Topiary Ball Directions

Specifically shaped trees and hedges have adorned the front of homes, buildings and gardens since ancient Greece and Rome. Once a symbol of power and status, these plants and bushes can take the form of animals, people and inanimate objects. The art of trimming plants into these shapes is called topiary. If you have your own topiary trees and are looking for a traditional design, the spiral with the ball on top is a basic design that can add style to your garden.

Long-handled shears
String
Topiary shears
Template
Cleaner

Instructions

- 1
  Explore the plant until you find the main growing point, or the central stalk of the plant. All of your trimming and topiary work will extend downward from this point.
- 2
  Stand on one side of the plant and look down over the top of the plant to the other side. Trim the tree into a general cone shape, removing any excessive growth, using long-handled shears. Leave the top 12 to 15 inches of the plant long, so that you can shape it into a ball.
- 3
  Start at the base of the tree. Wrap a piece of string or yarn around the tree, forming a spiral. The length of the spiral will vary from tree to tree; test a few spiral sizes until you find one you like.
- 4
  Switch to smaller topiary shears. Trim the tree around the string. Leave the areas covered by the string longer than the rest of the tree, forming a spiral shape. Do not touch the top. Work your way up the tree until you have achieved the spiral shape.
- 5
  Choose a template circle that is the appropriate size for your desired ball, or tie string or wire into a circle to provide a general idea of the shape.
- 6
  Hold the template in place over the longer area at the top of the tree. Trim the tree with small topiary shears, following the template. Continue trimming until you have achieved a ball atop the spiral.

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