Handmade by Sarah Masciana

After reviewing my earlier post about the Rose Topiaries, I thought it might be helpful to share how I made them. The style of the arrangement can vary greatly just by changing the container, ribbon and type of roses. Here’s the scoop:

What you’ll need:

• 6-7 Roses
• 1 medium container, approximately 9 inches tall
• Green floral tape
• Ribbon
• Spanish Moss
• Rocks, Marbles, or other hard filler
• 1 brick Aquafoam(TM) or Oasis(TM)
• Shears to trim the roses

1. Prep the container. You’ll need to soak your foam in water for a while. Cut it to fit the the top of your container (you’ll eventually fill the container with rocks or marbles with just enough room for the foam to sit just under the edge of the container). It needs to fit very snug inside the container as you won’t want it moving around when you arrange the flowers. Once the foam is cut to size, refer to the packaging on the Aquafoam(TM) or Oasis(TM) for their specific prep instructions. Fill up your container with the rocks or marbles and leave enough room for your foam to sit about a half an inch below the rim of the container. Fill it with water until it just covers the rocks. Once your foam is ready, place it on top of the rocks inside your container and make sure it fits snugly.

2. Prep the flowers. Before you prep the flowers, tear off a piece of floral tape approximately 2 1/2 inches long and set it aside. Trim off the leaves keeping only a few leaves at the top of each of the roses. Once you have the leaves trimmed, arrange the flowers to where the blooms make a little mound. Once you like the way they’re arranged, trim the stems to be even on the bottom. You’ll want to cut them at a diagonal to maximize the amount of water the flower can take in. It will also make it easier when you go to push the roses into the foam. Once the flowers are cut, wrap the stems tightly with the floral tape about 5-6 inches below the blooms.

3. Assemble the topiary. Hold the stems together at the top and bottom and find the center of your container and foam. Push the flowers firmly but gently a couple of inches into the foam. If they don’t seem to want to go in, hold the stems at the center and push the stems in one by one. Once your flowers are securely in the foam, cover the foam with the spanish moss. Cover any gaps that might be around the edges of the container. The last step is to tie a ribbon around the stems to cover the floral tape.

If you have any questions about how to make this topiary, please feel free to ask!