Ever wonder how to Create a Tomato Cage Topiary? Ever even heard of one?
I love the look of topiaries on either side of a front door entrance, but I don’t like the thought of always having to remember to keep live topiaries watered and pruned. And while I know there are artificial ones that look great, I don’t like the expense of those.
When I first started pinning on Pinterest, I was so excited when I found a topiary created out of tomato cages. The ones shown were made for the Christmas season and I really wanted them to be more “year round” for my door. They looked simple enough to do and I quickly created my “year round” version using ivy rather than the Christmas garlands. You can see my version HERE in my patriotic porch display.
My front door is massive and I always thought that my trees were dwarfed by such a large door. In the back of my mind, I always wanted to remake them using a larger tomato cage. This weekend, just in time for my fall front door decorating, I did just that.
Tomato Cage Topiary
Begin by turning your tomato cage upside down and wiring the 3 “legs” together. I twisted my wire all around, under and over the legs using a brown coated wire.
I snipped the center ring of the tomato cage and made it a bit smaller to assist with the tapering of the form. It was nearly impossible to cut the wire with wire cutters. Instead I used a pair of bolt cutters – my bolt cutter comes in handy to snip many of the larger stems on artificial flowers. It is a great addition to my tool box.
Once I had the tomato cage prepared, I lined the inside with “chicken wire”. We used to call it chicken wire when I was growing up – now they call it poultry wire (or netting) and you can find it at a farm supply store or you can order it HERE. It comes in a galvanized finish or PVC mesh Green coating. I used the green.
I cut it to fit the sections I needed and wired it onto my tomato cage. Be very careful with the cut wire as the ends will easily scratch your hands and arms. (You could delete this step if you are using a smaller cage. I simply wanted a bit more area to attach my greenery.)
You can also add a string of lights to add a bit of spark to your topiaries. This is especially nice for the fall and winter seasons.
Once the wire had been attached, I simply began wrapping the ivy garlands around my topiary form and wired them into place.
I was able to use the garlands I had taken off of the smaller versions. Amazingly after 3 years it still looked great!!
The garlands I used had small tendrils that sprouted off of the main branch and added to the airy feel I wanted.
For my everyday use, I will leave them with just the ivy, but for seasonal decorating, I like to add a bit of seasonal trim to the tomato cage topiary. For fall I am adding these inexpensive fall garlands.
I then anchored the tomato cage topiary to a piece of Styrofoam that I wedged in and glued into my container. You can see here where I had done this for my first set of tomato cage topiaries. I had also added sheet moss to the Styrofoam bases. It looks a bit worn, but still works perfectly.
I left the smaller cages from the first pair anchored to the foam, and I simply slipped these new larger topiary forms over the smaller cage. This will give me the added benefit of being able to easily to change them out whenever I need to.
These are so easy and I love the look they give my door décor.
Here is a quick peek at my fall front door décor. I am still working on the final touches so be sure to stop by next time to see my fall entrance transformation.
If you like this tomato cage topiary, I would be so happy if you would please take time to
Pin It! (You can see all of the wonderful things I am pinning HERE)! Or Share It on Facebook!
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How much garland was used?
Hi Linda and thank you for stopping by. For the simple ivy topiary I used two garlands. I used a couple of different types of garland to give it a nice variegated look. When I change them for the holidays I usually add one garland of the seasonal variety and leave the ivy garlands on to give it a nice full look. I even use these at Christmas time and simply add Christmas garlands to the ivy garlands. They still look terrific.
Such a smart idea! I have one lone tomato cage outside from a feeble attempt at growing a tomato plant. I didn’t want to throw it out because I knew it had potential for something! Pinned this for later!
That looks great!
I saw the topiary on Pinterest too, and I like your version better! Much more versatile. I love it. Thanks for sharing this and your pretty fall mantel at What We Accomplished Wednesdays! Have a super week!
Blessings, Deborah
Thank you for the nice compliment Deborah. I enjoy your “What We Accomplished Wednesdays!” so much. I look forward to being with you agin soon.
Debi
Thanks for sharing this on Fabulous Friday Party its a beautiful topiary
I will be featuring this on My party in two weeks!
Thank you for hosting your party. I look forward to joining you again next time!!
That looks wonderful, especially on your patio!
Thank you Christine. I love the look of the topiaries. They are a great addition to the fall decor.