Although it was a cold, gray April day outside, in the Cheney greenhouse 20 or so garden clubbers were warm and cheery learning to make topiaries under the direction of Karen Thomson of Tomson Topiaries.   Karen had brought everything we needed to turn wire forms into garden sculpture in basically three easy steps:  First we squeezed dry some wet moss and packed it into and around the edges of the form.   Secondly we held the moss in place with a peace of fishing line tied to the form and continuously wrapped around the form.  The fishing line was barely visible after the ivy was placed on the form.   Third, we made small holes in the moss using a pointed plant dibbler to make room for the roots of the ivy and flowers going into the form.  We anchored the plants in the holes with a little patch of moss and U-shaped metal pins. That was it; easy peasy.  Eventually as the plants grow, they will need to be pinched back to keep the shape of the form.   Weekly the topiary will need to be soaked with a hose or placed into a tub of water to keep it moist.

The finished products were as varied as their makers: