Ivy Topiary

Do you ever have a duh moment?  That's what happened to me the other day when I read the December issue of Martha Stewart Living.  Andrew Beckman shows how to make absolutely gorgeous topiaries and recommends buying hanging baskets of ivy (this was my duh moment).  I never thought to use hanging baskets and so I decided that today was the day to try it.  I must admit, this is definitely the way to go.

To make 4 topiaries, divide your hanging basket into four equal parts.

Next place something over the hole in your pot to prevent soil from washing out of the bottom.  I usually keep pieces from broken pots to serve this purpose.

Next, start potting the ivy.  I add a sprinkle of Osmocote to everything.

For the forms, I use clothes hangers.  Just tweak them until you have the shape that you want.  I recommend using needle nose pliers to help with this step.  Then press the straightened hook part of the hanger into the soil until it is snug.  Don't worry, it doesn't have to be perfect.  If you want perfect topiary forms, check with your local garden shop.

Start wrapping the ivy clockwise around the form.  When you get to the end, give it a snip.  Do this until you have finished with all of the long strands.  I usually trim the short pieces that are left over.

To make the smaller circular topiary (shown below), I used this kind of clothes hanger.  When you take off the cardboard, there are hooks in each end that can be connected with needle nose pliers.

For the larger topiary, I used two regular clothes hangers, bending them into a triangular shape and placing the bases opposite each other in the pot.  Have I lost you yet?

 

Not bad for $15.00 huh?