our top wreath making tips

For an outdoor wreath, it’s best to use mainly plant material – it will survive the elements better. You don’t have to use the traditionally Christmassy things like pine and holly, all sorts of evergreen foliage and berries look great.

Don’t steal holly from that nice big bush in the park or woods! It would go bald pretty soon if too many people did. If you’ve got a garden, there are lots of common garden plants that are great for making wreaths. If you’ve no garden ask a friend or see what’s in your work’s car park, etc. You could make a gorgeous wreath just from a branch you had to chop off your Christmas tree, a bit of overgrown ivy your friend was happy for you to prune for them and some Cotoneaster with red berries from a car park.

I usually use a frame from a florist supplies shop for making the wreath because I find it easier, and I can reuse it every year. But you can use an old coathanger made into a circle. Or you could use a hoop made from willow. You could even try small pieces of driftwood tied together. I attach the plant material using florists’ wire, although if you don’t have any you can try string, but it takes a little longer.

I usually don’t use pine; the sap is too annoying and sticky! To cover the frame I use some boring green conifer. Even the infamous Lleylandii will work! Yew is also good if you have some.

I next add some other evergreen foliage. You can use anything you have available – ivy is good, holly too of course, even herbs like rosemary. The advantage of getting holly from gardens rather than nabbing it from the local park is that many gardeners grow variegated holly rather than the plain green one, so it adds some extra colour.

Next add something with berries. Holly often gets berries in annoying places, or none at all if it’s male, so you might need another plant to provide some. Lots of really common shrubs have nice berries you can use – Skimmia, Pyracantha, Cotoneaster, Berberis, etc.

If you can’t find anything with berries, add some fake ones. If you have some old broken bead necklaces you can recycle them; attaching beads in small groups looks effective.

You can add things like seedheads too. Pinecones are very Christmassy! Or try things like teasels, poppies, love-in-a-mist (Nigella) or fluffy grass seedheads such as Miscanthus. Paint some gold if they need livening up! You can also add things like unused small Christmas baubles, etc.

Finish it with a bow. If you’re given a present tied with ribbon, it will probably be the perfect amount for making a bow for your wreath, so recycle it!

Another way to use a wreath is indoors as a table centrepiece; you can lay it on a plate and stand a candle in the middle. For indoor wreaths you can add more delicate things that wouldn’t survive on your front door: lots more ribbon, Christmas ornaments, paper things, etc. Another thing you can add is old cinnamon sticks, slices of dried fruit, etc.