DIY Boxwood Topiary

I’m so happy to have Miss Dru from Polkadot Poplars here with us today!  I love it when she comes to visit- she brings such fun projects to share!!

I’m especially in love with this adorable DIY Boxwood Topiary project it’s the perfect way to bring summer into your homes.

I won’t keep you waiting any longer…

I love the look of topiaries used in home décor. They add a touch of greenery that is different than your typical house plants. You can find artificial topiaries at many home décor stores, but my favorites are the live plants that I turn into topiaries. They are usually much cheaper to make, too. Here is one I’ve had for two years that started out pretty small and it continues to grow.

A Boxwood shrub is what’s generally used to make topiaries, but you can also form and shape Rosemary, Pine, and most other small shrubs. Each of these small plant were about $6.00.

If you want to make one or two for yourself here’s how I do mine:

• Look for a plant with a strong straight trunk and looks like it has enough greenery to start shaping into a ball. These are generally young plants so you might have to be mindful of their potential as they grow. They will eventually be large enough to form a really pretty top.
• I use a pair of garden scissors, but any kind of scissor will work. Starting at the bottom where the greenery begins clip the small branches. Be care when cutting larger branches as they may make up most of the greenery at the top. Continue trimming and cleaning up the main trunk of the plant. There may be more than one main trunk and that’s OK.

This is before I started trimming.

This is after I trimmed. It still needs to be shaped up and cleaned.

• Once the trunk is clean of any branches and leaves start shaping the top into a round shape. Because they are young it may take some time for them to fill in.
• At this point I like to re-pot them. Clay pots are my favorite for these. (See below on how I age them.) I also like to top the soil with a layer of moss.
• As they grow you will need to continue to shape and mold until it becomes the way you want it.

Boxwoods are slow growing plants so you won’t have to spend a lot of time trimming. They like the sun so place them in a well lit area and water them about once a week. I add fertilizer when I water once a month.

Here a quick way I use to age the look of a new clay pot:
Using tan and cream spray paints I lightly spray the pots here and there.

Using sand paper I sand the whole pot. Continue sanding in areas to give it a natural mineral aged look.

With a dry sponge brush I then lightly add dark green acrylic paint in a few places and sand. Some times I’ll even rub dirt and moss on the green paint while it’s still wet to give it an even more authentic look.
These topiaries go together pretty quickly and make a beautiful gift for anyone.  Give it a try.

Happy, Happy Friday!!

Much Love and Peace~

Dru and Ruthie