How to Make a Topiary Apple and Flower Tree

Apple Topiary

• 1

  Begin pruning and shaping your young apple sapling immediately after planting. Remove the tree’s dead and damaged branches and stems. Remove all branches that grow between soil level and the first 24 inches of the trunk. Head back, or cut back, the top of the tree to approximately 36 inches in height to promote healthy canopy development. Make flush cuts just before the branch collar to promote rapid healing. Use sharp, sterile shears to make all the cuts.

• 2

  Choose a topiary shape that will allow the fruiting tree to carry the weight of its mature apples, such as a flat and square shape or heart shape. Begin developing the young apple tree’s shape during its second year. Develop the shape progressively over several growing seasons. Remove no more than one-third of the apple tree’s growth during one hard-pruning session to prevent stunting the tree’s development.

• 3

  Make most of the apple tree’s pruning cuts in the early spring, just before the onset of the growing season. Trim back vigorously growing branches and remove water sprouts and suckers. Remove dead and ailing branches completely. Thin the interior canopy to promote healthy development and reduce the potential for fungal infections. Make the cuts for shape after completing all the cuts for health.

• 4

  Watch the tree’s development carefully throughout the blooming season, but do not prune. Thin the topiary’s fruit when the apples reach the size of a dime. Thin the fruit so only one apple remains on each cluster.

• 5

  Harvest the apple topiary tree as the apples ripen, and continue daily until every apple is removed. Reserve pruning cuts for spring to allow the topiary time to prepare for its dormancy period.

Flower Topiary

• 6

  Choose a vigorously-growing, blooming evergreen for your flower topiary, such as bougainvillea or azalea. Hard-prune these shrubs in the early spring just as the growing season begins. Remove the shrub’s ailing and damaged branches and stems. Thin the interior branches and stems.

• 7

  Prune the tree to develop your desired shape. Choose a shape that accommodates the tree's natural growth. Develop the shape gradually over several seasons, similar to the apple topiary, to prevent stunted growth and dieback.

• 8

  Remove spent blooms from the flower as they appear. Trim the flower topiary periodically throughout the growing season, similar to the apple topiary, to control its growth and development.

• 9

  Keep the apple and flower topiaries properly irrigated throughout the growing season. Water these topiaries based on their individual needs, rather than on a schedule, to avoid over- and under-watering these trees.