... refreshing topiaires...

"Gardening is not a rational act.

What matters is

the immersion of the hands in the earth,

that ancient ceremony

of which the Pope kissing the tarmac

is merely a pallid vestigial remnant."
- Margaret Atwood

I’ve wanted to refresh these topiaries for a while now. They were originally bought from Pottery Barn in 2016 as part of their Halloween collection and included ivy. Schickenberg Nursery, a wholesale grower of ivy topiaries that specializes in unique frames, filled the order. I wrote about them when they first arrived.

They originally had fishing wire, which I do not own. I considered using dental floss but didn’t want to waste it; plus, I use the cinnamon one and I didn’t want the red color. Instead, I used green wreath wire that I use to make my Christmas spiders. There were florist spikes in place that had completely rusted so I carefully removed them with gloves and then reused them.

I have jokingly added some steps.

Step 1: get a tetanus shot.

Step 2: Google search How to replenish an old topiary

Step 3: ignore their suggestions

Step 4: dig up moss from the yard

Step 5: Channel your inner crafter

Really, I cannot tell you how it came together. I formed the moss into a ball and tucked dirt inside. I’ll try to keep them watered. At least now that I’ve refreshed them, I won’t wait so long to tend to them when they do dry out.