While guiding the template around the boxwood, you will have the appropriate size for cutting the plant. Mary Lougee has been writing for over 10 years. Shaping topiary is a fun and inexpensive way to create year-round interest in the garden. Pour 1 part bleach and 3 parts water in a bucket. These new shoots can then be cut in midsummer to create a well-defined surface in whatever shape you wish. If you haven’t tried topiary before, making box balls is a great way to start. The formal shapes contrast dramatically with flowers in summer, and bring structure, style and form to winter gardens. Dear Expert, how can I shape a boxwood into a ball? Add 1/2 inch to the measurement. Press the legs into the ground with the circle on one side of the bush. Bring the two loose ends of wire together and twist them tightly with pliers. These evergreens have small leaves, and they grow slowly and densely which makes them a perfect blank canvas for trimming into anything. © Copyright 2020 Hearst Communications, Inc. Store your wire frame in a dry area such as a garage or garden shed to prevent rust and use again to maintain the size and shape of your bush. Buxus Sempervirens ‘Elegans’ – Mottled-leaf boxwood with a conical shape. Cut a piece of baling wire with wire cutters to the size plus 1/2 inch. Many thanks for your answer in advance. Step back a few paces, observe any pieces protruding from the ball shape, and snip them off on all sides of the shrub. Feb 20, 2017 - How to Make a Bush Shaped as a Ball With Trimming. Wrap the tip around to the length to form a circle in the approximate size to which you want to trim your bush or shrub. The sprigs should be even in length, about 3-5 inches, to create a consistently round shape when finished. Usually, you begin shaping the boxwood with a much smaller plant than the desired ball diameter for later on. Stretch a measuring tape on each side of the circle from the 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock position to the ground. She holds a Bachelor's Degree with a major in Management and a double minor in accounting and computer science. The formal shapes contrast dramatically with flowers in summer, and bring structure, style and form to winter gardens. In the phase of making the ball larger, use two branch lengths per year: The first shaping follows the beginning / middle June plus subsequent light fertilising of the … Small-leaved plants like boxwood hedges work well for designs. Buxus Sempervirens ‘Arborescens’ – An ideal boxwood to shape balls or cones. Buxus Sempervirens ‘Pyramidalis’ – It grows into an interesting pyramid-like shape, and is very hardy. This solid wire frame is the best way to keep Your boxwood in perfect round shape. Not to mention, they don't require as much maintenance to keep their shape as other types. Boxwood, ivy, privet, and yew are the most popular shrubs to shape into topiary forms. Form the wire into a circle with your hands and pliers. You can train climbing greenery sprigs to cover topiary frames in many shapes. Lay a cloth measuring tape on a flat surface. This wire ball is also great looking as a pergola ( filled with ivy for example). To add even more variation to the look of the ball, I chose a stem of what looked like variegated boxwood again, found at Hobby Lobby. Never remove more than two-thirds of a branching system in a year. Hold the circle next to your bush with the top where you want the top of the ball to be. You can cut an existing bush into a ball shape, maintain it in size, and shape it when you make a round topiary frame from wire to use as a guide in pruning. Would you like to know where to find GARDENA products? This will encourage the development of side shoots. Continue trimming until you trim all sides of the bush into a ball. The best time to trim box topiary is late spring. Topiaries can even be shaped into animals or objects. Attach each piece at the 3 and 9 o'clock areas on the circle and twist the wire. They need regular pruning, feeding and watering to keep them in optimal condition. Make the twisted end the bottom of the circle. Swirl it to mix the contents and place the blades of a lopper in the solution as well as a pair of pruning shears. This template should reach from the bottom pot edge or bottom of the bed to the “north pole” of the boxwood ball to be cut. Add 6 inches to the measurements and cut two pieces of wire in this size. How to trim a box shrub into a ball in under 2 ... - YouTube Getting easy access to all sides of the hedge plant is the key to spherical shrubbery success so … Cut it apart in the same way I had the prior stems and add them to the Styrofoam ball. Step 1 - Choose a Shape Such evergreen plants as conifers make good topiaries because the plant retains its leaves and, therefore, its shape all year long. You can cut an existing bush into a ball shape, maintain it in size, and shape it when you make a .… Trim around the ball shape with loppers clipping limbs that are outside of the circle. Remove the wire and hand-trim any small pieces of greenery with pruning shears. After securing the ribbon, insert the boxwood sprigs into the Styrofoam ball. Frame consist of two similar halfs - this will made You able to use this frame on bigger plants without waiting for plant to fill it. Only a few people manage this freehand, Ms. T., therefore, I would advise that you make a semi-circle template from sturdy carton in the desired ball size. If you haven’t tried topiary before, making box balls is a great way to start. Box is an incredibly versatile plant that is perfect for trimming into topiary shapes, including balls, spirals and much more.. To make ball topiary, trim your hedge into a rough ball shape first, and then take smaller cuts from all angles and keep checking the appearance to work into a round shape. Topiaries can be simple geometric shapes like a sphere or more complicated such as spirals. Topiaries express a unique personality in a lawn or garden for a visually appealing sight. Topiaries express a unique personality in a lawn or garden for a visually appealing sight. Shaping topiary is a fun and inexpensive way to create year-round interest in the garden. Get tips and tricks how to clever water with GARDENA. University of Florida IFAS Extension: Disinfecting Pruning Tools, Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service: Pruning Ornamental Trees, Shrubs, and Vines, University of California Tulare and Kings Master Gardeners: Landscape Trees and Shrubs, Colorado State University Extension: Pruning Flowering Shrubs. Copyright © 2008-2020 GARDENA, All rights reserved, Product registration / Warranty extension. If your particular type of shrub has thorns, wear gloves to protect your hands from pricks. Allow the tools to soak for five minutes to disinfect them and wipe them dry with a towel. Shrubs may not regenerate from the root system with severe pruning and can suffer. You can train climbing greenery sprigs to cover topiary frames in many shapes. Rotate the wire shape about 45 degrees and trim in that area of the bush. You can cut an existing bush into a ball shape, maintain it in size, and shape it when you make a round topiary frame from wire to use as a guide in pruning. This way, the ball shape is achieved faster and the following year, it is already a small thick ball so that you only need to cut evenly. The sprigs should be placed as close together as possible to create a full shape and to prevent seeing any white from the Styrofoam ball. And let’s add some variety to our fake boxwood topiary! Smart tip about boxwood Keep in mind that topiary is ephemeral and will need attention if you want your plant to maintain its shape. You'll also need to carefully consider where you place your topiary ball. Make sure the stems are inserted fully into the Styrofoam. The wind is its worst enemy so find a protected spot with plenty of light. She loves writing about careers for busy families as well as family oriented planning, meals and activities for all ages. Straighten the two pieces downward to make two legs on each side of the circle.