I did not set out to create a topiary toad this week. The plan was actually to create a hanging planter that looked like a purse. But then I saw a bunch of stone plants, aka Lithops and plans suddenly changed.
Stone plants are pretty cool looking in a warty kind of way and since toads are warty too – we now have a topiary toad to join the turtles. The little guy above was my ‘muse’.
A bit about stone plants
With succulents that form clumps or mats, it’s easier (and cheaper) to plant them if I separate the individual plants as much as possible. These came apart fairly easily, so instead of paying $2.99 each for a lot of pots, I bought a few pots at $3.99 and wound up with more plants.
When I read up on the care of these odd little plants, I learned in their native habitat, most of the plant is underground to conserve moisture and avoid being lunch. So the surface is actually little solar collectors to feed the plant. They call for no watering from fall to spring, so they’ll need watching to see if they tolerate growing in moss.
Making the Topiary Toad
I’m still brushing up on my video skills, but I did make this one as short as I could. I also avoided talking during it so it could play faster. I do hope you enjoy it!
Here’s how the form looks stuffed with moss and ready for planting. You can see where I’ve made bulges to represent the eyes.
I’ve taken so many pictures of this little toad, but none of them showed how amazingly cute he really is. He looks just like a toad hunkered down in the garden would.
So I added more succulents. Better, but he was still missing something.
He needed eyes! The bumps just weren’t cutting it, but those springy looking eyes did the trick! What do you think? Did the eyes finish him off or does he need more something to go from Toad to Frog Prince?
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I was pretty excited to get started on this owl topiary but now that it’s finished I don’t like it. I’m finding if it’s a more vertical topiary, they are harder to plant. The more horizontal ones – like the turtles are easier. It doesn’t help either that for some reason getting the photos to my computer and then uploaded to here did not go as usual.
When I’m working with pictures, I usually change all of my file names to more descriptive titles before uploading. I may even include their order in the file name. Unfortunately each time I attempt to do any of that, my computer freezes up, so here we are. I’ll attempt to make the best of it but this won’t be a proper tutorial.
For the base of the owl, I made a circle of wire about 7″ across. From there I attached two somewhat egg-shaped pieces of wire, crossed at the center. You can see I twisted them together and then wrapped it with finer wire to secure them. These are then attached to the base with all wire ends facing into the body of the owl.
This next piece of wire forms the beak and ear tufts.
Before wrapping the frame in mesh, I added a third wire to support the center of the beak. I’m not sure it was necessary, but I do know it made planting in that area tricky.
The chicken wire is formed into a tube again, and the bottom edge securely attached to the base of the owl form.
I’ve mentioned shaping the chicken wire in other posts. It’s surprisingly easy. If you compress the hexagons of the mesh one way, they get longer the other way. So when I want the ‘belly’ of the owl larger than the base, I shorten the hexagons and it gets wider. At the top of the owl’s head the mesh gets overlapped and wired close.
From there I started stuffing the owl. Squeeze out the moss as much as possible, and fill the owl topiary. The ear tufts took special attention to make sure they were completely filled. The entire owl took a surprising amount of moss to fill – it needs to be firmly packed in because it seems to shrink as it dries.
Planting the Owl Topiary
Until this point, I was pleased with my owl. It looked like an owl and more important, it looked like the picture in my head. Then I started planting it.
I’ve had these two rosettes set aside for a while. All along I knew they were going to be my owls eyes.
I used florist wire to secure the plants, they can be taken out once everything roots into the moss.
At this point, I left the owl over night. Sometimes ideas need to simmer.
Eventually I added more Sempervivum (hens & chicks), thinking that would improve the look of the owl.
It did not.
I’m going to set him in a sunny window for now, we’ll see if time and plants growing improves him a bit but I honestly prefer the look of the mini turtle from last week.
If you want to see how I eventually used this owl click here for an update – The Owl Herb Planter
What do you think? Which is your favorite? Click >>here<< to see what I eventually did with this topiary.
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If you have ever thought about starting a garden or craft blog of your own see how easy it is>>here<<.
I decided it was time for a topiary mini turtle. Fred, my other turtle, is adorable, but just a little to big for the house. And what better project to launch my new craft space? Let me tell you, having a designated spot to work on my projects is a dream! I was able to take my time with this little guy, knowing I wouldn’t have to tidy up part way through so I could use my kitchen table as a table.
