How to Create a Dogwood Garden Orb

Pruning ornamental shrubs such as dogwood can leave you with plant leftovers that can be used to make pretty garden ornaments. Red twig and yellow twig dogwood cuttings create especially beautiful decorations and can easily be bent, woven, and shaped into wreaths, spheres, or low fencing for an easy and natural garden accent. Follow these easy steps to create timeless garden spheres to accent your landscape.

What You'll Need

• Grapevines
• Wire cutters
• 18-gauge wire
• Dogwood branches (We used red twig and yellow twig dogwood cuttings.)

Step 1

Form a sturdy base for your orb with a few grapevine cuttings or remnants from a similar woody vine (you can also purchase grapevines at most craft stores). Cut the grapevines and twist a length into a circle roughly the size of your desired sphere. Our red twig sphere is 18 inches in diameter, and our yellow twig sphere measures 12 inches in diameter.

Step 2

Twist another length of grapevine into a circle the same size as the first, and fit the two circles together to form a sphere.

Using a piece of wire, secure the vine circles at both points where they meet. Twist the wire together using wire cutters and tuck in the ends so the sharp points aren't exposed.

Step 3

Continue to add lengths of vine to create a round base for your orb, then weave your dogwood branches over and under existing branches and vines. Add as many dogwood cuttings as desired, filling large gaps and tucking the ends in place. Press on the orb gently with your palms as you go to round the shape if needed.

Tips for Pruning Dogwood

* Late winter to early spring is generally the best time to prune, as plants are dormant then. Even if you aren't harvesting twigs for a project, trimming your shrubs annually will keep them healthy and thriving.

* Look for dead, diseased, or damaged stems when pruning. Dip your pruning shears in a mild bleach solution (a splash of bleach in a cup of water) in between cuts to prevent any disease from spreading to healthy branches.

* Use the right tools. If the branch you're pruning fills the jaws of a hand pruner, switch to a lopper. If the branch fills the lopper, use a small saw instead.