How to Make Live Topiaries

Ivy is a suitable plant for your first topiary.

Topiaries are trees or plants that are trimmed or trained to grow into a shape. These shapes can be as simple as a circle or as complex as animals. Topiaries have been around since Roman times, but reached the height of their popularity in 16th-century Europe. Although they originally used trees or shrubs, today it is common to see potted plants trained to grow in various shapes. Fast-growing plants with columnar growth, like rosemary or boxwood, or plants that put out runners, like ivy, are the best candidates for topiaries. Ivy is good choice for beginners.

Things You'll Need

• Wire coat hanger
• Pliers
• Pot
• Potting soil
• Ivy plants
• Floral wire
• Scissors
• 1/4-inch wooden dowel, 8 inches long
• Foam form
• Floral pins

Instructions

Wire-Frame Topiary

1. Make a form with a wire coat hanger. Bend the hook of the coat hanger until it is straight, using pliers. Bend the rest of the hanger into the shape you want for your topiary. Keep the shape simple, such as a circle, cone or heart.

2. Pot a full-grown ivy plant with trailing runners in a pot large enough to accommodate the plant and the wire frame. Fill the pot with good-quality potting soil.

3. Place the form directly into the center of the pot, sticking the long, straight part into the soil. Wire the base of the form to the 1/4-inch-diameter wooden dowel for added stability if necessary.

4. Wrap one of the trailing runners around the base of the topiary frame, then up to the beginning of the topiary shape. Secure it gently in place with floral wire.

5. Continue the same runner up the right side of the shape, wrapping it around the form and wiring it in place every two inches. Leave 1 inch of the end of the ivy free.

6. Begin wrapping the next trailing runner. Pull this one up to the start of the shape, wiring it gently to the base on the way up. Wrap the runner around the left side of the shape, fastening it with wire every two inches.

7. Wrap the rest of the trailing runners around the form in the same way, one at a time. Alternate between the left and right sides of the form and wire the ivy in place every two inches.

8. Continue wrapping and fastening the ivy runners as they grow. When the plant reaches the top of the form, wrap the runners across the top, then back down the form on the opposite side.

Foam-Form Topiary

1. Purchase a foam form the size you want your topiary to be. Find a pot big enough to hold the form and several small ivy plants. Fill the pot with good-quality potting soil.

2. Stick a 1/4-inch-diameter wood dowel into the center of the bottom of the foam form. Leave about 4 inches of the dowel sticking out. Place the exposed end of the dowel in the soil in the center of the pot. Plant the ivy plants around the form.

3. Wrap the trailing ends of each ivy plant from the bottom of the form to the top. Cover as much of the form as possible. Secure the plant to the form with floral pins every two or three inches.

4. Continue wrapping until all the trailing ends are wrapped around the form. Wrap and pin the ivy as it grows, until the whole form is covered. Adjust the tendrils to cover any empty spaces where the form shows through.

5. Prune and pinch back new growth once the form is covered, to encourage the plant to keep the desired shape.

Tips & Warnings

• Once you have mastered the art of making ivy topiaries, it is much easier to move on to making outdoor topiaries from shrubs using cages. Many of the techniques are similar