Now is the perfect time to prune boxwood making good use of these snips to create a beautiful holiday decoration. \’a0Creating a boxwood topiary is easy to do and long-lasting.

Gather materials:\

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• A topiary form purchased from a craft store.

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• Cranberries purchased from the grocery store.

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• 4 inch snips of boxwood from a bush in your garden (or a friends’.) \’a0It always seems to take more than you need. \’a0Snip generously. \’a0Any left over can be discarded into a wildlife brush pile.

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• An ice pick is helpful tool to “pre-drill” holes for the boxwood topiary.

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• Terracotta pot.

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Because of the generous size, the box ball makes, \’a0the base become out of scale. \’a0As such, slipping this base into a larger pot balances the design.\
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Box dries nicely so nothing is needed to keep your topiary looking good.\
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Top with cranberries and voila!\
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Enjoy.\

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Helen Yoest is a garden writer and coach through her business Gardening with Confidence\’99\
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Follow Helen on Twitter @HelenYoest and her facebook friend\’92s page, Helen Yoest or Gardening With Confidence\’99 Face Book Fan Page.\
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Helen also serves on the board of advisors for the JC Raulston Arboretum