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Indoor
Topiary
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If you’re thinking of topiary as a living sculpture
project, consider building a small-scale table top
topiary to try out a few of the techniques involved,
develop some of your ideas, and inspire enthusiasm
with the topic. Using common houseplants like ivy
and philodendron or fragrant herbs such as rosemary
and lavender you can create both two-dimensional and
three-dimensional topiaries.
Objectives
-
Becoming
familiar with topiary techniques on a small scale
before trying a bigger project.
-
Learn
to use tools and materials involved with topiary
like wire cutters, pliers, and sphagnum moss.
-
Understand
the horticultural requirements of this art form.
-
Try
out ideas for a larger, more complex project.
-
Use
your imagination!
Two-Dimensional
Topiary
In
2-D topiaries, plants are trained to a single-layer
(flat) wire frame.
Materials
-
-
Potting
soil
-
Light-gauge
wire or a wire coat hanger
-
Wire
cutters
-
Pliers
-
Florist
tape or twist ties
-
Plant(s):
try and ivy plant with two long, leafy stems
Time
Required
60 minutes
Directions
If you can grow a houseplant, you can grow a topiary!
Topiaries may require a little more attentive care
at first when it comes to watering but once established
are fairly easy to maintain.
-
Gather everything you need on a table or other work
surface.
- Using
the light-gauge wire or coat hanger and your pliers
and wire cutters, bend and twist the wire to create
a frame in the shape you’ve designed. Or, use
a pre-made frame.
-
Position and anchor your frame into the center of
your newly filled pot.
- Transplant
your ivy or other houseplant as desired in your pot
and water well.
-
Carefully
weave the stem or stems of your plant along your
frame.
- Use
florists tape or twist ties to secure the stem to
the frame.
Taking
care of your 2-D topiary is much like caring for a
houseplant. It will need the appropriate light, water,
and fertilization for the type of plant you’ve
chosen. As the plant grows, repeat steps 5 and 6 to
weave and secure new growth. If your topiary starts
looking a little shaggy and overgrown, simply trim
with scissors.
Going
further…
Nothing says you have to stay indoors with topiary.
Outdoor topiary utilizes the same techniques just
with different plant materials. Often the projects
are larger in scale but they don’t have to be.
Three-Dimensional
Topiary
In
3-D topiaries, a three-dimensional frame is stuffed
with sphagnum moss, which serves as the planting medium.
Plants are planting through the frame and into the
moss.
Materials
-
A
purchased 3-D topiary frame
or
-
Light
gauge wire or chicken wire to create your own frame
-
Wire
cutters and pliers (if making your own frame)
-
Sphagnum
moss
-
Tub
to soak moss in prior to working with it
-
Florist
tape or twist ties
-
Plants
(with 3-D topiary you may want to start with 2-3
plants
* look for plants in small, 4” pots with long
trailing stems
-
Clear
microfilament, e.g. fishing line
-
Fern pins or hair pins
Time
Required
1-2 hours
Directions
Making your own two-dimensional topiary frames is
quite easy and a lot simpler than making 3-D frames.
If you’re interested in making your own frames
rather then purchasing them, consider starting with
a 2-D project to get familiar with the wire and tools.
Preparing
the frame
- If
you’re making your own frame rather than using
a purchased one, decide on the shape and material
you’d like to use. Remember that if it’s
easy to recognize your shape (bird, bear, frog) looking
at the frame, the more recognizable your topiary will
be.
Note:
There are also 3-dimensional frames in simple shapes
such as spheres; a quick search on-line will show you
were you can purchase them inexpensively, particularly
if you purchase by the case.
There
are several approaches to making your own frame.
-
Free
Form: a free form shape will have a more casual,
less detailed appearance and is good for basic
shapes like spheres and cones or simple animal
shapes like a cat or dog’s head with ears.
In this method you use the materials at hand to
make a shape by trying things out and adjusting
as needed.
-
Wrap Around: in the wrap around method you’ll
need an object to base your frame on. People have
used stuffed animals, small garden statues, and
toys. The light-gauge wire or chicken wire is
wrapped around the object, hand pressed to reveal
the same details as the object before the object
is carefully removed.
