• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
fine craft guild logo 2017 - knitting and more

Fine Craft Guild

Knitting & More

  • PATTERNS
  • KNITTING
  • CROCHET +
    • Crochet Patterns
    • Sewing Patterns
    • Quilting Patterns
  • RECIPES
  • CRAFTS
    • Decorating
    • DIY Furniture
    • Paper Crafts
    • DIY Storage/Organizers
    • Cool Crafts for Kids
  • DIY GIFTS

How to Make a Topiary

You are here: Home / EASY CRAFTS / How to Make a Topiary

January 24, 2012 By Rose Fine Crafts 1 Comment

Lets make a topiary. I will show you how.

It is winter and not much creative gardening going on besides making winter veggies and protecting whatever you planted from frost. It is however a time that in Italy, the olive farmers clip their olive trees again, and loads of free branches are to be had. And we can have fun with those branches, yessery!

Topiaries, or natural garden sculptures, can be quite expensive. But if  you make your own, you realize you can make a thousand for the price of one store-bought sculptured plant.  The secret: patience, a bit of ingenuity, and those olive tree branches. Because these branches make great topiary frames!

Step-by-step Topiary Making Instructions

STEP 1.

How to make a topiary

Start with some ivy.  Purchasing a plant with at least two long trails of leaves, or taking a clipping with roots and trails from a plant you already have.   Ivy is pretty cheap at the moment. I think I paid $1.95 for a nice plant a couple of trails of ivy leaves.

STEP 2.

How to make a topiary

Hop over to your nearby olive farm (I did the first year we were here), or clip your own olive trees (I did the second year) for a bunch of the thinner branches.  Take all the leaves off.

Weave the olive tree branches into a circle, till your base wreath looks like photo #2 above.

Do not make it too heavy with too many branches, although you could add a few more branches than I have used here if you wish, as it will make your topiary look fuller from the start.

You want to create a topiary frame that’s stable. That’s the most important criteria.

No olive trees nearby? LOL. Of course, most of us are not near olive treest. So what you can use instead are other thin branches from your garden or local park (if allowed).

I prefer to inspire you to create all-natural, upcycling crafts. But, if you must buy something, ..ere are topiary frames for purchase for excellent prices, most made of a metal shape with a chicken-wire body.

What we are doing today is pretty simple and straight forward. If you however want to make a topiary heart shape, well, than I highly recommend you purchase a topiary heart frame .

This one here is only US$ 6.80, which seems inexpensive.

I’ll talk more about special topiary forms later, as I have some amazing topiary garden photos to show you of the most amazing living sculptures. But for now, we do an easy home decorating project…

STEP 3.

How to make a topiary

Now here comes the secret to making olive tree branches work as topiary form:

  • Cut a piece of approx. 10 inches of metal garden or florist wire.
  • Leaving an approx. 3-4″ tail on either side, wrap it around 3 inches worth of your handmade circle form.   This section will be the bottom of your topiary form.
  • Stick the two tails into the earth of your pot with ivy. This holds your wreath in place.  

Have a look at the photo with the heart topiary form above and note the two tails or pins sticking out at the bottom. You want to create these kind of pins with your florist wire.

STEP 4.

How to make a topiary

Next, take one of the longs trails of ivy leaves and weave these around one side of the wreath form.  Take the second and or third trails of leaves and fold them around the wreath going into the other directions. They will overlap with the first trail around the top of the wreath. Make sure it’s even and full all over.

STEP 5.

How to make a topiary

Add some plant food to stimulate your ivy into growing a bit faster and fuller, and you’re done.  

Easy enough, right?

Now go find 10 minutes to do this creative DIY project, because that’s all that it will take you to make your own topiary! Yes, really.

Other Garden, Porch & Plant Craft / DIY Projects

  • Garden DIY & Garden Craft
  • Recycle Shoe Mini-Garden
  • How to Make Succulent Wreaths
  • DIY Cool Outdoor Shower
  • Reversible Garden Blanket
  • Adirondack Deck Chairs
  • Lawn or Beach Chairs
  • Garden Bench
  • Recycled Tire Swing
  • Hammock & Garden Umbrella
  • Beach in a Pot

Filed Under: EASY CRAFTS, FREE TUTORIALS, Garden Crafts Tagged With: topiaries, wreaths



Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kristen & Jen says

    January 24, 2012 at 2:25 pm

    *TIME SENSITIVE* Greetings from Kristen Welch and Jen De Groot. We’re compiling the best tips submitted to Works for Me Wednesday into an e-book and would love to include you. Please contact us as soon as possible for more details. Thanks!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

Primary Sidebar

NOT-SO-DAILY NEWSLETTER

I don’t send emails often, but when I do, they’re worth a read. Sign up for my newsletter with craft & DIY projects, tips and tricks. They're eco, seasonal, fun, beautiful and easy.


Enjoy 1500+ easy, fun, beautiful, and eco-friendly home decor, DIY and craft projects, for you, the family and friends. Lots of knitting, crochet + more.


Fur pompom hat knitting patternPlease check out my new patterns in the pattern shop. I always have a new, free or promotional pattern.

New Projects

  • Mood-lifting DIY Projects
  • DIY Zafu with Buckwheat Hulls
  • How to Wear a Triangle Shawl – 5 Ways to Wrap Your Knitwear
  • How to Knit Smooth Edges – Selvage Edge Stitch Knitting Tutorial
  • Last-Minute Free Holiday Cards
  • Granny Square Fingerless Mittens
  • Easy Afghan Blanket Crochet Patterns – gorgeous free lattice design
  • DIY Santa Advent Calendar Knitting Project
  • Happy Thanksgiving 2020
  • DIY Hoop Wreath
  • DIY Halloween Spider Headpiece
  • Halloween Garden Chicken Wire Ghost: Awesome Sculpture Tutorial
  • Easy Light Switch Upgrade DIY that’s Simple and Elegant
  • How to Make an Embellished Recycled Sweater Blanket
knitpicks

Tags

(Craft) Storage + Organizer Animal crafts Anthropologie Back to school Bags beach decor bedroom bracelets butterfly Cardigan Christmas cards & decorations cookie recipes cool crafts for kids Crafts w/ Recycled Materials craft tools decorative pillows Digital art & design DIY Bathrooms DIY Jewelry DIY Tutorial Craft Party DIY Valentines Day Cards - Gifts dressers Easter Crafts Easter eggs Fall Fathers day gifts flowers Halloween heart jewelry making kids furniture Lounge lounge mothers day gift ideas necklaces New Year Outdoor furniture party recycled furniture SEASONAL CRAFT summer dresses Summer Living Thanksgiving craft Wood wreaths
Ready to start a knitting project?

Or crochet? It all begins with getting a pattern

Buy a Pattern

Footer

About FCG - knitting & more

Sitemap

  • Home
  • Contact
  • Blog
Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
Advertising

Hello There!

From seasonal clothing to home decor ideas, you will find it all here at Fine Craft Guild.

The site is full of free ideas and tutorials, inexpensive patterns and, I hope, plenty of inspiration. Please hang out with me awhile and check it out!

Rose

(& Michael behind the scene ;-)

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2021 FineCraftGuild – owned & operated by Aryta Ltd.
All rights reserved.