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    Home » DIY Projects

    How to Make a Topiary

    by Patti Estep · Mar 30, 2025

    Jump to How-to Card
    A circle wire topiary with Ruby Cascade leaves in a white pot on a dresser.
    Pepperomia ruby cascade partially wound on a wire topiary over the finished topiary in a garden room.

    Learn how to make a topiary with wire for your vining houseplants to create a beautiful decorative element in a tight space for your home.

    ruby cascade round topiary on a chest next to pots.

    Topiary plants are always so pretty. Often, they are somewhat like a bonsai where the plants like boxwoods are pruned to grow into a standard with the main trunk bare and the branches and leaves shaped into a ball topiary.

    Not to be confused with outdoor landscape topiaries you'd find in English gardens with hedges shaped into spiral and other ornamental shapes, this DIY project uses a topiary frame to create a beautiful piece of home decor.

    Two faux topiaries with rounded moss balls in green and gold pots.

    You also may have tried or seen these faux topiary trees made from foam balls, moss, and a dowel rod.

    Ruby cascade plant and string of pearls hanging in the window.

    However, you can also make a wire topiary by wrapping and training real plants onto a wire form. Above is an image of my Peperomia, Ruby Cascade plant. It's growing well, and the vines are getting very long, so I thought it would be a good candidate for this DIY project.

    This post contains some affiliate links (that means if you make a purchase after clicking a link, there's no additional cost to you, but I will earn a very small commission. ) i.e. as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

    Supplies

    • Trailing/vining plant
    • Wire coat hanger
    • Flowerpot
    • Potting Soil
    • Wire Cutters
    Wire hanger twisted into a round shape on top.

    Crafting a Wire Topiary

    1. Start with an ordinary wire coat/shirt hanger.
    2. Open it up and create a loop at one end.
    Wire hanger twisted into a round shape on top and bottom cut off.

    3. Straighten out the rest of the wire and cut off the excess. Just make sure that the straight part is the right length for the pot that you are using.

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    Wire hanger frame in a white pot of Peperomia ruby cascade.

    4. Place the wire frame into the soil carefully, making sure to keep the vines in front of the wire.

    5. Gently separate the vine stems into two groups. One is on the left, and one is on the right.

    Ruby cascade stems wound around a round wire frame with some on the table.

    6. Start on one side and gently take one of the vines and wrap it along the wire, starting on the bottom until you run out of vine.

    7. Continue with the rest of the vine stems in that group.

    8. Repeat the same process on the other side.

    Live wire topiary make with a coat hanger and a ruby cascade plant.

    Water the plant well and set it in a spot where the plant will thrive. Indirect bright light is best for ruby cascade.

    As you see new growth, you can gently wrap it into the other vines or prune them and propagate the cuttings into new plants.

    Living topiary on mantel with Peperomia Ruby Cascade.

    It looks really pretty on our mantel.

    Pot of ruby cascade made into a round topiary in the window with other plants around it.

    However, I'll probably keep it in here by the window and supplemental lighting where it was growing so well originally.

    Other Vining Plant Options

    • Ivy
    • Angel Vine
    • Trailing Rosemary
    • String of Hearts
    • Creeping Fig
    Peperomia ruby cascade round topiary on a chest next to pots.

    So far, this Peperomia Ruby Cascade plant seems very happy as a topiary. I like to see plants' long, growing vines, but this neater version is pretty sweet too.

    More Indoor Plant Projects

    • Kokedama - Moss Ball String Garden
    • Fishnet Hanging Planters
    • DIY Hanging Basket Planter
    • Mounted Stag Horn Fern
    Peperomia ruby cascade round topiary on a chest next to pots.
    Round wire topiary with peperomia ruby cascade
    Print

    How to Make a Wire Topiary

    Learn how easy it is to make a wire topiary for your vining houseplants to create a beautiful decor element in a tighter space.
    Active Time40 minutes mins
    Total Time40 minutes mins
    Course: Indoor Gardening
    Yield: 1
    Author: Patti Estep
    Cost: $10

    Equipment

    • Wire Cutters

    Materials

    • Trailing/vining plant
    • Wire shirt hanger
    • Flowerpot
    • Potting Soil

    Instructions

    • Unwrap a wire shirt hanger and create a loop.
    • Straighten the bottom to form a stem long enough to place in the pot with a circle above.
    • Cut off excess wire.
    • Plant your vining plant into the flowerpot.
    • Carefully insert the wire circle hoop.
    • Split the vines in half.
    • Slowly start wrapping each vine around the hoop starting at the bottom and wrap as far up one side of the hoop as the vine will reach.
    • Repeat with the other half of the vines on the other side of the hoop.
    • Water well and display in an area that is appropriate for the plant.

    Notes

    You can make this easy project using the same topiary frame with artificial plants like English ivy from the craft store.
    Tried this project?Tag @hearthnvine on Instagram
    Ruby cascade vining wire ring topiary on a mantel.
    « Chicken and Black Bean Casserole
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    About Patti Estep

    Patti is the creator of Hearth and Vine, a home and garden blog filled with projects to inspire your creative side. She loves crafting, gardening, decorating and entertaining at her home in Pennsylvania. When she is not working on a project at home or searching for treasures at nurseries and thrift stores with her girlfriends, you’ll probably find her with family and friends, at a restaurant, or home party enjoying new and different food adventures.

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    Join me to create lots of fun DIY projects, including crafts, gardening, home decor, and tasty recipes

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