Spiral topiaries make for an interesting focal point in the garden, whether planted directly in the ground or in a container. Unfortunately, one trip to the garden center and you'll realize that you will be paying dearly for these sculpted beauties. But armed with a little know-how and a lot of patience, you'll soon be admiring one of your own — and at a fraction of the cost!
What You Need
Materials
Cone-shaped evergreen (I used Dwarf Alberta Spruce)
Masking tape or ribbon
Tools
Pruning shears
Instructions
(Photos from left to right.)1. Finished topiary.
2. Gather your materials and find a stable surface to rest your plant. I find it easier to work at eye level.
3. Secure the tape around the top of the tree. Wind the tape around the tree, working from top to bottom, to mark the spiral shape you want. This will be your template for pruning, so it's best to take a step back and see if the shape is the way you want. It's best to not wind the tape too close together, either. Take your pruning shears and start pruning away the branches from the tree that follow the tape's path. Prune away the foliage, right down to the tree's trunk if necessary.
4. With the spiral now defined, remove the tape and clean up the area you trimmed back, further defining the spiral shape. To round out your shape, trim off about 1/2" of the outermost growth. If you like the present height of the tree, trim off the top to prevent it from growing taller.
5. Now is where your patience comes into play. For a true defined spiral, you'll need to wait for the tree to grow fuller and the shape to fill in. The finished topiary shown was shaped over a year ago. As you gradually maintain the shape of the tree (by pruning the new leggy growth that falls outside the shape), the tree will grow denser.
Additional Notes: After pruning your topiary, protect your tree from direct sunlight for a few weeks.
(Re-edited from a post originally published on 6.17.2010 - CM)
(Images: Kimberly Watson)
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This might be *perfect* for me! I have dwarf alberta spruces in my window boxes & have been trying to figure out the best way to keep them small! This might be just perfect!! THANK YOU!
http://www.cozylittlecave.com/2010/05/flowers.html
Quick question- how long did it take for them to look ...presentable? I'm trying to figure out if I can do this to trees I already have in our window boxes, or if I'll need to get new trees started and eventually replace them all. I'd prefer to use the ones already there! Thoughts on if it'll look awful?
really ???- I find this ugly and boring and not up to the apart. therapy standards.....
i want to make one in the shape of kissing giraffes! I love tacky Topiaries that are over the top....this one is just plain cheesy. I think they have to be completely ridiculous to work
since when are spiral topiaries cheesy or ugly?? Aren't they pretty classic/traditional formal landscaping staples?
@CozyLittleCave
>how long did it take for them to look ...presentable?
It depends on which plants you have. A good specimen of a dwarf boxwood probably no time.
But trees in window boxes? Sounds a bit dangerous to me.
the spiral topiary has totally jumped the shark. This would look great on a crackle finished tabletop in front of a sponge painted wall with a few antiqued books and other 'weathered' items. Hey, can I do this spiral topiary treatment to a plastic or silk plant?
I think photos 3 & 4 need to be swapped.