Every piece we ship comes with care in mind, and most topiary care comes down to five things: water, light, feeding, pests and placement. This page covers each of our piece types — live, mossed and preserved — the way we explain it to customers from our own studio. For the deep boxwood references we keep, see the live boxwood foliage care guide and the cultivar-by-cultivar survival guide.
How do I care for a live topiary?
Water when the top of the soil dries, give bright light, and feed monthly through the growing season with a balanced fertilizer — then stop feeding when the plant is stressed or dormant. Watch for pests continually; topiary’s dense foliage hides insects until damage shows. Prune to shape from spring to fall, never in winter. A live piece in a container dries faster than one in the ground and needs more frequent water and feeding.
How do I care for a mossed ivy wreath?
Keep it out of full afternoon sun — indoors, or outdoors in a protected spot like a covered porch. Water when it feels dry: the best method is rinsing it at the sink until moisture spreads evenly through the moss, then letting it drain. Never leave it soggy. Watch this short care video for the technique.
How do I care for a mossed animal topiary?
Water a mossed animal — a reindeer, dog, bear or any of the mossed animals we make — as soon as the moss feels dry, without letting water bog it down. Sphagnum moss holds a lot of water but dries fast in heat. Mist the leaves and vines between waterings; it keeps the moss fresh and discourages pests. Feed lightly and occasionally while the plant material is growing. The mossed animal care video shows the routine.
The moss body itself needs occasional renewal: work fresh sphagnum in with the old once or twice a year, or plant into it within the first six months so a living cover takes over. Overwatering shows up the same way in any of these plants — soil that never dries drowns the roots, and once they are saturated they cannot take in oxygen and begin to rot; it is like drinking through a straw that has collapsed underwater. Pale, yellowing leaves on wet soil mean less water, not more.
Two deeper companions: the receiving and troubleshooting FAQ for live boxwood, and the disease field guide when something looks wrong.
How do I care for preserved topiary?
You don’t, mostly — that is the point of preservation. A preserved piece needs no water, no feeding and no daylight. Keep it indoors or in covered outdoor space, out of direct sun and away from damp, and dust it occasionally. Sun and moisture are the two things that age preserved foliage.
How preserved foliage is actually made — and how to judge quality — is on how we preserve.
How do I keep boxwood healthy through winter?
Three things we tell every boxwood customer, from our own growing: keep about one inch of mulch around the plant — never against the trunk — and refresh it every couple of years; water containers well going into winter, because dry container boxwood is the most winter-vulnerable plant we see; and expect some bronzing where winter sun hits from the southwest — most cultivars green up again in spring as new growth covers it. If a late freeze burns new growth, wait until late winter to prune it off.
The boxwood year at a glance
| Season | What we do |
|---|---|
| Early spring (March) | Feed a balanced 10-10-10; refresh the one-inch mulch ring if it has thinned. |
| Early summer | Prune the week of June 1 — new growth covers the cuts by mid-August. Containers: water when the topsoil dries, feed monthly. |
| Fall (October) | Second feed of the year; water containers well going into winter — dry container boxwood is the most winter-vulnerable plant we see. |
| Winter | No pruning. Expect some bronzing where southwest sun hits; leave freeze-burned tips until late winter, then cut them off. |
What if I’m not sure?
Ask us before the piece suffers — tell us how it’s going, or call 866-306-1020 and describe what you’re seeing. We would rather answer a watering question than replace a plant. Larger commissions ship with a written maintenance note, and we hold your piece’s spec on file so repairs and refreshes match the original.
