Fresh Rosemary Topiary (A Holiday Craft)
Whether you’re looking for a centerpiece for your Christmas dinner or hosting a party, this rosemary topiary is a winner. It’s beautiful, it smells great, and it’s a fun craft!
Supplies needed:
- A suitable container
- Floral Styrofoam base
- Styrofoam ball
- 1 (12” length) dowel
- Lots of fresh rosemary
- Steel crochet hook (or other item to punch holes)
- Glue gun glue
- Cranberry sprigs
- 1 (½-yd) wide Christmas ribbon (optional)
- Coffee filters (for model) or a filler
Directions:
1: Find a suitable container. I used a candle holder, but you could use a clay pot, a plant pot, or even a candy dish! Be sure it’s big enough to hold your floral Styrofoam, or cut your foam to fit snugly. If it’s a container you won’t need for other uses, you could glue the foam into place in the bottom of your container.
2: You can use whatever-sized Styrofoam ball you want. The larger the ball, the more rosemary needed. I used a 3-inch-diameter ball I already had. Insert the dowel into the Styrofoam ball, ensuring it’s straight. If making this ahead of schedule, do not glue anything into place yet, and remove the dowel for now to assemble the topiary later. Otherwise, glue the dowel into place using a glue gun. Insert the other end of the dowel into your floral Styrofoam. Then glue it into place.
3: Cut rosemary into individual stems and small clumps. Reserve the cut ends as filler. Using the handle of your steel hook or a similar tool, insert the end of the tool into the Styrofoam ball just enough to hold the rosemary stem or clump. Push rosemary into the hole. Continue working around the ball until it’s nicely filled, while working around the dowel (or dowel hole). Now insert berry sprigs where desired into your topiary to balance it out.
4: If working ahead, loosely wrap the ball in a semi-dampened paper towel and place it in a plastic bag. Place in the fridge to keep the rosemary fresh.
5: If you worked ahead, finish assembling your topiary by gluing the dowel into the hole in your topiary, then glue the other end into the foam base.
6: Cut ribbon and tie into a bow. Glue the base of the topiary to the dowel, using the photo as a guide. If the topiary will be shown on all sides, be sure to double the amount of ribbon and glue an additional bow on the opposite side.
7: Fill the container around the dowel with twisted coffee filters, moss, pinecones, or even more rosemary. Or one could even fill it with candy canes for their guests!
Options:
If you don’t want to use rosemary, fresh or faux pine sprigs will work just as well (and the faux pine sprigs will last much longer).
Be creative with your filler. Use what you have or what you prefer.
Enjoy:
