Christmas is only around the corner and soon the trees will be going up and the lights will be turned on. One of the decorations that I just love to see is the Christmas wreath. They are one of the most simple decorations to make and can look just beautiful using only the naturally growing foliage around us. Here I will give a few tips on how to create and make your own wreath using just the things found on our doorstep.
The Base.
The base needs to be made out of something that is firm enough to support the structure but bendy enough that it can be shaped into a circle. Good options are thin bamboo canes, Dogwood branches, kids pool floats (the long cylindrical ones), Leylandii branches or as I'm going to use here Willow branches.
You will need some garden wire or twine such as Gardman Rot Resistant Twine which is also green so it won't show up in your display and some secateurs.
The Willow branches should be thin and no more than a cm wide otherwise they may snap. If you are worried about them snapping you can soak the branches in water the night before shaping them.
Once you have cut the lengths that will give you the size of circle you want, intertwine a few of them together before bending them into the shape of your wreath. I find using a large cooking pot useful for getting the shape right. Once you have this done tie the ends using your twine making sure to bind it tightly.
It's a good idea before decorating to fix the string or wire you are going to hang it from now, be sure to make it strong as once it is fully decorated there can be quite a weight that it has to support!
Decorating.
This is the best part of making the wreath because it is a great excuse to go on a long treasure hunt of a walk to find the perfect decorations.
There are so many things to choose from and it's very much personal taste but a few favourites of mine are red berries (Holly, Cotoneaster, Pyracantha, Skimmia), evergreen leaf (leylandii, spruce, holly, eucalyptus, Ivy), any bits of moss, feathers, and cones such as the ones from the Larch.
Once you have gathered all the bits and pieces you would like to place on your wreath simply weave them in between the twines of your Willow base.
If you are using something that has a smooth surface as a base such as the pool float you can bind your string around it to create somewhere to weave in your decorations. If you are using something with a smooth surface Ivy is fantastic for covering the base.
If you have any old Christmas decorations such as ribbons or tinsel they can be recycled into your wreath to add a festive look and get another years use out of them.
A lot of lights are now battery operated and can be wound around your wreath to add extra sparkle (be sure to use LED ones only as the others emit too much heat).
Gold, silver and snow sprays are also a way to Christmassy up any of the duller looking leaves.
Finally if you love the idea but simply don't have the time to make a wreath we stock a great assortment of premade wreaths for any style here at Kennedy's Home and Garden!
Sophie x
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