Deer topiary
A deer topiary is a doe, stag or fawn shaped in greenery over welded steel — standing, grazing or sitting. Antlers are the difficult part, because they have to be strong enough to survive weather and handling while still reading as antlers, so they are built into the armature rather than added on. Ours come mossed and as bare galvanized frames, in sizes from a small sitting fawn up to a life-size stag.
Made in our own workshopWelded, galvanized and covered here — not drop-shipped.
Ships across US & CanadaSmall pieces by UPS, large ones by freight with delivery quoted.
Built to outlast the foliageGalvanized steel under everything, including the welds.
4–10 weeks for a commissionReady-made pieces leave sooner; we tell you which before you pay.
In the workshop now
10 deer pieces, from $145.
Deer Topiary, Mossed, 18–26 in
$145
Doe Topiary, Mossed, 15–31 in
$177
Fawn Topiary, Mossed, 25 in
$309
Doe Topiary, Wire frame, 31 in
$370
Deer Topiary, Wire frame, 52 in
$680
Deer Stag Sitting Doe Or Family Group Topiary, Mossed, 60 in
Priced on quote
Running Deer High Topiary, Wire frame, 60 in
Priced on quote
Deer Topiary, Mossed, 52 in
Priced on quote
Moose Topiary, Wire frame, 60 in
Priced on quote
Moose Topiary, Mossed, 60 in
Priced on quote
How it is finished
The same deer, four ways.
Every piece starts as the same welded, galvanized steel frame. What goes over it is the choice.
Antlers are the engineering problem.
A deer is a straightforward animal until you reach the head. Antlers are thin, they stick out a long way, and they are the first thing anyone grabs or catches a sleeve on — so on our pieces they are welded into the armature as part of the structure rather than added afterwards as decoration.
It also changes how a deer is packed. Moss will not hold on a thin section the way it holds on a haunch, so antlers are usually left as clean galvanized line or wrapped tightly — which is part of why a deer reads well as a bare frame, where the antlers are the drawing.
Lit pieces are in lighted animal topiary, and the seasonal ones sell out well before December.
What it needs once it is standing.
A mossed piece wants misting through dry spells and a refresh of the moss every year or so. A bare frame wants nothing at all until you decide to plant it. Turf and artificial pieces want an occasional rinse and no more — no watering, no trimming, no seasonal work.
The steel underneath is the part that decides how long the piece lasts, and galvanized steel outdoors is measured in decades rather than seasons.
Full instructions by material are on our care pages; if a piece has gone tired, this eight-year-old swan shows what a restoration looks like.
In the workshop
Steel first, then green.
Three of the six stages every piece goes through. The frame is the sculpture; everything after it is surface.
02Steel rod, bent and weldedSteel rod bent by hand and welded into a cage that carries the pose. Anything over six feet also gets steel tubing run inside it.
03Galvanized, welds includedGalvanized over every surface including the welds — which is exactly where outdoor steel fails first.
04Sphagnum packed by handLong-fibre sphagnum packed into the cage by hand and bound down, so the piece is green the day it arrives.
The full sequence — drawing, welding, galvanizing, mossing, planting and installation — is set out step by step in how a topiary form is made.
Before you order
Deer topiary questions, answered.
Are the antlers fragile?
They are part of the welded armature rather than an attachment, which is what stops them snapping in handling or weather. Galvanized bare, they are also the part of the piece that draws best against a winter sky.
Can a deer be lit for Christmas?
It is a commission rather than something we hold in stock — the lit pieces on the shelf today are dogs. Order well before the season: build time is four to ten weeks.
What sizes?
From small sitting fawns up to life-size stags. Every listing gives exact height, length and depth.
Can they stay outside?
A bare galvanized frame can stay out year-round. A mossed deer prefers a sheltered position, because sun and driving rain wear sphagnum down over a season.
Can we have a group?
A doe with a fawn, or a stag with a small herd, is a common commission and reads better on an open lawn than a single animal.
Other animals we build
Bunny topiary · Dinosaur topiary · Dog topiary · Horse topiary · Elephant topiary · Swan topiary · Giraffe topiary · Frog topiary · Bear topiary
Something bigger?
Tell us the animal and the size.
Send a photograph or a sketch with the height you need and where it will stand. We come back with a design, a price and a delivery date — then build it in our own workshop.
