Oh my goodness, I loooooove topiaries! Those round little puffs of green popping out of perfectly weathered terra cotta pots- yes, yes, and yes. Even if you’re not great at keeping your indoor plants alive (guilty), you can have topiaries. They add color, texture and class to just about any room, and they can span every season for year round decor. I currently have a few different kinds, both indoors and out, that I’ve kept alive for a long time (longer than any of my other indoor plants).
I know, it’s July and it’s hard to think about sprucing up things on the inside of the house when there’s so much going on outside! But this can actually be a great time to buy topiaries at your local garden center. Ours tends to stock more variety during the summer months, which I’m guessing is because that’s when they have the most customers. *Side note- if you’re wanting to have any indoor fruit trees over the fall/winter, this is also a great time to buy them! We had 2 indoor lemon trees last year, and this year I’ve bought 2 additional lemons and 4 figs. They’re all outside right now enjoying the heat of summer. 🙂
So get out there and buy a few cute topiaries to stick in every window of the house. Put them on window sills, on countertops, pot larger ones and place on the floor in front of large windows. Why not, right?!
Here’s a little glimpse of what I have around our house right now…
Eugenia by the side door:
Lemon Cypress brighten the laundry room (and they smell nice)!
A few cute little Myrtle spice up the kitchen (and need a haircut)  🙂
I also have a number of “preserved boxwood” topiaries throughout the house. They are great because they require almost no maintenance since they are dried. A lite spritz with water every 6 months or so is all it takes to keep them looking great!
Here are a few extra for inspiration…
Maintaining Topiaries
– Plenty of sunlight. Try to keep in sunroom or bright window with south / west exposure.
– Water! So important to not let them dry out. But, they should not sit in water for hours. Be diligent about watering topiaries that are root bound, which require frequent watering (and repotting eventually). I also use moss in pots, both to help keep them moist, and to make them look prettier.
– During the growing season (late March – early September), you may want to use a liquid fertilizer (miracle grow or something similar) once a month.
– To maintain a tight spherical form, clip often during the growing season. Do not shear or cut the leaves. Instead, snip at the branches / shoots. Where you snip a shoot two others will branch out, creating a fuller plant.
– Move and rotate so they get the required sunlight. Feel free to switch them around with other pairs around the house on occasion.
– Use a mild insecticidal soap spray if bugs are present.
