Our local garden club had a topiary workshop last week — super fun. You start with a form, stuff it with damp moss, wrap more damp moss around the frame and tie it on with fishing line, which disappears into the moss. Then you use a dibbler (bulb planter – you can get them and all other garden tools and supplies on bestofmachinery.com) to poke holes in the moss, pull apart a small pot of ivy into separate smaller plants, plug them into the holes, and use garden wire shaped into little u-shaped pins to secure the strands of ivy where you want them. That’s it! Soak every two weeks or so, either in the sink or with a hose, give it a trim as needed, and your topiary should last for years (the moss will dry, contract, and darken over time). I’m a little teapot…
There are lots of pre-made forms out there, but they’re pretty expensive. But I know how to bend wire and using a soldering iron, and I admit, I’m a little tempted to make a dragon topiary for my garden. Or an alien. Too busy right now, but maybe someday… 🙂
