How to Make a Fruit Topiary Tree

This fruit medley makes for an interesting table decoration.

• Table knife
• 12-inch-tall green plastic-foam cone with 4-inch base
• Toothpicks
• Wood glue
• Miniature artificial or fresh pears, plums, kumquats, blueberries, and cranberries
• Grape leaves
• Footed crystal cake plate or compote

1. Use a table knife to trim off the tip of a plastic-foam cone. Put a generous amount of wood glue on the entire length of a toothpick.

2. Insert one end of toothpick into a pear and the opposite end into top of cone. Continue attaching pears to cone in rows, working from top to bottom.

3. Fill in gaps between pears with miniature plums, then kumquats, attaching them in the same manner as the pears.

4. Finish with blueberries and cranberries, using toothpicks cut in half to attach.

5. Randomly tuck grape leaves into arrangement, dabbing glue on stems to secure in place.

6. When cone is covered with fruit as desired, let glue dry. Place the cone on a crystal compote.