Have you ever passed by a house with two ball-like trees flanking the front door? Those ball-like trees are called topiaries, and it took several hours of careful shaping and pruning to create them. If you are interested in creating some topiaries for your landscape, read on for more information.

People have been pruning plants into decorative shapes since ancient times. Today, there are many plants that are suited for shaping. Some of these include boxwoods, fuchsia, holly, hydrangeas, ivy and lantana. In order to shape your plants, you need some lightweight potting soil, a 3-1/2-inch pot, pruning shears, staking ties and water-soluble fertilizer. Then you can follow these steps to create your topiary:

1. Plant a rooted cutting in some lightweight soil and let grow.

2. Transplant the plant when fully rooted to a 3-1/2-inch pot and prune the side shoots to promote vertical growth.

3. Stake the plant with ties and put it in a sunny spot to grow for a couple of months.

4. Trim off the main vertical shoot of the plant when it reaches two feet and strip off the bottom two-thirds of the shoots.

5. Feed the plant a water-soluble fertilizer once a month and loosen the ties around it as it grows.

6. Remove the growing tips to maintain a full top and prune as necessary.

7. Repot the plant when needed.

If your plant does not have a central leader branch, you may need to use a wire topiary form to shape it. Simply put the form into the pot and fill around it with soil. Plant some rooted cuttings, wind individual strands around the topiary form and secure with twist ties. Put in a sunny pot and let grow, fertilizing when needed. Remove the growing tips to keep the top full and prune and repot when necessary.

As your plant matures into a full-grown topiary, it will require less and less maintenance. All you will need to do to keep it looking nice is prune it every couple of weeks, removing the ragged ends and tucking in the misplaced branches.

Topiaries are not that difficult to create, and they make wonderful additions to any landscape. Purchase the supplies and get started on yours today.