Live Moss Topiary DIY – EASY How To!
Like many people, when January rolls around I start missing my garden therapy. Recently, I had an idea for a real (not faux) topiary DIY that can be kept indoors and I’m excited to share this one with you!
This one is SO easy and it’s a great way to get your hands a little dirty until you can get outside in the garden again. Not to mention these look beautiful in the house!
Real topiaries can come with a high price tag! Fortunately, making these yourself is very inexpensive! Even if you don’t have a green thumb you can easily handle this little project.
Supplies Needed for Topiary DIY
- Live Moss
- Planter Pots
- Floral Wire & Cutter
- Wooden Dowels or Sticks
- Spray Bottle of Water
I found my live sheet moss online. When I need something odd for gardening that may be hard to find, I usually check Etsy.
There are so many small shops on there that specialize in specific garden plants, I always find what I’m looking for. When I found this seller I noticed she had many different types of moss to choose from.
I sent her a message describing what I wanted to make and she got back to me quickly, recommending the sheet moss.
It arrived in perfectly healthy condition.
Prepare Your Planter Pots
The first step is to prepare your pots. You have options here and can use any type of pot or container you like. I used terracotta pots I already had. However, these have drainage holes and I’d recommend using something without holes for this one.
These topiarys won’t require watering the way a normal houseplant does, and the holes in the bottom make it easy for the topiary sticks to slide through the bottom.
Because my pots did have holes, I will keep a saucer underneath to keep the sticks from sliding through when I pick them up.
Secondly, I used potting soil in my pots. I did this for two reasons. One, because it was already in there, and two, when I mist the moss the dirt may help it anchor in the pot.
If you’d rather not use dirt, you can also use floral foam or anything else that will anchor your stick in the pot.
How To Make TOpiary Balls
To make topiary balls, lay your sheet moss on a waterproof surface. Next, take your spray bottle and generously spray the moss. You want it damp, not soaked. This will help it form into a ball.
Next is the fun part. Pick up the moss and squash it all together and form it into a round ball.
To keep the moss ball together, I reinforced it with green floral wire. The green will blend in with the moss and be barely visible.
Floral tape won’t work with these because you have to keep the moss damp. Alternatively, you could use a green or clear fishing line but the floral wire is your best bet.
I was out of floral wire but I found a great deal online that included three sets of the wire with cutters for under $7.
Reinforce Your Topiary Ball
Wrap your floral wire around the moss ball several times, firmly. I tucked the last end of it right into the moss ball to seal it off.
The live moss holds together well so this isn’t too messy.
Assemble Your Topiary
Once your wire is secured around your topiary ball, you can place the moss onto the top of the stick. Make sure the stick goes down to the bottom of the pot for stability.
My stick is a bamboo plant stake I cut down. You could also use a branch or a stick from your yard or a wooden dowel. Wooden dowels can be found at home improvement stores or craft stores such as Hobby Lobby.
Lastly, take more of your Spanish moss or sheet moss and fill in the base of the pot with it. You could even use Spagham moss here if you have any.
Aren’t these pretty?
Caring for Your Moss Topiary DIY
If you have any dark areas in your home where normal houseplants won’t thrive, these topiarys are the perfect solution.
You want to keep these from drying out, so it’s best to keep them away from sunlight. The Etsy seller recommended keeping them damp by misting them with a spray bottle.
I plan to mist these thoroughly once a week when I normally water my houseplants. If I see they’re drying out too much in between, I’ll change it to twice a week.
The seller also said if they dry out too much you can revive them by misting very well and covering them overnight with a plastic bag.
For such an easy DIY project I am really happy with how these turned out. Getting a little garden therapy in was also nice!
Also note, that if using terra cotta pots indoors, you’ll want a saucer underneath. When terra cotta gets wet it can damage the surface underneath it.
My DIY topiarys are on my mantel, an area that gets very little sunlight. I’m still working on arranging it since the holidays.
I used three bags of sheet moss to make these two topiarys. I’m going to see how these hold up over the next few weeks and if they do well, I will order more to make one for my kitchen.
MORE GARDEN IDEAS:
DIY Topiary Faux Plants
