How To Make a Christmas Wreath
Following on from our Christmas Market yesterday we thought it would be a nice idea to do a festive wreath tutorial! This is one of our Christmas favourite jobs so we thought we would show you how we like to make them and just how simple it is.
Before we begin, if you’d rather watch a video tutorial, just here and Ed, our Head Gardener, will show you how in our step-by-step guide. For those who would rather follow our guide, read on!
All you need is a sharp pair of secateurs or scissors, some florists wire and garden string.
We start off with a pre-made moss base, you can buy these from craft shops, ours are 12 inches in diameter. The advantage of moss bases is that you can soak them in water to keep them fresher for longer.
The first step is to cover the base with foliage to bulk them out and provide a background to the other decorations. This year we have used Thuja plicata foliage but almost any evergreen tree or shrub can be used, in the past we’ve used evergreen oak and juniper.
Cut the foliage into pieces 6 to 8 inches long, lay the first piece on to the wreath and use the florist’s wire to hold it in place. We use wire on reels so we can simply coil the wire round the foliage and wreath as we go. Keep on tying on the foliage to the base, trying to use the natural curve on your material to follow the curve of the wreath. Keep the foliage pointing in the same direction to get neater results.
Once you’ve completed the background foliage you can start adding the next layer in the same way. We use a layer of holly next, preferably with lots of berries to add some colour. There has been a great crop of berries this year around the estate so we’ve been spoilt for choice, but it’s well worth cutting holly in November to get the berries before the birds! It’ll store for several weeks in a bucket of water.
Once the foliage is added you can start adding decorations. We like to use natural materials such as dried fruit (including chillies), dried flowers, pine cones, and cinnamon sticks, but almost any decoration you put on your tree would work on a wreath. The easiest way to add the decorations is to cut up 6 inch lengths of florists wire, loop it round the decorations and then poke it through the base and tie at the back if necessary. Wire is much easier to use than string and it tends not to show up as much.
The last step is to tie on a small loop of string so you can hang your wreath up. You can use your wreath inside or out, they will last longer outside but beware or hungry birds if you’ve added berries or fruit!
Here are some of the creations from the participants of yesterday’s wreath workshop led by Zara – aren’t they gorgeous! These can be made to order and start from just £15. Send an email to Ed our Head Gardener to order. Do drop in to the Walled Garden for a spot of Christmas shopping, enjoy a mince pie in the café or just to admire our festive decorations!
