The Artificial Flowers Company
artificial hanging baskets, topiary balls, hedges and topiary trees
Artificial topiary balls are an easy way to add neat, year-round greenery to entrances, patios and gardens. Our range includes realistic faux topiary balls in different sizes, foliage styles and colours, with no trimming or watering required.
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There are plenty of artificial topiary balls on the market but not all are the same! Here are a few factors to watch out for:
Size
Check the size is as you would expect it to be. Typically, a good quality artificial topiary ball will be between 30 and 40cm. Smaller topiary balls may not look right on brackets, although this will all depend on the space and size of bracket you have.
Assembly
Some topiary balls have to be assembled at home and it can be really tricky to achieve the full, attractive look that you see in the product photos! The better quality topiary balls are already assembled for you so all you'll need to do is a minimal amount of 'fluffing out' to get the perfect shape.
UV Fade Resistance
Topiaries can look amazing when they first arrive but can quickly fade in the elements - especially the sunlight! Look for UV fade resistance topiary balls to ensure yours last a long time.
Pack size
Make sure you are certain of whether you're getting one or two topiaries. The higher quality topiary balls can be sold separately. This isn't an issue as such, but most people want two to achieve the look they want, so checking what you're getting will ensure you order the right amount.
Chain
The cheaper topiary balls come with poor chains which will rust and discolour with the rain. A quality ball will include a galvanised hanging chain. Galvanisation is the process of applying a protective zinc coating to prevent rusting. Often the chain will be coated with something like zinc. Galvanised chains last far longer.
Artificial topiary balls have become one of the most popular ways to smarten up a front door, porch or patio, and it's easy to see why. Real box (buxus) balls need clipping two or three times a year, and in much of the UK they're now under constant attack from box blight and box tree caterpillar – the RHS itself advises gardeners to consider alternatives. A good faux topiary ball gives you the same crisp, formal shape with no watering, no clipping and no caterpillars, and it looks the same in January as it does in June.
The catch is that quality varies enormously. Two balls that look identical in a product photo can be worlds apart once they arrive and once they've spent a summer in the sun. This guide covers what genuinely makes a difference, so you buy once and buy well.
Most people picture a green boxwood ball, but there are three broad types and they suit different jobs.
| Type | Best for | Things to know |
|---|---|---|
| Boxwood (buxus) balls | Front doors, formal entrances, pots, year-round outdoor use | The most realistic and most weather-tolerant option. Moulded plastic leaves hold their colour better than fabric. The classic "pair either side of the door" look. |
| Flower balls (rose, lavender, heather, hydrangea) | Hanging basket alternative, porches, weddings and events, indoors | Give you colour that real topiary never could. Petals are usually fabric, which fades faster than moulded foliage – fine in a sheltered spot, but think twice about a full-sun south-facing wall unless UV resistance is specifically stated. |
| Mixed foliage and grass balls | Contemporary schemes, softer informal look | Less formal than boxwood. Check density carefully – wispier foliage can show the frame underneath. |
If you want something that will pass for a real plant at a glance, choose boxwood. If you want the cheerfulness of a hanging basket without the watering, a flower ball is the better pick.
Size is the thing people most often get wrong, and they almost always go too small. A ball that looks substantial on a screen shrinks dramatically once it's hanging against a house. Two points to understand first:
As a rule of thumb:
If you're torn between two sizes, go larger. And if you're buying a pair, make sure both are exactly the same stated size – two balls a size apart either side of a door reads as a mistake, not a design choice.
Sizing for pots: you want the ball to sit in the pot with a generous dome showing, not perched on top like a lollipop. Aim for a pot opening around 55–65% of the ball's diameter – so a 20–25cm pot for a 38cm ball, or 15–18cm for a 28cm ball.
Sizing for brackets: the bracket needs to project far enough from the wall that the ball doesn't rub against it. Allow the ball's radius plus around 10cm of clearance. For a 38cm ball that means a bracket of at least 30cm (12") projection; a 25cm (10") bracket is tight. Remember the chain adds to the drop too – chains are typically 20–38cm long, so a 38cm ball on a 38cm chain hangs about 76cm below the hook.
This is the single biggest difference between a cheap topiary ball and a good one, and it's rarely obvious from the listing.
Budget balls – particularly from marketplace sellers – are shipped as two hemispheres you clip together yourself. In theory it takes five minutes. In practice, reviews consistently mention clips that don't line up, visible seams, bald patches where the halves meet, and balls arriving squashed from the box. Some sellers include zip ties and spare tufts of foliage precisely because they know the join won't be perfect.
A quality ball arrives fully assembled on a rigid frame with the chain already attached. All you'll need to do is spend a minute or two bending the stems outwards to fluff it up after transit. If the listing doesn't say "pre-assembled" or "ready to hang", assume it isn't.
Once a ball is up at head height nobody is inspecting individual leaves, but a few things separate realistic from obviously fake:
The most common complaint about artificial topiary isn't that it looks fake on arrival – it's that it faded. Green pigments break down unevenly in sunlight, so a cheap ball doesn't just go pale, it drifts towards an odd blue-grey, and the plastic turns brittle so leaves snap off in the wind. This can happen within a single summer on a south-facing wall.
Every seller now says "UV resistant", so look for what's behind the claim:
Realistically, a properly UV-treated boxwood ball keeps its colour for several years in full sun, longer in a shaded or north-facing position, and indefinitely indoors. Flower balls will fade sooner than boxwood in the same spot – hang them in a porch or under an overhang if you want them to last.
If the ball is only going indoors – a hallway, a conservatory, a wedding table – UV resistance is irrelevant and you can save your money.
