How to Make a Moss Topiary Ball

Updated on May 31, 2023

How to Make a Moss Topiary Ball. Learn how to make a moss topiary for a decoration for your home or party decor.

Recently, I hosted a baby shower for a friend of mine. She is decorating her baby’s room in a super cute forest theme. So, I ran with this idea for the shower.

I needed a cute centerpiece design for the shower keeping within the forest theme. So, I decided to create some topiaries to display on the table with favors and cupcakes. Today, I am going to show you how to make them.

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How to Make a Moss Topiary

Supplies:

• Pot or Container
• Styrofoam or Floral Foam
• Dowel Rod
• Paint or Stain (optional)
• Moss
• Styrofoam Ball
• Glue Gun
• Ribbon or Other Embellishments (optional)
• Decorative Rocks (optional)

Cut Styrofoam for Base

Cut the styrofoam or floral foam to fit inside your pot or container. Styrofoam cuts easily with a serrated bread knife or you can use an electric carving knife.

Once you do a test fit, add some hot glue along the bottom edges and glue in place.

Cut Dowel Rod

Cut the dowel rod to the height of the topiary tree you would like. This will really vary for your own project and the size of the container, styrofoam balls, etc. If you are creating a topiary with one ball this is pretty straightforward.

If you are creating a moss topiary with two or more balls, then proceed as follows:

I suggest placing everything on the table and lay out where you think the styrofoam balls and base container will go to get an idea of how long to cut your dowel rod.

The top styrofoam ball will need to be inserted about halfway down onto the dowel at the top, and the larger styrofoam ball will be placed approximately in the middle of the dowel rod, so keep this in mind before cutting.

TIP: An easy way to cut a dowel without any major tools –

1. Make a mark where you want your cut
2. Lay the dowel rod out on a cutting board
3. Using a utility knife, slice into the dowel all the way around
4. Continue to do this until you have a depth of about 1/4″
5. Snap the dowel rod into two!

Paint or Stain Dowel Rod

Paint or stain your dowel rod. This step is optional, but I think the plain unpainted dowel rod looks unfinished for most projects. If you use acrylic paint, it dries very quickly.

Create Moss Topiary Ball

Hot glue the moss to the styrofoam ball(s).

Helpful Tip: To save you all some hot glue gun burns, I would recommend using something (like a popsicle stick) to hold down the moss after you apply the hot glue. The hot glue seeps through the moss and will burn your fingers if you do not. So. Not. Fun.

I used Spanish moss that has a more brown tone to it, but you can also use green reindeer moss if you want a different look.

Attach the styrofoam ball(s) to the dowel rod. If you are doing a two-ball topiary, the larger ball will be located approximately in the center of the dowel rod and the smaller ball will be on the top.

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Insert the top ball so that about one-half of the ball is inserted onto the dowel rod. You may want to secure the styrofoam with some hot glue.

You can either add the moss to the styrofoam ball before or after securing the dowel rod. I started by placing the ball on the dowel rod but ended up taking it off so that I could more easily place the moss on the ball.

Add Topiary Tree to Container Base

Insert the dowel into the styrofoam base. Secure it with hot glue. This will help to keep it from falling over and shifting.

Use moss or stones to cover up the styrofoam base in your container. I originally was going to use stones, but it did not look the way I wanted, so I added more moss to the base. I did not hot glue this down, but you could.

Decorate Topiary

Adorn your topiary with ribbons, small bird eggs or nests, butterflies, or whatever you can think of. I wanted to keep mine simple so I added a few small bows.

This is an incredibly messy project. I had moss all over my kitchen when I was done. That stuff goes everywhere! Be prepared to vacuum when you are done.

You may also like:

• Enchanted Forest Baby Shower
• Dollar Tree Moss Flower Wreath
• Styrofoam Christmas Trees