Make Your Own Natural Wreath This Winter
Rosemary, olive leaves and bittersweet berries combine in an inviting decoration that will last through the holiday season
Annie Thornton
2 November 2016
Houzz Editorial Staff
A homemade wreath hung on the front door is a welcoming vision to all in the winter months. Rhiannon Smith from San Francisco’s Farmgirl Flowers shows us how to make a wreath using year-round favourites such as rosemary and olive foliage, along with the seasonal flourish of winter berries.
Follow Rhiannon Smith’s instructions to create the wreath pictured here, or choose foliage cuttings from a local florist or your own garden for a custom look.
Plant Materials
Foliage sprigs cut 4in to 5in long, such as (from left):
Foliage sprigs cut 4in to 5in long, such as (from left):
- Seeded eucalyptus
- Olive
- Rosemary
- Silver bell eucalyptus
- Bittersweet, or other winter berries
Other Materials and Tools
- Pruning shears
- Floral stem wire cut 4in to 5in long
- Wire cutters
- Wire wreath frame (8in frame shown here)
- 22-gauge paddle wire
1 Cluster together five or six sprigs. Try to keep them somewhat uniform and their cut edges aligned.
Smith puts olive and rosemary at the back, and a couple of bittersweet pieces toward the front for visibility in the wreath.
2 Wrap a piece of floral stem wire a little more than halfway down the sprigs to form a bundle. Wrap as tightly as possible and secure the wire end.
Discover how to turn your old teacups into planters
Discover how to turn your old teacups into planters
3 Make 10 to 20 bundles, depending on the wreath’s size. Use the same foliage combination for each, or vary the the materials. Here, the bittersweet is in only half of the bundles.
Smith suggests assembling all the bundles before you start wiring them to the frame. This will help you achieve a more uniform look.
Smith suggests assembling all the bundles before you start wiring them to the frame. This will help you achieve a more uniform look.
4 Place the first bundle on the frame and wrap the paddle wire three times around the bottom of the bundle and the wreath frame as tightly as you can to keep it in place. Do not cut the wire.
Check out these good-looking ways to organise and store craft materials
Check out these good-looking ways to organise and store craft materials
5 Put the second bundle on top of the first so its loose leaves conceal the paddle wire and wreath frame beneath. Wrap the wire around the bundle and frame three times. Continue adding bundles (and leaving the paddle wire uncut), varying them if you made different kinds.
As you work your way around the circle, make sure none of the paddle wire or frame is visible.
6 Tuck the ends of the last bundle under the loose leaves of the first.
7 Wrap the paddle wire around the foliage and frame a few extra times, then cut it with a wire cutter. Tuck the loose end into the greens to hide it.
Add a bow or ribbon, or just hang the wreath from the wire frame.
Your wreath will stay fresh for about a week, but it will slowly dry and last one to two months or more as a dried decoration.
Add a bow or ribbon, or just hang the wreath from the wire frame.
Your wreath will stay fresh for about a week, but it will slowly dry and last one to two months or more as a dried decoration.
Experiment with different foliage combinations. Here, Smith used olive and silver bell eucalyptus. Try other foliage types that may be more available where you live, including bay, pine or oak.
Have you ever made a wreath? Share your tips and photos in the Comments below
Have you ever made a wreath? Share your tips and photos in the Comments below
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dundrum16 that is one gorgeous wreath! And thanks Houzz/AnnieThornton for the article!
Our monogrammed wreath made last year following Martha Stewart instructions from her website.