I find there's something so rewarding about creating a wreath and also find them therapeutic to make. Christmas is a perfect time to get creative and have a go at making your own but I do warn you, once you've had a go at making your first, you'll be making them throughout the year! Wreaths are not just for doors
Wreaths make wonderful gifts and while there is the tendency to always hang them on your front door, don't forget you can use them as a beautiful decoration for a wall or as a centre piece on a table.
Last year I had the pleasure of being asked to create some Christmas floral goodies for Rebecca's beautiful cottatge @myenglishcountrycottage - and naturally a wreath was at the top of my list to make. With Christmas being just round the corner. I thought I would do a quick refresher on how I created this very one.
Go big
I tend to ‘go big’ with my wreaths, using as many different varieties of greenery as possible. I find the more varieities you use, the more interest and fullness of design you create. What I used
Wire ring – size used here is 14in but you can go for whatever size you wish
Florists wire. You can use string but I find wire easier to use and creates a tighter hold
Moss – One bag
Foliage and flowers of choice
Creating the base
One of the most important parts of a wreath is the base. I opt for the traditional ring and moss method, to ensure my design is as sustainable as possible. The beauty of this method is that you are also able to reuse the ring and moss over and over again.
To attach the moss, you first need to attach the wire to the ring.
Take about a 10cm length of wire, create a loop around the ring and then wrap the wire round a further 6-7 times until tightly secured.
To attach the moss, take a large handful of it and place it on top of the ring.
Then wrap the moss around, so the front and back of the ring are both covered entirely (hence why a big handful is required!)
You then need to secure the moss in place with the wire. To do this, pick up the reel of wire that has been previously attached and start to wrap the wire around the moss. I usually go round about three times.
You are now ready for the foliage and flowers For this design I opted for a variety of foliage, including eucalyptus, olive, pine, spruce and rosemary. The choice is entirely up to you and do also try foraging for foliage in your garden – there’s nothing like bringing the outside in. In terms of flowers, I’ve chosen a wax flower simply because they are extremely hardy and will last well out of a minimal water source.
Building your foliage wreath
The first step is to create piles of long and short stems of each foliage type.
Snip in a way that you minimise waste and also where ends can be easily disguised. Conifer is a great example as you can usually cut it in half and create two short stems.
Opt for 30cm in length for the long foliage stems and 15cm for the shorter stems.
Once you’ve got piles of long and short stems of foliage you are ready to create bundles of foliage to attach to the ring. A wreath is a series of bundles of varying lengths of foliage, added at different angles to cover the entire base of the wreath. A bundle, should include different types of foliage to get an even distribution of texture, colour and shape and should be fan-like in shape, with the tallest piece of foliage being in the centre and other pieces of foliage being added slightly lower to create a fan shape on either side.
Start by creating a long stem bundle and then place this roughly in the middle of the moss ring at a 45-degree angle. This angle helps cover the outside of the wreath with the foliage.
Secure with a couple of winds of the wire over the stems.
You are then ready to create and attach your smaller bundle. Place the main body of the smaller bundle so it is covering the stems of the first bundle attached. The angle of this bundle is slightly different from the first as you are adding it, so it’s in line with the inside circle of the ring. This helps to stop the wreath losing its circular shape and at the same time helps ensure all the moss is covered.
Repeat until you have fully covered your moss ring.
Once finished wind your wire around a few more times and then snip. Leave about 15cm of wire and individually tie around the ring of the wreath and gently stick into the moss so it’s nice and tidy. You may need to dig out a little of the moss to find the ring structure.
Adding the hanging loop
Once you’ve added all of the foliage you are ready to attach a loop for securing your wreath to the front door.
To do this, pop your wreath on its front and locate part of the ring to secure the loop for the hanging ribbon.
Using garden twine create a loop by tying a knot one end.
And now for the flowers
Leave the flowers until last as you will be putting them directly into the moss.
No preparation is required in terms of conditioning as you can do this as you go along.
Snip to the required length and strip away any foliage that would be going into the moss.
To secure hold the stem at the tip and gently push in.
To create a natural look, use different lengths and stagger throughout the design.
I really hope you've found this useful and would love to see what wreaths you create, so feel free to share away pictures of your creations. I'm currently working on my wreath for this year which will be available to order shortly - naturally I will share.
Happy wreath creating. With love and stay safe, Flowers and Lifestyle by Margot www.instagram.com/flowersandlifestylebymargot/ http://www.flowersandlifestylebymargot.co.uk
You can also read this blog, along with other wonderful blogs on styling and beautiful homes over at https://www.myenglishcountrycottage.co.uk/