If you’re reading this, I hope you won’t think making topiary is hard. It’s mainly just twisting wire, and anyone can do that! That said, just a couple of cautions. Chicken wire is stabby, in fact all wire is. When you are forming your topiary, twist all of your sharp ends towards the inside where the moss will cover them. Be sure to clean up all the little bits of wire after, nobody enjoys pulling a piece of wire out of their foot. Never place your finished topiary directly on furnishing. His feet are scratchy, sometimes they’re wet too.
Please note, some of the links below are affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, this site earns a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Mini Turtle – what you’ll need.
Snips, Pliers and wire cutters. I’ve been using my snips to cut the wire, they are easier to use and less flying bits to worry about.
Galvanized wire in a heavy enough gauge to hold its shape but still bend.
Florist wire.
Sphagnum moss. Look for one used for growing orchids.
Plants. I used succulents again, but I would love to make one of these and use mini Hosta. Ivy would work too.
Let’s get started!
Place your moss in a bucket of water to soak.
For the shell:
From the heavier wire, cut a piece long enough to make a circle 7″ across with a bit of overlap. This will be the rim of your turtle’s shell.
Fold back each end to make a hook, join together and twist tightly.
To make the dome of the shell, you will need 3 half circles of the heavier wire. Form a hook in each end.
Use the hook to attach the half circle to your rim.
Repeat with the other two, arranging them around your rim so they intersect.
Where the wires of the shell intersect, tie them with some florist wire.
Lay a double layer of chicken wire over your frame. I used an inverted bowl to avoid flattening my shell.
I’ve done this two ways before, you can either fill the shell with moss and fold over the wire to hold it in, or you can attach the mesh to the rim and use a second piece to hold your moss in. I get a tidier look with the second method, so trim away your excess.
Fill the bowl of the shell with moss, squeezing out the water as you go. Use another piece of chicken wire to shape a lid – the belly of your shell.
Use florist wire to ‘sew’ everything together.
For the head, tail and feet:
To make the head and neck, make a tube from chicken wire and close on end.
Test it against your turtle and adjust until you are happy with how it looks.
Fill the head with moss and set aside.
Shape and fill the tail. Everything is just chicken wire tubes with one end closed.
Shape the 4 feet. Stuff them firmly with the moss so they don’t collapse with the weight of the turtle. When you are positioning the feet, imagine the head is 12 o’clock, the tail pointing at 6. The front feet are at 10:30 and 1:30. The back feet are 5 & 6. Use florist wire to firmly attach the feet.
For the head, I like to have more than the chicken wire to attach it too. Here I chose a spot where the frame of the shell crosses.
Attach the tail and the head with more florist wire. Make sure the head is well secured and not wobbly.
Your topiary frame is complete!
Planting your topiary.
I learned my lesson planting my bunny topiary. These small guys look best with just a few plants.
After removing as much of the soil as possible without damaging the roots, work out a pleasing arrangement.
I used snips to remove a small section of the chicken wire so it would be easier to plant.
Use your fingers to make a hole in the moss.
As you plant, use your fingers or a pencil to push the roots into the moss.
Sticking with my less is more mantra, this turtle is finished.
Photo shoot!
One of the best parts about my new crafting space is the lighting for pictures is so much better!
The two clamp on lights of the shelf above with the LED floods are perfect for getting well-lit pictures in my house.
Despite the nice weather we’ve had lately, it’s still to early for gardening. So to satisfy my urge to play in the dirt, I made a topiary bunny. And yes, there are succulents. He’s smaller than Fred so he can stay indoors in the winter.
Topiary Bunny supplies:
A bunch of succulents. Even this little bunny took a lot of succulents. Choose mostly the flatter rosette forms.
You can also use English Ivy. It’s a more traditional choice for topiary and tolerant of shady conditions. Choose smaller leaved varieties and if you place your topiary outdoors, make sure it doesn’t trail down far enough to touch soil or it will make a run for it.
A pot, preferably clay. Mine is an 8″ whitewashed clay bowl.
Chicken wire
Florist wire – used to ‘sew’ body parts together and to anchor newly planted succulents.
Heavier gauge wire – used to stabilize the topiary form where needed.
Side cutters. I scrubbed mine before taking this picture, I didn’t want you thinking I’m one of those jerks who might leave tools lying around outside.
Cactus Soil
Sphagnum Moss.
A bucket to soak the moss in.
Forming the topiary:
Soak your sphagnum in a bowl or bucket of water. Set aside.
For my 8″ bowl, I cut a piece of chicken wire about 24″ wide.
Twist the ends of the wires together to form a tube. Don’t go all the way up, just the first 6″ or so – about the height of the bunny’s chest plus the pot.
