CARE INSTRUCTIONS FOR YOUR GREEN-MOSSED TOPIARY
Your topiary is stuffed with sphagnum moss, and is lined with green sheet moss. It needs minimal care. Sunlight and time will naturally turn the green moss brown, so we suggest that you try to keep it out of direct sun and heat, and "green" it up when necessary. It does not need watering. When your topiary appears to be losing its color, we suggest that you mix, in a spray bottle, some green food color and water. You’ll have to play with the amounts to produce the color and/or strength that you desire. Spray the creature, and – that’s it!
A green-mossed topiary can be converted into a planted topiary with little work. You will need on hand, a healthy ivy or creeping vine in a starter pot (we use creeping ficus), a knife or scissors, and some floral pins, or flower wire made into a small u-shape.
Soak the form to soften the moss, poke a hole with the knife, enlarging it to receive the roots of your new plant material. Pin the vine to the topiary form with your pins and you are back in business. But, you must care for it now with good light and water. A weekly soaking will provide a moist environment for the plant. Fertilize monthly with a weak solution, and continue to train the growing vine with the pins. If your plant should die, you can replant your topiary over and over.
For those of you blessed with a green-mossed topiary for a pot, you have the best of both worlds. You provide the pot and the creeping vine that you desire. The plant, needs watering and care until the vine can be trained up the stem, and then pinned to the green moss with floral pins. You can use a flowering plant in the pot at any time, to change the look. GOOD LUCK!