Decorating
Christmas: How to Make Your Own Traditional Christmas Wreath
Follow these simple steps to bring festive cheer to your home with a classic handmade wreath
Whether on a front door or above a mantel, few things convey Christmas better than a fresh wreath. Tracy Goldman of Sabellico’s Florist breaks down the process of making a wreath of mixed greenery into eight simple steps, perfect for beginners. Follow along to create your own fresh front door adornment.
Mixing common lemon leaves, available year round, with seasonal greens like huckleberry, incense cedar and boxwood creates a textured look that’s just right for this time of year. Bright red berries add just the right pinch of colour.
To create this wreath, you will need leaves and berries such as:
Additional materials and tools:
- Lemon leaves
- Huckleberry
- Incense cedar
- Boxwood
- Ilex berries
Additional materials and tools:
- 8-inch metal wire wreath, clamp-style form (available at a crafts store or florist)
- Stapler
- 1 1/2 yards of 2-inch-wide ribbon
- Scissors
- Pruning shears
- Gardening gloves
- Hammer
1 Lay your metal wreath form flat and layer the lemon leaf stems in first for a sturdy base. Trim the ends of each piece.
Layer the leaves between the built-in clamps, using a generous quantity for the base of your wreath, fanning the leaves to the outside around the entire frame.
2 Add a layer of huckleberry leaves. Use garden shears to trim the pieces to your desired size.
Use one generous piece of the huckleberry for each clamp. This will add some nice texture without overpowering your design. Continue all the way around the wreath.
Check out simple ways to add festive cheer to your home
Check out simple ways to add festive cheer to your home
3 Cedar is prickly, so you may want to wear gardening gloves for this step. Trim the cedar into pieces and place the pieces around the wreath inside each clamp. Feel free to play with quantities to get your desired look. Cedar adds a nice seasonal look, and the fragrance is wonderful.
4 Break the boxwood into pieces, starting with larger tufts and then moving on to smaller ones.
Tuck the boxwood more toward the centre of the wreath form to fill it in. Use the larger tufts first, then use the smaller pieces to fill in any gaps.
5 Choose your red Ilex berries for long-lasting, festive colour.
Trim the berries and twigs to about the length shown here.
6 Carefully place a small branch of berries in each clamp. They can be fragile, so take extra care when working with them.
Your wreath should start to take shape and look like this as you add all the leaves and berries.
7 Feel through the leaves to find each clamp and bend both pieces together. Use a hammer for any clamps that are more difficult to close. Make sure all of the leaves are in place before closing the clamps, so nothing falls out. Tuck in additional greenery as needed to cover the clamps.
8 Cut about 1 metre of ribbon for the hanger.
Wrap the two ends of the ribbon around the frame a few inches away from each other.
Staple each individual ribbon end together to secure the ribbon to the frame.
Cut the ribbon in half at the top of the loop and tie a bow with the two ends. (See the first image for the final result.)
See how to create your own Eucalyptus wreath
See how to create your own Eucalyptus wreath
This wreath will make the perfect greeting on a front door. Be sure to take it inside during any storms to keep it in good shape through the festive season.
TELL US…
Have you made any homemade Christmas decorations this year? We would love to read about them or see a photo in the Comments below.
TELL US…
Have you made any homemade Christmas decorations this year? We would love to read about them or see a photo in the Comments below.