Walt Disney World is alive with larger-than-life characters fashioned out of wire and vines (figure A). Some of these characters can take months or years to come to maturity, but you can do a scaled-down, quicker version for a tabletop. In this feature Disney gardening specialist Curtis Coakley shows how wire frames (available in garden centers) and even simple coat hangers create a framework on which ivy, rosemary, mandevilla, bougainvillea or any of your favorite vines can grow. Use a ready-made topiary frame, or create your own original version with a wire coat hanger and a pair of pliers. Plant your vine in potting soil, using a pot that will be wide enough to provide stability when your topiary fills out. Then push the bottom of the wire framework into the soil until it rests against the bottom of the pot. Wrap the vine around the wire (figure B), continuing to train the runners as they lengthen. (The amount of vine you'll have to work with at the start depends in part on what size plant you use.) To provide the extra stability needed for larger topiaries, use a heavier-gauge wire. Feed with a water-soluble fertilizer. Snip with scissors or small pruners to train.
RESOURCES :
Topiaries and Espaliers
Model: 0395875161
Author: Linda Yang
1999
Houghton Mifflin Co.
Boston, MA 02116
Phone: 617-351-5000
Email: tradecustomerservice@hmco.com
Herb Topiaries
Model: 0934026793
Author: Sally Gallo & Susan B. Strawn (Illustrator)
(December 1992)
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