Topiaries are trained to form specific shapes, like balls, squares, hearts or cones. Plants like rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) make great topiaries since they have small, closely positioned leaves and respond well to trimming. To get a tabletop Christmas tree, consider utilizing conical-shaped topiary rosemarys. They’ve needle-like leaves, some pleasant fragrance and can be kept to size. Rosemary topiaries may be freestanding or using the increase trained onto cable supports to create hearts or circles.

Starting Out

Rosemary topiaries are usually container plants in order that they may be portable and brought indoors occasionally for ornamental use. Most varieties are hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 8 through 10. It requires time and patience to train and keep a rosemary topiary. Begin about 2 to three years ahead of the time you plan to use the topiary. It is possible to root a rosemary cutting or purchase a plant.

Rooting a Cutting

In spring or summer, take a tip cutting about 4 inches long. To get a freestanding topiary, choose an upright variety like “Shady Acres,” hardy in USDA zones 7 through 10 or “Tuscan Blue,” growing in USDA zones 8 through 10. For training onto cable forms, use a trailing variety like creeping rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis “Prostratus”), hardy in USDA zones 8 through 10. Remove the leaves from the bottom 1 inch of the cutting and dip it into rooting hormone. Place the cutting in a 3-inch pot with drainage holes and filled using a moistened combination of equal parts peat moss and perlite, and set it in a brightly lit place. Loosely cover the cutting with plastic to keep relative humidity high until the cutting origins. Keep the potting mixture moist but not soggy. Transplant the frozen cutting as needed.

Shaping Freestanding Topiaries

Begin shaping when the plant is about 2 1/2 feet tall. To get a ball atop a backward, pick one stem to be the stalk. Decide where you want the ball shape to start, and trim off the top of the stem to this height, leaving 2 new buds beneath the cut. Remove all the leaves and branches under those 2 buds. As the 2 buds grow, pinch the new branches back, gradually forming a circular head. For conical topiaries, let the rosemary grow to the desired height. Pinch back the highest growing tip, prune back each branch to make a cone shape. Continue pinching back the side branches since they grow so that the shape fills in.

Shaping Rosemary Over Wire

Following the rosemary has divisions 8 to 12 inches long, make a craft cable form, leaving 4-inch straight bases. Circles, hearts and triangles are very popular. Set the cable bases into the dirt near the plant’s foundation. Attach the branches to the left and right faces of the shape, using delicate plant ties. Since the branches grow, pinch off the tips of side branches. When branches meet in the form’s top, remove their growing tips.

Topiary Maintenance

When your topiary is your desired shape, it needs regular pruning to keep it that way. When rosemary is growing, lightly prune it every few weeks or it’s going to change back to its natural development form. Turn the plant often for shaping. Use sharp, small pruning shears for precise cuts and when taking cuttings. Clean out the shears with rubbing alcohol before and after use.

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