forked base so that it easily sticks into the ivy plant .
2. If desired, wrap green sphagnum moss around the wire form. Wind spool wire around the moss and attach it to the frame.
3. To shape topiary out of a wire coat hanger, pull the hook straight. Bend the hanger into a simple form. Try a tulip by bending the ends of the hanger up and pulling the center up as well. Round out the sides.
4. Cover with moss as described above.

Make an Ivy Topiary

Materials:

• 4″ topiary plant (small leaf varieties work well with smaller topiary shapes)
• decorative container to fit the plant
• topiary form (homemade or from a store)

Steps:

1. Insert the ivy into the decorative container. Put topiary form into plant.
2. To wind the strands of ivy around the form, strip the leaves from the part of the ivy strand that will wrap around the stem of the form. Wind in only one direction. Leave the ivy leaves on the part of the strand where the shape begins.

Sensational Succulent Topiaries

Materials (this topiary stands approximately 12 inches tall):

• 4″ ivy plant
• decorative container to fit ivy
• ivy topiary form (ball or tree works best)
• about 15 Sempervivum succulent rosettes (for a ball form that is 6″ in diameter )
• floral greening pins
• green sphagnum moss
• decorative ribbon (optional)

Steps:

1. Place ivy plant in decorative container.
2. Insert roots of sempervivums between the wires of the topiary form. It is okay to push quite hard, as these are resilient. Insert/plant them next to each other to fill the entire form. When using small frames, no extra soil is required.
3. Use floral greening pins where necessary to keep the sempervivums in place.
4. Fill small gaps with moss.
5. After filling the entire form, insert it into the ivy plant.