Stacked ball topiary gives you height when you have no floor to spare. The heads sit one above another on a single stem, so a tall piece stands on about the same ground as a short one. That is why you see them in lobbies, beside lifts, and in the gap between a window and a wall.
Preserved balls work best indoors where there is no daylight.
Ceiling height decides the tier count
Measure the headroom before you choose. That number matters more than taste does.
Single. A ball on a short stem, for a counter, a console or a reception desk. It belongs on a surface, and it reads as an object rather than a tree.
Double. Two graded heads, typically to around 50 inches. This is the floor-standing size for an ordinary room, and it is the one people order most, because it gains height without asking for a tall ceiling.
Triple. Three heads, taller again. It needs headroom above it or it reads as squeezed. In a double-height lobby it finally looks the right size.
Leave at least as much clear space above the top ball as that ball’s diameter. Less than that and the piece looks as though it did not fit.
$450. A preserved ball at 30 in, the size ours start at.
$799. A 50 in double, the floor-standing size for an ordinary room.
Quoted. A moss-dressed double, quoted by size.
What they cost
Ours start at about $450 for a 30-inch preserved ball and run to $799 for a 50-inch double. Larger and bespoke pieces are quoted individually.
The number of heads and the total height drive the price, not the foliage volume. The labor goes into building and dressing each head and keeping the stem clean between them.
Boxwood and juniper read differently. Boxwood is small-leaved and formal; juniper is finer and softer. Moss-dressed versions are a third look, closer to a garden object than a clipped one.
What is inside
A welded steel armature, with preserved foliage worked onto it. On a stacked piece that frame is doing real structural work, because the upper heads are cantilevered out on a stem. Ask what the armature is on anything over about three feet.
The foliage is real. It is grown, then cut and treated so the moisture is replaced with glycerin over roughly a fortnight, which leaves it soft instead of brittle. Our page on how preserving works sets out the stages and the lifespan by plant.
Where they go, and where they do not
An interior with no daylight is the best case. The piece needs no light at all, and a living plant in that spot becomes a replacement contract.
Direct sun fades preserved foliage unevenly and permanently, so an atrium or a west-facing glass wall is the wrong home. Real damp softens it, which rules out wet rooms and pool surrounds. The humidity of a heated or air-conditioned room is fine.
Boxwood lasts around seven years and juniper seven or more, in an interior position out of sun and damp. Those figures come from the preservation records for the lines we carry.
These pieces carry no fire rating. If your scheme needs a rated finish, the usual option is to special-order an artificial piece with a fire-retardant treatment. Ask for the certificate you need before you order.
The full range sits on the preserved ball category page. For the wider case for preserved pieces indoors, read preserved topiary for interiors.
Questions we get asked
Single, double or triple?
Ceiling height decides it. A single suits a counter or a console. A double is the floor-standing size for an ordinary room, and a triple needs headroom above it or it reads as squeezed.
How much clear space above it?
At least as much as the diameter of the top ball. Less than that and the piece looks as though it did not fit the room.
Boxwood or juniper?
Boxwood is small-leaved and formal; juniper is finer and softer. Moss-dressed versions read closer to a garden object than a clipped one.
How long do they last?
Boxwood lasts around seven years and juniper seven or more, kept indoors and away from direct sun and damp. Those figures come from the preservation records for the lines we carry.
Can they go outside?
No. Preserved foliage takes no water and does not recover from weather. A covered porch out of the sun is the one marginal case and it is a compromise.