A small detail that makes a big difference to how the ball looks after a few months. Look for a galvanised chain (zinc-coated steel), ideally a triple chain joined to a single ring so the ball hangs level. Cheap untreated or painted chains rust within a season, streak the foliage and look shabby against a freshly painted door.
Check too that the chain is attached to the frame rather than just hooked through the foliage, and that the frame itself is a rigid plastic sphere or mesh rather than something flimsy that will go oval. A bonus of a well-attached chain is that you can turn the ball upside down and bury the chain in a pot as an anchor.
Hanging. Most topiary balls weigh 1–1.5kg – less than a planted-up hanging basket – so any decent hanging basket bracket will hold one. Choose powder-coated or stainless steel for the bracket itself and fix into brickwork rather than mortar. A hook height of around 1.8–2m works for either side of a door; unlike a basket, a topiary ball doesn't drip, so you can also hang it above a doorway or in a covered porch without staining the step.
In a pot. This is where the weight becomes a weakness. An unsecured ball in a pot is a beach ball on a windy day. Either bury the chain in the compost or gravel, push a thin stake or tent peg through the mesh and into the pot, or cable-tie the frame to the pot's drainage holes. A few bricks or stones in the base of the pot will keep the whole thing upright.
In a border. Pin the ball to the ground with a couple of tent pegs through the frame. Groups of three in different sizes look far more natural than one on its own.
Indoors and events. Flower balls on a stand or bowl make easy table centrepieces, and smaller balls work as pomanders hung with ribbon. Indoors, anything goes – it's only outside that materials really get tested.
Read the listing carefully for pack size. Many balls – especially better quality ones – are sold individually, while cheaper ones often come as pairs, so the headline prices aren't comparing like with like. Most people want two, and the disappointment of one ball turning up when you expected two is a very common review.
As a rough guide to UK prices:
There isn't much to it, which is the point.
An artificial topiary ball is a sphere of faux foliage – usually boxwood, but also flowers such as roses or lavender – fixed to a rigid frame, normally with a hanging chain attached. It replicates the clipped box balls used in formal gardens, but needs no watering, trimming or protection from box blight and box tree caterpillar. They're hung on brackets like hanging baskets, sat in pots, or pegged into borders.
Yes, provided they're made for outdoor use. Look for UV stabilisation (ideally backed by a colour guarantee or a test standard such as ISO 4892) and a galvanised chain. A good quality boxwood ball copes with rain, frost and snow. The only time to bring one in is during a severe storm, as they're light enough to be blown off a bracket.
A properly UV-treated boxwood ball typically holds its colour for several years in direct sun and considerably longer in a shaded or north-facing position. Cheap balls without genuine UV protection can turn blue-grey and brittle within a single summer. Flower topiary balls with fabric petals fade sooner than moulded boxwood foliage, so they're best in a porch or under an overhang. Indoors, any topiary ball will last much longer with the caveat that some UV can come in the windows.
For a typical UK front door, 38 - 40cm is the right size for wall brackets, and 28 - 30cm for doorstep pots. Diameters are measured leaf tip to leaf tip, so the ball will look slightly smaller than the number suggests – if you're undecided between two sizes, choose the larger. Make sure a pair are exactly the same stated size.
Any sturdy hanging basket bracket will do – most topiary balls weigh only 1 - 1.5kg (at most). The important measurement is the projection from the wall: allow the ball's radius plus around 10cm of clearance, so a 30cm (12") bracket for a 38cm ball. Choose powder-coated or stainless steel so the bracket lasts as long as the ball, and fix into brick rather than mortar.
Bury the chain in the compost or gravel, push a thin stake or tent peg through the ball's mesh frame into the pot, or cable-tie the frame to the pot's drainage holes. Adding a few bricks or stones to the base of the pot stops the whole thing toppling. A pot opening around 55 - 65% of the ball's diameter gives the most natural look.
Some do and some don't, and it's one of the most common causes of disappointment. Better quality balls are often sold individually, while cheaper ones tend to come as pairs, so check the pack size before comparing prices. If you want the classic matched look either side of a door, you'll need two of exactly the same size.
It depends on the ball. Budget balls are often shipped as two hemispheres you clip together, which can leave visible seams and gaps. Better balls arrive fully assembled on a frame with the chain attached – you just bend the stems outwards to fluff them up. Look for "pre-assembled" or "ready to hang" in the description.
Rinse it with a garden hose a couple of times a year. For stubborn dirt or cobwebs, use a soft brush and warm water with a drop of washing-up liquid, then rinse and let it drip dry. Avoid pressure washers, which can strip leaves from the stems.
Bend the stems outwards by hand to redistribute the foliage, then leave the ball in a warm room or in the sun for a day so the plastic relaxes back to shape. A hairdryer on a low setting speeds this up. Most transit creases disappear within 24–48 hours.
Yes. Battery-operated or solar fairy lights wind easily through the foliage and are a popular way to dress topiary balls for Christmas. Choose lights rated for outdoor use, keep the battery box tucked inside the ball or behind the bracket, and they'll come out again without leaving a trace. Some balls are also sold pre-lit with LEDs built in.
Considerably. A real clipped box ball of 30 - 40cm costs upwards of £100 and needs clipping two or three times a year, plus treatment or replacement if box blight or box tree caterpillar arrives. A good quality artificial 38cm ball is typically £20 - 40 and needs nothing but an occasional rinse (plus you have the option of hanging them).
Yes, in the right spot. Flower topiary balls are a lovely alternative to a hanging basket and look good all year, but fabric petals fade faster than boxwood foliage in strong sun. Hang them in a porch, under an overhang or on a north- or east-facing wall for the longest life, and check the listing states UV resistance.
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