The word topiary brings thoughts of trees and shrubs trimmed into round or fancy designs. But you can create a long-lasting dried flower topiary quickly and easily with dried flowers.

If you have flowers that are too small to be used for an arrangement, don’t throw them out. They are the perfect size for creating a topiary. This topiary includes a variety of different kinds of flowers: tansy, yarrow, miniature roses, wild marjoram, hydrangea, zinnia, winged everlasting and boxwood leaves scattered throughout. Using whatever flowers you have will make your topiary unique and special to you.

A terra cotta pot holds this topiary; but any kind of container can be used, such as a basket or even a ceramic dish. When choosing a foam ball, keep in mind that the flowers will add at least two more inches to the size. If the foam ball you are using is white, painting it green will help it blend in with the plant material.

The stem can be created from a variety of objects, such as a painted dowel or a tree branch. For this topiary I used branches that were trimmed from a crabapple tree. If you are using a multi-stem trunk, like in this topiary, tying them together makes it easier to work with. Insert one end of the stem into the foam ball and hot glue it into place. The weight of your decorated ball and container will determine how you secure the other end of the stem. If the container is heavy, like this terra cotta pot, foam works well to hold the stem. If the container is too light, you will have to add some weight to prevent the topiary from tipping over.

Now you are ready to add the flowers. Start by adding them at the top of the foam ball and ending at the stem. When you are finished with the flowers, place moss over the top of the container and hot glue into place.

Have fun and enjoy your beautiful dried flower topiary!

If you give this tutorial a try, be sure to share a photo with us via email. We would love to see!