If you’re feeling creative this week, forage for some foliage and create your own wreath. It’ll brighten up your doorway and you’ll feel totally fulfilled afterwards.
Florist Emma McDonald, who owns Stems in Scotland, says preparation is key, so make sure you’ve got everything you need before you start – especially a pair of strong scissors to cut through thick stems of foliage and wire.
“If you want to make something a little different, pick up some dried fruits such as apple slices, orange slices, whole limes, pine cones or cinnamon sticks,” advises Emma. “A mix of pine, holly and birch branches are all pretty hardy and will last weeks. You should be able to find the tools with your local florist.”
You will need:
:: A strong pair of scissors/secateurs
:: Reel wire
:: String
:: Ribbon (if you choose to include a bow)
:: Wreath frame/ring
:: Your foliage and decorations.
1. Choose Your Foliage
Choose foliage with plenty of texture and varying shade, advises Sian Wild, owner of The Flower Lounge. “We love using eucalyptus and grevillea from FlorismartUK, along with nobilis for a beautiful festive scent,” she says.
2. Secure Your Reel Wire
To get going, secure the reel wire around your wreath base – make sure to pull your wire tight to ensure it won’t detach while you’re building the wreath. Emma explains: “Take your reel wire and wrap it around the outer edge of your ring a couple of times so you have a secure starting point.
3. Add Your Foliage
“Take a handful of moss or greenery and hold it against the ring with one hand using your other hand to wrap the reel wire around, securing the foliage,” says Emma. “Keep adding in more bunches and overlap them – repeat this until the whole ring is covered.”
When you’ve fully covered the base, cut the wire and secure it by wrapping it around several times, says Sian. Next, tuck the end of the wire into your wreath base so it’s neat and tidy.
4. Add The Decorations
Now for the fun part. “You can opt for a natural style wreath with raffia, pine cones and dried limes or go a bit more glitzy with velvet ribbon and a few sparkly accessories,” advises Sian.
Next, secure your decorations – make sure you twist the wire like you would a cable tie once you have your decoration in place to make it extra secure, advises Sian. Wrap the wire around the wreath base and twist the wires at the back to make sure it’s not going to fall apart.
Add some string or ribbon to the top of your wreath so you can hang it from your door, and then stand back and admire it with a cup of mulled wine in your hand.