-
Sculpt:
like the free form method you’ll be shaping
by hand. However, more attention is paid to detail
and may require cutting and reattaching wire in
certain places to achieve the desired effect.
- Estimate
the amount of sphagnum moss you’ll need to fill
the entire interior of your frame. Soak the sphagnum
moss until it’s soft and completely soaked.
This may take a while, at least an hour and sometimes
more depending on how much you’re using
-
While
the moss is soaking, make sure to water the plants
you’ll be using well in their existing pots.
Dry plants will have a harder time adjusting to
the new sphagnum moss growing medium. You’ll
want to let your plants sit at least an hour after
you’ve watered them before you begin transplanting
into your topiary.
Stuffing
the frame
- Start
stuffing the moss in the smaller areas of your frame
first, like legs, tails, or ears. Be sure to pack
it tightly and as evenly as possible. The moss will
shrink a bit when it dries and tightly packed areas
will better hold moisture.
- Using
clear microfilament, wind around the small areas as
you stuff them.
-
Next
stuff the larger areas of your frame in the same
way. This time, leave a few pockets where you anticipate
planting your plants. Again, use the microfilament,
winding often and tightly around the frame to keep
the moss in place.
Planting
the topiary
You want to plant your plants into the largest parts
of your frame, leading the trailing stems along the
frame and around smaller areas.
-
As
you remove the plants from their pots, try to leave
as much soil as possible around the roots. If the
roots and soil. If the roots and soil are too big
for the pockets you’ve created, gently remove
some of the soil until your root ball is small enough
to fit.
-
Be
sure that all roots are well within the moss and
covered completely by the moss and pack firmly.
- Lead
the trailing stems along the moss from where they
are planted to and around the smaller areas. Secure
the stems with fern or hair pins. Be sure that the
entire stem is pressed against the moss. Most plants
will develop roots at the points in which the stem
touches the damp moss. The roots grow into the moss,
anchoring your topiary event more.
- Take
a step back and look for any stray or large leaves
that detract from the shape you’re hoping for.
Trim the excess to give the shape you desire.
Caring
for your topiary
-
For
the first few days, keep your topiary in a shady
spot and using a spray bottle, mist with water 3-5
times daily. This will help the plants root and
get established.
- After
3-5 days, move your topiary to a spot where it will
get the appropriate amount of light.
- Watering
is very important because moss-filled forms dry out
easily. Mist with a spray bottle daily and soak in
a bucket or shower weekly.
- Pinch
new growth to promote side shoots, which can be woven
and pinned just the like the original plants.
- Trim
back any excess growth that detracts from the shape
you’re trying to achieve.
- Fertilize
with a water-soluble houseplant fertilizer as needed.
As
plants grow, simply attach the runners to the frame
using florist tape or twist ties until the sculpture
is covered to your satisfaction. If your sculpture
begins to look a little shaggy you can simply use
scissors to trim.
Houseplants for Indoor Topiaries
Ivy isn’t the only houseplant suitable for tabletop,
indoor topiaries. Look for plants with vining or creeping
characteristics or consider fragrant herbs such as
rosemary or lavender.
Aluminum
Plant - Pilea microphylla
Baby’s Tears - Helxine soleirolii
Columnea - Columnea species
Creeping Fig - Ficus pumila
Grape Ivy - Rhoicissus rhomboidea
Heart Leaf Philodendron - Philodendron scandens
Ivy - Hedera helix
Jasmine - Jasminum polyanthum
Lavender - Lavendula spp.
Pellionia - Perllionia pulchra
Pothos - Scindapsus aureus
Purple Velvet Plant - Gynura auranyiaca
Rosmary Vine - Ceropegia woodii
Scented Geranium - Pelargonium spp.
Sedums - Sedum species
Strawberry Begonia - Saxifraga stolonifera
Sweet Bay - Laurus nobilis
Wax Flower - Hoya carnosa
Going further…
The topiaries seen growing outdoors in gardens and
parks use a very similar method as the indoor topiaries.
They are just often bigger and utilize different plants.
Sculpting shrubs into shapes is another form of outdoor
topiary to explore.
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