Tomato Cage Topiary

Create a pyramid of greenery anywhere in your yard with this simple topiary project.

Getting Started

This simple and inexpensive ivy topiary begins with an inverted tomato cage and is completed by adding a spray-painted ping-pong ball on top.

What You Need:

Tomato cage (18 to 24 inches)
Ping-pong ball
Matte silver spray paint
14-gauge wire
'Baltica' English ivy

Instructions:

1. Start with the smallest tomato cage you can find (usually 2 feet tall). Invert it and twist wire around the top ends to secure it in a cone shape.

2. Spray-paint a ping-pong ball with matte silver paint. Poke a hole in the ball with a screwdriver and place the ball atop the topiary. (Another alternative to the ping-pong ball: drapery finials.)

3. Place a pot of ivy inside the inverted cage and start the trailing stems up the sides of the cage. You can run additional wire down the sides of the cage to help the ivy fill in faster. This topiary is Hedera helix 'Baltica' (English ivy), which is hardy in zones 5-10.

Continued on page 2: After Planting