Please elaborate. As far as I know, alpaca is an animal. Are you referring to a framed topiary? or a plant?

Yes, an alpaca is similar to a llama, but smaller with more fiber. I don't know what a "framed" topiary is. I want the kind outside that some people have on their lawn or in their garden.

Okay I think I know what you are referring to. What I meant by framed topiary is really a form of wire art which are filled with sphagnum moss and planted with various types of plants. Check out this website: www.greenpiecewiretart.com They produce wire frames to hold topiaries. Unfortunately, they don't carry the alpaca animal frame but they will do custom orders. This place is in Canada. I'm sure there are others in the US who do the same thing as well.

Other than this method, the other way to create a topiary from a shrub for example, is to gradually prune and trim plants into a shape that looks like the animal of your choice. This unfortunately will take a very long time (years) to do and if there are places that already sell such topiaries, it would be very expensive.

Ianna

Thanks Ianna, I'll check it out.

Nancy

I found a place in Riverside, California that makes custom frames so he's making me a small alpaca frame for a table top topiary. I going to use dwarf creeping fig which I found in an Oregon nursery as no one in S.F. had the miniature the leaves of which are only 1/4". Both are resonably priced so I'm very happy, but impatient as it will be probably another week til everything arrives. This will be my first attempt at Topiary so I'm leary as well since I usually have a "brown" thumb. Hoping creeping fig lives up to it's reputation for being easy. Believe it or not this is to be a Christmas present. I figure it should be well grown up by then. So happy I found this forum.

N