What is topiary, the main varieties. Materials for creativity and their preparation. The best topiary ideas made from coffee beans, satin ribbons, corrugated paper, artificial grass, shells and cones. Helpful hints.
Topiary is a small decorative tree with a round crown. The name is translated from Greek as "tree of happiness". A handmade product is made from materials at hand: polystyrene, pieces of fabric, artificial flowers, coffee beans and others. Today, topiary is made both small, indoor, and giant, to decorate personal plots.
What is topiary?
In the photo, a decorative topiary tree
The topiary tree has a long history dating back centuries. Art is believed to have originated in Ancient Greece. The country was famous for its sculptors and architects, who even used trees as material for the embodiment of ideas. With the help of pruning, the plants were given the desired shape, and the crowns were decorated with ribbons and carved wood.
Historians believe that the appearance of the first topiary was associated with the cult of the gods. Gifts were presented to idols, plants were decorated on holidays. Some scholars associate the emergence of ornamental trees with the hanging gardens of Babylon or the ancient art of bonsai in Japan (growing small trees).
In the 17th century, the architects of Versailles became interested in topiary. They came up with the idea of decorating the garden with artificial trees, so that they are pleasing to the eye even in winter.
And already in the 20th century, topiary began to be used as works of applied art for interior decoration or land around the house. They are believed to bring happiness and well-being.
There are 3 main types of topiary:
- indoor or mini-topiary;
- street;
- based on a living tree.
For beginners, do-it-yourself topiary is easiest to make in the form of a small indoor tree, using materials at hand. If you wish, you can make a decoration for a site near your own home. A homemade tree is also suitable as a gift to relatives or friends, because it is no worse than artificial flowers.
Anything in the house is suitable for decorative items. Indoor artificial topiary is most often classified according to the materials from which they are made.
Trending today:
- coffee beans;
- satin ribbons;
- artificial flowers;
- napkins, corrugated paper;
- cones;
- dry herbs;
- seashells.
Making a topiary with your own hands will not be difficult even for a novice master. You just need to choose the right materials and show a little imagination.
Preparation of materials for the manufacture of topiary
Before making a topiary, form blanks for each part. An artificial tree is conventionally divided into 4 components, each of which will require a separate group of materials:
- The foundation … This is the name of the round blank for the crown, on which decorative elements will subsequently be located. A foam ball with diameters from 8 to 12 cm is best suited for the base, but each master chooses the size depending on his own preferences. The crown does not have to be in the shape of a ball. Topiary from floristic foam in the form of hearts, letters, stars, etc. looks original.
- Elements for crown decoration … Use whatever your imagination desires: ribbons, artificial flowers, herbarium, banknotes, pieces of fabric, etc. But remember: making topiary is not a chaotic process, but the creation of a strictly verified composition, thought out in advance.
- Trunk … An ordinary pencil or stick is suitable for attaching the crown. You can use a natural curved branch, which will add originality to the product. The workpiece is varnished or wrapped in a cloth, corrugated paper. If you wish, you can leave it intact or tie it around with a couple of ribbons.
- Pot for topiary … To make the product resemble a decorative tree, it must be planted in a flower pot. Select a container according to the size of the workpiece. Trees in clay or plastic pots look neat and unpretentious.
To secure the barrel in the container, you will need a fixing mixture. Alabaster, putty or plaster works reliably. If these materials are not on hand, use pieces of styrofoam, sand, rubble, or stones. You can even plant a tree in real land!
To work, you will also need auxiliary tools:
- silicone glue;
- needles or pins;
- threads or wires;
- scissors;
- pliers, etc.
Important! Whatever materials you choose, they must correspond to the idea and composition of the topiary.
Best Topiary Ideas
Before starting work, think about how you see a decorative tree. Imagine its shape, the elements that you will use for decoration, think over the composition. If you intend to use silicone or other construction adhesives, ventilate the area and wear gloves. Now you can start. Further, a master class on topiary made of various materials.
Topiary made of paper
For making a decorative tree, ordinary napkins or corrugated paper are suitable. Materials are used to decorate both the trunk and the crown. A corrugated paper topiary with a crown of artificial roses looks bright and lively.
To make a decorative element for the interior, prepare:
- pink and green corrugated paper;
- strong thread or wire;
- a stick to form a trunk;
- Styrofoam;
- newsprint;
- pot;
- glue and scissors.
First, we will make roses for the crown. From corrugated paper, cut strips 35-40 cm long and 3-4 cm wide according to the number of flowers. Fold the tape lengthwise by a third, wrap the paper around at an angle. Continue wrapping until you form a rose. Fix the petals with glue, secure the lower part of the flower with wire or thread.
A ball for the base of a topiary made of paper can be taken ready-made, made of foam, or formed from newsprint and glue. Attach flowers all over the ball so that there are no gaps between them.