Set your chicken wire tube into the clay bowl and fill with cactus soil to about an inch below the rim. Tamp it down to secure the chicken wire tube.
Start shaping the bunny body. You finesse the chicken wire, stretching here, compressing there, and eventually its the shape of a bunny’s rump. Keep shaping the wire to make the slope of the back. If you need to, you can trim away some of the width of the chicken wire as you shrink your tube down to form the neck.
Once you start forming the neck, fill the body with the wet moss. Continue forming the neck and head.
Finish filling the bunny with moss and close up the chicken wire after trimming away your excess. My ‘seam’ runs along the top of his face.
Cut a piece of chicken wire about 4″ by 8″. Form it into a tube.
Use the florist wire to ‘sew’ the ears to the head. Flatten and shape the tubes as you fill them with moss. Had the moss been dyed, I might have left him just like this.
Thread a piece of the heavier gauge wire down each ear into the body to stabilize them. Curve the ears until you are happy with the shape.
Plant your topiary
Knock as much soil off the roots as you can. It makes it a little easier to push the roots into the topiary. Use your finger to make a hole in the moss and the work the roots in. A pencil is helpful for pushing the roots into the body of the topiary. For any plants that don’t seem secure, bend a piece of florist wire into a ‘u’ and use it to pin the plant in place.
My bunny topiary finished.
I used this cluster of frilly edged succulents as the tail.
A pink edged rosette for the nose.
Two similarly sized flat blue rosettes as eyes.
I’m not 100% happy with the cluster of hen’s and chicks on my bunny’s head. I’ll probably try to thin it out a bit so it’s less bulky looking. I also used some variegated English Ivy on my bunny, since I won’t put this one in the garden.
I highly recommend that just before closing up your bunny’s face, you form a ‘U’ shaped support as tall as your bunny from the heavier gauge wire and run it through the middle of your bunny. I did not do this and my bunny collapsed a bit with the plants.
This link – Make a Succulent Topiary – gives a more detailed tutorial on filling and planting your topiary form along with useful care tips.
So go make yourself a bunny!
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Scrolling through Pinterest, I happened to see a pin featuring a topiary – it was a super cute Succulent Turtle! Unfortunately it was a dead-end pin, but it was so adorable that I felt like my garden really needed a turtle. So I figured out how to make one.
What I used to make my Succulent Turtle
Materials:
Most items are available at the dollar store during the gardening season or you can purchase them from Amazon. Please note, these are affiliate links.
Hens & Chicks for winter hardy arrangements or assorted succulents if winter hardiness is not a concern for you. Here is a link for a blue & green assortment and another one for a green assortment. Within the US, these links will take you to live plants offered by Shop Succulents through Amazon. Outside of the US, you might get other sellers that I have not vetted. Within the US there is a company called Simply Succulents. I highly recommend you check them out. They have some very cool topiary forms and plant collections.
Make the Topiary for a Succulent Turtle:
Measure a square of chicken wire slightly larger than the basket. Then fill the basket with soil and water and cover the belly with landscape fabric or coir to keep the soil in. Next you fold and attach your mesh to the rim of the basket, using florist wire to ‘sew’ it together.
Use wire and a washer to attach each pot to the chicken wire belly. The ‘legs’ are not placed equally around the pot. Two are more together at the front and two at the back, just like they would be on a real turtle.
For the head I rolled a piece of chicken wire into a tube and shaped it into a turtle head. The tail is a flattened cone shape.
I stuffed them both with sphagnum moss before attaching them to the ‘shell’ with florist wire. The head at the front of the basket (looking up so he isn’t a moping turtle), and the tail to the underside.
Plant Your Succulent Turtle!
Then I slashed the coir (which sounds easier than it was) and stuffed the plants in.
You could paint the clay ‘legs’ or even glue sphagnum to them if you prefer, but I decided to leave mine natural.
I’m kind of pleased with my succulent turtle, even if his ‘shell’ is still a little bare. By the end of July, the Dragon Wing Begonia will be all around him and he’s going to look so cute nestled in there.
If you prefer a more natural look, line the basket with sphagnum moss instead of the liner it came with.
See how cute his little tail is?
I believe I shall name him Fred. I can hardly wait to see how Fred’s shell grows. He’ll be amazing.
More turtles? Check out my favorite one yet! It’s planted with Mini Hosta!
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Stone plants are pretty cool looking in a warty kind of way and since toads are warty too – we now have a topiary toad to join the turtles. The little guy above was my ‘muse’.
For more just like it follow me on 
If you enjoyed this post, don’t forget to share it with your friends! For more just like it follow me on 