Hi people...whew...glad i found this spot...i would consider myself a crafty person and this is going to be my first attempt at a topiary...maybe a dog...14" tall....anyways...read up on the sphagnum moss...and still have a few questions...it said to get it wet...pack in real tight in the ears, legs and etc....sew them up nice and tight...then it said...pack the moss on the outside of the body....hmm the inside part of the body gets NO moss??? or very little?? how can the ivy root real good with only a thin layer of moss on the body part???...then...next question...i have all the thorndale ivy that i want...very very plentiful...and for free...should you use a small leafed ivy for only a 14" dog? does the size of the leaves
make a difference on the size of the project?

thanks

lynne

Hi Lynne...I pack the body of my topiary with a mixture of one part soiless potting mix and 2 parts sphagnum moss. I pack the body but leave a hole to put the plant in and surround this with the mixture above. If you are not putting a central plant in the body of your topiary then pack the body as you did the rest of it and then poke holes to add the single stems and pack the mixture around the stems. If you are just using the moss that's ok too, but you will need to pack the body the same way. The general rule is the smaller the topiary the smaller the leaf size, with a larger leaf you can miss some of the detail. Good Luck and Have Fun!!!

See my photos of Portfolio at PhotoPoint

Let's see if this link works, It is a life size topiary of a woman we have come to call 'Buxom Bottom Busty Betty"
Sculpted from chicken wire in one saturday afternoon, planted with creeping fig.
There are two rebar stakes in side the chicken wire frame keeping her 'straight' ... At first we called her I-lean.