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| The 15-Minute Topiary |
| Topiaries look like hard-to-pull-off designer creations, but everyone can make these dramatic arrangements by just following a few steps. |
| By Sarah Kinbar |
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photography: Robbie Caponetto
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Topiary. The word sounds buttoned-up, serious, even difficult. But don't shy away from our fresh take on a formal style—this is one of the simplest floral arrangements to design at home. The key to topiary is a foundation of clustered flowers or stones, with long stems rising from the center to show off seasonal blooms. For the most intense effect, choose bright, showy flowers to deck your table, mantel, or shelf—and since they’re so easy and inexpensive to create, make more than one. Three or more small topiaries staggered across a dining table give every guest something to gaze at and, if you're giving them as party favors, something to take home.
photography: Robbie Caponetto
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Gather all your supplies before you begin: container, floral foam, pins, knife, moss, dowels, fresh flowers, and ribbon.1. Start with a presoaked block of wet florist foam. Affix moistened sheet moss to the foam with florist pins, and place foam into a container.
photography: Robbie Caponetto
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2. Cut the stems of your towering flowers and secure them in the florist foam. We cut alliums to about 3-times the height of the vase. Other choices for the tall flowers include:
photography: Robbie Caponetto
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Cut the stems of the base flowers to about 1 or 2 inches. Choose a contrasting or complementary flower color for the base blooms. We used sturdy mums in a coordinating color for our topiary.
photography: Robbie Caponetto
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Push the base blooms into the florist foam. Buy enough flowers to pack the heads tightly around the base.
photography: Robbie Caponetto
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Push two vertical stakes in the foam base. The stakes can be anything from straight twigs to wooden dowels. Cut a crossbar just a little wider than the vertical stakes.
photography: Robbie Caponetto
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Tie the cross bar to the stakes with ribbon. Place the topiaries on
a dining table, side table, nightstand, or mantel. If you water daily, they'll last about a week.
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