Deck the halls… with boughs of Holly
One of the key trends for Christmas 2021 is a wreath. It’s a wonderful adornment to your front door at Christmas, but it doesn’t have to stop there, a wreath can make a great addition inside as well. Hang it on a wall, over a mirror, above a bed or on any internal door. It also makes for a great centrepiece, with a candle or bowl of baubles on the dining table.
It can be as simple or as elaborate as you like, all you need is a little imagination and a selection of natural materials to create your own gorgeous wreath or table centrepiece.
If you choose all natural materials from your garden or hedgerow then you can make it planet friendly and compostable too.
Things you will need
- Secateurs, scissors and wire cutters
- Wreath base (homemade or purchased)
- Floristry wire or garden twine
- Moss (sustainably harvested)
- Greenery – conifer, ivy, eucalyptus, holly, bay, rosemary etc
- Embellishments – pine cones, cinnamon sticks, dried orange slices, seed heads, old man’s beard, rosehips, berries etc
How to
- If you’re making your own base then start by choosing wood suitable to make the frame; willow, dogwood, poplar and birch are all excellent options, or you can buy pre-made ones in rattan. Take long lengths of branches thin enough to be able to bend and shape into a hoop, trim off any greenery so that you’re left with bare stems.
- Take two branches and overlap them by about 1⁄3 of their length twist the ends around each other. Cut two pieces of floristry wire or twine and join the branches at each end to form a simple circle. Continue wrapping and weaving more branches around your circle, using wire/twine if you need to, until you feel you have a sturdy frame. Trim any untidy ends and if you’re planning to hang your wreath thread a loop of wire through the top.
- Next up cover the base in moss and secure it in place wrapping it with the wire or twine.
This creates a fuller base in which to add the greenery and embellishments. - Now you can begin to arrange your mixed greenery around the wreath. It is easier to group and fasten a few springs together at a time and then attach them to your wreath making sure to overlap each bunch to give a thicker, fuller look.
- Finally it’s time to add the embellishments. Wire-wrap the larger items, eg pine cones and cinnamon sticks and fasten them to the wreath base, whilst the other smaller lighter pieces can be poked in amongst the greenery. Now your wreath is ready to display.
Remember to remove the wire before composting the natural materials. The base can be reused and redecorated again, perhaps for an Easter wreath or another occasion.
