How to Make a Fresh Christmas Wreath with Items from your Garden

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Do you love the look of fresh Christmas wreaths, but cringe at their price tags? Why not make your own & show off your garden at the same time? All you need to buy is a wreath form, paddle wire & a ribbon. Everything else is sitting in your garden ready to be cut. Evergreens, rosehips, branches, dried hydrangea flowers, berries, allium seed heads, pine cones, etc all make great materials that you can use to make the perfect wreath. Don’t have any evergreens in your garden? Buy a cheap fresh Christmas tree, cut it up & use it to make your wreaths. The possibilities are endless, plus it’s so easy to do. Read on for my fresh Christmas wreath tutorial & you’ll be making your own custom wreath in no time!

Materials

• Wreath Form
• 22 Gauge Paddle Wire
• Ribbon (I prefer wired ribbon)
• Clippings from your garden (evergreens, branches, etc)

Method

1. Take one end of your floral wire & loop it around a wire on your wreath form so it’s secure. Wrap the wire around one section of your form a few times. Do not cut the wire when you are done.
2. Make small bundles with your garden clippings, making sure each bundle is about the same size. If you are using different types of clippings, make sure to layer them so that the smallest items are on top. Your bundles should be big enough to cover the wreath form, but not so big that you won’t be able to see the center of the wreath when you are finished.
3. Place your bundle on top of the section of the wreath form where your wire is wrapped. Lay your bundle so it is pointing outwards slightly. Tightly wrap your floral wire around the bundle & the wreath form a few times until it’s secured.
4. Place the next bundle on top of the last, making sure to cover the wrapped wire. This time place the bundle facing inwards slightly. Tightly wrap your floral wire around the bundle & wreath form again until it’s secured.
5. Repeat steps 3 & 4 until your wreath is nearly complete, making sure to alternate outward & inward bundles. 
6. Wrap your last bundle’s ends with wire & tuck it into place by securing the wire to the wreath form. Make sure to also cut your original wire & tuck it into the wreath form.
7. Make a bow & attach it to your wreath.

Tips

• Tuck in Christmas ornaments, fake birds, acorns, pine cones & other decorative items into your wreaths for a more personal touch.
• Wrap you wreaths with battery operated lights for a no fuss way to light up your creation.
• Spray your wreaths with Wilt Stop to keep your greens looking fresher for longer.
• Remove your garden clippings from the wreaths after Christmas, but make sure to keep the wreath form, floral wire & bow to use again for future holidays.
• You can also use your garden clippings to create porch pots & garlands. Stay tuned, I will be posting tutorials for both of those projects in the coming weeks.

Like many of my gardening adventures, I learned how to make wreaths from a Garden Answer video a few years ago. I was so surprised how easy it was & I have never gone back since. Stores this time of year really charge an arm & a leg for something you can easily make yourself. This way you can make your wreath exactly the way you want it for a fraction of the cost. Want a giant elaborate wreath, but don’t want to shell out $100+? Make it yourself for under $10. Keep the wreath form, floral wire & bow to use for the following Christmas & make the same show-stopping wreath for free!

This project also encourages you to plant more winter interest plants, so you have even more goodies to use in your winter garden projects in the future. Red twig dogwood has a definite place on my wishlist because of its beautiful red branches. Winterberries are also on my wishlist. Can you tell that I need more red in my garden? Plus, it’s always a good idea to have winter interest plants in your garden anyway. They add structure & bring four-season interest to any space you put them in. Check out my tips on planting bareroot trees & shrubs, as long as the ground isn’t frozen you can still plant trees & shrubs.

Well, what’s stopping you? Get your materials together & make that beautiful custom Christmas wreath that you’re envisioning. It’s so easy that you’ll wonder why you haven’t been making your own wreaths this whole time.