I have always been a design geek. I can’t remember a time that I wasn’t trying to put my personal stamp on my living spaces, DIY’ing something I couldn’t find or couldn’t afford to buy, and last year where we renovated a distressed property into an Airbnb. A Life Unfolding is where I share design, decor, DIY’s, and all things home.

Hi! I'm Libbie

DIY

renovations

Home Decor

cocktails & Celebrations

Hello!

Lately, I have been on a bit of a dried flower crafting frenzy. My daughters are calling it my Anthropologie-Inspired phase. I can’t seem to help myself. I recently found some beautiful dried florals at The Found Cottage Mercantile, and I couldn’t wait to see how I could incorporate them into my home décor. This project might be one of my favorites. Let’s look at how to make topiaries using dried flowers and moss.

How to make Topiaries from Dried Flowers and Moss

*This post contains affiliate links

Supplies I used for making the Topiaries.

I made a variety of topiaries in one setting, as they will be a perfect way to add natural elements to my fall decor.

Pots- I am using small 3-5 inch clay pots in Grey and Terra Cotta
Foraged sticks from my yard.
Styrofoam balls in 6″, 4″ and 1.5″ sizes
Floral Foam
Moss – I used this, this and this
Dried Flowers
Air Plants
River rocks
Hot Glue Gun
Scissors

Let’s start with the Moss Topiaries.

Choose your container. I mixed up the sizes of my clay pots and even found a ceramic pot that once held a candle for today’s project. Any stable container will work. My favorite place to find more unique pots is while hunting through my neighborhood thrift shops.

Next, cut your floral foam to fit snuggly inside the base of the pot, and add a little hot glue to secure it.

Give that a second to set, and it’s time to add your stick- you could also add a wooden dowel if you are not one to forage in the yard. 🙂 Here is a quick tip on the foraged branches. I always place mine on a cookie sheet at 200 degrees for an hour to ensure you are not bringing in any bugs from outdoors.

Place a dap of hot glue onto the bottom of your stick and insert it into the floral foam.

Next up, choose your styrofoam ball. A good rule of thumb is to ensure the ball is at least as wide as your pot; if it is 1.5, the width is even better.

I use a wooden skewer to make the holes in my styrofoam balls. I insert the sharp edge of the skewer and rotate it until the hole is the size of a real stick. Then, I apply a little hot glue on the top of the stick and into the hole in the styrofoam ball.

It’s time to add the moss. I am covering the foam in the pot and the Styrofoam balls. When deciding which Moss type to use, I tried to vary it by texture or color so the topiaries had more depth and a variety of color palettes.

Moss Varieties for Making dried flowers and moss topiaries.

Here, I am covering the floral foam in the pot.

Below, I am hot-gluing the Moss to the styrofoam. Once completed, give it a good shake, and then go back and fill in any bare spots.

Peel and Stick Moss.

I am using a peel-and-stick sheet moss for this piece, but both types work equally well. Whether gluing or using peel-and-stick, cover the entire ball—don’t forget the bottom. Tip: Whenever you are working with moss, many tiny pieces fall off. I gather them into a pile and roll the styrofoam balls with hot glue (just let it cool a bit) on them into the piles so it doesn’t go to waste.

It’s such an easy DIY moss topiary without the high price tag of retail versions.

Moss for DIY dried flower and moss topiary.

These are pretty simple steps, but they are just guidelines. The best part of a craft like this is diving in with whatever inspires me.

Making Dried Flower and Moss Topiaries.

Time to make some Dried Flower Topiaries!

Types of Dried Flowers I used:

Now, for the easy part. Just go with whatever looks good to you. I love an organic look, so I used the blooms and some leaves. I started by snipping off leaves from the Natural Scutellaria and then gluing them onto one of the smaller topiaries.