Dogwood Orbs

Pruning ornamental shrubs, such as dogwoods, leaves you with leftovers that can be used to make pretty garden ornaments. Red twig and yellow twig dogwood cuttings create beautiful decorations. Bend, weave, and shape the fresh trimmings into wreaths, spheres, or low fencing for an easy and natural garden accent.

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What You'll Need

• Grapevines
• Wire cutters
• 18-gauge wire
• Dogwood branches (We used red twig and yellow twig dogwood cuttings.)

Step 1

Form a sturdy base for your orb with a few grapevine cuttings or remnants from a similar woody vine. Cut the grapevines and twist a length into a circle roughly the size of your sphere. Our red twig sphere is 18 inches in diameter, and our yellow twig sphere measures 12 inches in diameter.

Step 2

Twist another length of grapevine into a circle the same size as the first, and fit the two circles together to form a sphere.

With a piece of wire, secure the vine circles at both points where they meet. Twist the wire together and tuck in the ends.

Step 3

Add lengths of vine to create a round base for your orb. Weave your dogwood branches over and under existing branches and vines. Add as many dogwood cuttings as desired, filling large gaps and tucking the ends in place. Press on the orb gently with your palms to round the shape if needed.

Tips for Pruning

• Late winter to early spring is generally the best time to prune; plants are dormant then. Even if you aren't harvesting twigs for a project, trim shrubs annually to keep them healthy.

• Look for dead, diseased, or damaged stems when pruning. Dip your pruning shears in a mild bleach solution (a splash of bleach in a cup of water) between cuts to prevent any disease from spreading to healthy branches.

• Use the right tools. If the branch you're pruning fills the jaws of a hand pruner, switch to a lopper. If the branch fills the lopper, use a small saw instead.