Dachshund Topiary, Wire frame, 13 in

A dachshund drawn in powder-coated wire, 13 inches high, 25 inches long and 6 inches wide, which is close to life size for the breed. The heavier gauges carry the body, legs and tail; the finer ones pick out the detail, including the outline of the eyes and the fall of the ears. Left bare, the frame reads as a line drawing against gravel, paving or lawn, and it holds that reading through winter once the planting around it has died back. Filled, it becomes an armature: pack the cavity with moss, run a small-leaved ivy or another trailer through it, and the outline furs over as the plant takes. The long, low body sits better on the ground than on a plinth, beside a door or at the turn of a path. Each frame is bent and joined by hand, so the dimensions above are approximate and no two come out the same. Assembly, planting and revival guides are on the site.