Boxwood Topiaries for the Kitchen

Boxwood is one of, if not my favorite evergreen.  I like the way they look in the landscape and I have them planted throughout my gardens.  One of the things I particularly like about boxwood is that they can be formed into most any design that you can think of.  With this in mind, I decided to put together a couple little ball topiaries for each side of my kitchen sink.

As is the case with most kitchens, there is a window above my kitchen sink which lets in lots of wonderful filtered light.  They should be particularly happy sitting in this natural light source daily.  Also, the humidity from being so close to the sink will be beneficial to them.

So here is how the project went.

I found these cute little boxwoods at the local home improvement center.  They are the dwarf variety which only reach a maximum height of about 3 feet when planted in the landscape.  They are perfect for this project.  They were $6.98 each.

I selected my clay pots proportionate to the size I wanted to trim the boxwood.  I shard of clay in the bottom of each pot will allow proper drainage.

This picture is to demonstrate how to prepare the root ball for planting.  On the right you see that I have removed the boxwood from the original plastic container it came in and have "loosened up" the root ball.  On the left is the root ball as it looks when it first comes of the original plastic container.  Loosening up the root ball before planting in your container of choice helps the plant to better absorb water and nutrients from the potting soil you choose.

Here they are in the clay pots.  The one on the right has been trimmed to take on more of an "orb" shape.  The one on the left has not yet been sheared.

And here they are, both having been shaped into a somewhat cylindrical shape.  It will take some time now for them to acclimate to their new location.  As they continue to grow I will periodically snip a little here and there until I get them into perfectly shaped orbs.

A couple of shots of the finished project.  I think this project turned out quite well.  They really do dress up the kitchen nicely and they are right at the sink, so there is never an excuse to not water them.

I like plants inside the house.  They look wonderful and can be an inexpensive way to create some really appeal or drama.  It will soon be time to start bringing in the plants from the patio for the winter.  That is sometimes a challenge but I am usually able to work them into the decor of each room so they look like they were meant to be there all along.