Prepare the barrel. Grease the stick with glue and wrap in green corrugated paper. Now slide the ball onto the barrel and secure it with glue again. Install the barrel in a pot, fixing it with alabaster, plaster, stones or sand. It remains to decorate the ground surface of the topiary made of flowers with fabric, shells, beads or other elements of your choice.
Important! It is also easy to make a topiary from napkins by rolling each of them in the shape of a rose and attaching them to a spherical base.
Topiary made from coffee beans
Such a product can be a decoration of a living room or office, decorated in a simple style and muted colors. A miniature coffee topiary looks cute on a coffee table. This is a wonderful gift that successfully complements a box of chocolates and a pack of expensive coffee or tea.
To make this simple product, you will need:
- coffee beans of any brand;
- silicone glue;
- stick for the trunk, opened with varnish on wood;
- pot and elements for its decoration;
- foam again.
Think about the product design first. Topiary made from coffee beans will look boring if not enlivened with bright decor. Small birds or butterflies, coins, hearts, depending on the purpose for which you are forming a tree, will give originality to the craft. A cup, over which coffee beans are allegedly spilled, looks spectacular. Use wire and polyurethane foam to create a falling effect.
Consider how to make a simple do-it-yourself topiary using coffee beans:
- Carefully cover the foam ball with coffee beans so that there are no gaps and empty space. Decorate the crown with additional elements - beads, coins, butterfly figures or flowers.
- Secure the ball with glue on a varnished stick.
- Decorate your flower pot in advance. To make the ribbon topiary look stylish, use tree bark, papyrus wallpaper, etc. If the decor of the coffee ball is bright and eye-catching, make a pot in the same color scheme as it.
- Secure the trunk in a pot, decorate the top with bright beads, threads, pebbles.
You can vary the design by placing the ball on a thick, twisting wire entwined with threads. For the New Year, you can make a coffee tree. To do this, take a foam cone as a base and decorate the craft with shiny ribbons and beads.
Satin ribbon topiary
Topiary made of satin ribbons looks in the style of Parisian Versailles. The easiest way is to make flowers from ribbons and paste over the crown with them. Satin roses, dahlias look noble and stylish, a sunflower looks bright and catchy.
As a topiary scheme for beginners, consider how to make a sunflower flower from ribbons:
- Prepare a foam ball.
- Cut the bright yellow satin ribbon into several small pieces of equal length.
- Fold them in half and glue them in a circle onto a styrofoam ball. These will be the petals of a sunflower.
- Cover the middle with coffee beans.
- Prepare a barrel from a stick or thick wire, wrap it with corrugated green paper.
- At the end, cut the paper into strips, forming a sepal.
- Secure the ball on a stick.
- Place the trunk of coffee topiary in a bright pot, secure with alabaster or plaster.
- Decorate the surface around the trunk with dry herbs, leaves or threads.
To make roses or other flowers, you can use foamiran instead of ribbons. It is a decorative foam material that looks like a fabric, giving products a noble look thanks to muted matte tones. It holds its shape well, ideal for floristic blanks. Foamiran topiary will last a long time and will look simply gorgeous.
Cones topiary
Cones are a common material, and it is not difficult to make a decorative tree out of them. For crafts, you will need standard elements (a ball, a stick for a trunk, decorative elements, a pot), as well as Christmas tree cones. The latter can be pre-coated with varnish, gilding or silver. Make sure that the bumps are not crumbled, not too old and brittle.
The principle of making topiary from cones is similar to the previous ones. Take a foam ball as a base. To attach the cones, you need long safety pins with a ball at the end. We glue or tie a cone to it, place the needle in the foam.
Further, the scheme for making topiary step by step corresponds to the above crafts. Glue the sphere to the trunk, and fix the trunk in a pot. Decorate the tree of your choice with beads, ribbons and other materials that contrast in color.
Seashell topiary
The principle of making shell topiary is similar to how trees with flowers are made from fabric or paper. Shells are glued to the foam base. But there is one nuance that needs to be taken into account.
With the help of sinks, it will not be possible to cover the entire space of the base without leaving gaps, since the decorative material has an irregular shape. The remaining space will have to be filled with other materials of similar shade.
Thin pearlescent threads or plant fibers such as sisal are best suited for shell topiary. Roll or crumple them, attach with glue to the space left between the sinks.
Coarse threads or twine are great for barrel design. It is also easy to decorate the pot with threads or shells, decorating in a nautical style.
Grass topiary
The artificial grass topiary is an almost complete copy of its natural "brother". Decor material is made from polymers. From a distance, it resembles real greenery, while artificial grass products do not deteriorate and do not require watering.
To make a tree, you will also need a base, a trunk and a pot. The main difficulty is to glue small elements to the base, which will take a lot of time. But the result is worth it: the plant is indistinguishable from the real one.
How to make a topiary - watch the video:
Topiary is a surprisingly harmonious decor element that will suit any interior. By creating a product, you can fully demonstrate your creativity, feel like a designer or artist.
