How to make a topiary – a tree of happiness with your own hands

How to make a topiary

Do-it-yourself topiary can be done by anyone who has a desire. It only at first glance it seems that you need to have a special talent. Such beauty decorates houses, apartments, summer cottages and everything your imagination is capable of..

Content

• Materials for work
• Tips for Making the Tree of Happiness
• Accessories
• Topiary Workshop

To make artificial topiary far easier than their green ancestors. As you know, relatives of modern miracle trees from the windowsill are living topiary cultures, which have been known since the time of the hanging gardens of Semiramis (IX century BC). To make a curly cut of plants in a summer cottage, you will need special skill, knowledge and practice. And everyone can “grow” their own tree of happiness from artificial materials.

Materials for work

Before you make a topiary with your own hands, you need to study its “anatomy”. And you can make it from a wide variety of natural and artificial materials. It all depends on what you want to display in your work. After all, a tree can serve as an imitation of a real plant or acquire fabulous shapes and colors. The sizes of the topiary can also be different: from a dwarf composition a la bonsai to a solid indoor tree in human height.

An interesting gift option is a topiary made from fresh fruits or sweets. Its only drawback is its fragility, but such a masterpiece is not created in order to decorate a bookshelf. An excellent decoration of the interior can be aromatic plant topiary. Such a handiwork not only decorates the room, but also fills it with pleasant smells.

The main materials for making a miracle tree:

• potty;
• ball for the crown;
• glue;
• stick for the trunk;
• cement (alabaster, gypsum);
• accessories for crown and wood base.

All these materials for the topiary are quite affordable and always on sale, and some of them can be made by yourself.

Tips for Making the Tree of Happiness

A pot is needed in order to “plant” a tree in it. Instead, you can use any other container: a glass jar, a cut plastic bottle, a wooden box for vegetables, etc. The main thing is to properly decorate the future pot: paint, cling with stones or cover with cloth. If you bought a ready-made flowerpot for flowers, most likely, the idea of ​​composition will have to be customized for it. And yet, when choosing a pot, you need to pay attention to its diameter, which should not exceed the diameter of the crown of the future tree.

Balls for crowns are also often made from improvised materials. You can, of course, use a rubber ball, but it will certainly lose shape when pierced. It is better to take a plastic, and even more conveniently, a foam ball. It is convenient to stick needles into it and floral arrangements are very durable. The simplest option is the basis for a paper topiary. Making it is simple: you need to take the paper, crumple it into a ball, wrap it with thread or cover with paste.

The stick for the trunk can be of different shapes, so it can be found among wooden branches and beautifully decorated with ribbons, rhinestones or simply painted in the desired color. The main thing is that before use, it is advisable to free the twig from pieces of bark and make it smooth with sandpaper. Other materials can also be used as a barrel, but keep in mind that the length of the stick should not be very small. A short tree leg can spoil the whole presentable appearance. Therefore, cut after measuring seven times, adding to the length of the barrel those centimeters that will be inside the ball and in the pot.

The glue is needed mainly for decorating the tree and the so-called soil from which the topiary will “grow”. Therefore, any universal glue is great. If your tree is huge and the decor is heavy, then stock up with liquid nails before making the topiary.

Cement, gypsum and alabaster are used to fill the pot and secure the tree trunk. A solution of any material is made of medium density, and you need to work with it very quickly. A pot with a hardened mortar will be quite heavy and will not allow itself to outweigh the ball-crown. But if the pot weighs a lot without cement, then you can use mounting foam instead of mortar.

Accessories

Unlike the above materials, accessories for the topiary can be varied, so they will be discussed separately. They are the main in the manufacture of a tree of happiness. These can be beads, pebbles, rhinestones, plastic insects, shells, coffee beans, ribbons, dried flowers and artificial flowers.

For the crown of the tree, flowers, nuts, coffee beans and dried fruits are most often used. The base is decorated with pebbles, rhinestones and beads. It is very important that everything is designed in the same style. For example, if a ball of topiary is glued over with shells and dried crabs, then the base also needs to be decorated in a marine spirit. Sprinkle it with small pebbles or line with dry algae, and wrap the pot with a piece of fishing net. Pearl beads for this style are also suitable, but they need to be interspersed pointwise. If your own imagination is not enough, do not be sad, they will help you design a topiary photo that will give you interesting ideas.

Most often you can find a topiary made of artificial flowers. Roses, daisies, violets and orchids look charming on any man-made ikebana, especially if they are diluted with beads and rhinestones. Accessories can be bought in stores, but it’s much more interesting to do everything yourself. Such flowers can be made from ribbons, paper or pieces of fabric. Ribbons of different widths are cut into squares, then the corners of the figure are removed and, depending on which flower you want to make, form petals.

For example, if it is a topiary of roses, then the edges of the petals are cauterized and assembled with a needle and thread into a single whole. Roses can be made in another way: the whole ribbon is bent in the middle and its two parts are alternately stacked on top of each other, and when everything is folded, you need to hold your fingers at the base of the future flower and pull on one end of the ribbon – that’s all, the rose is ready.

Flowers are attached to the ball-crown with sewing pins. If the pins are decorated with beads, then you need to pick them by tone. In the manufacture of coffee topiary, grains are attached with glue. In general, everyone does as they feel comfortable. The main thing is that your tree should look aesthetically pleasing. Use miniature paint and glue brushes.

Topiary Workshop

Now that you know what a topiary is, how to make it with your own hands, you can safely proceed to realize your little dream. You may like this activity so that it becomes your hobby and even makes a profit. In extreme cases, a tree of happiness can be made to present to friends and relatives. Good luck with your endeavors.!