Make a Christmas Wreath

The Christmas wreath is an enduring symbol of the holidays. All of the beauty of the season from pungent evergreens to colourful berries wrapped up in a pretty package (complete with a bow). Making your own Christmas wreath can be rewarding and, if you include other family members, you might just start a new holiday tradition. The best part is that it doesn't require a lot of time or special skill. In one afternoon, you can easily clip greens and create a wreath that is creative, stunning and less expensive than store-bought ones.

The directions to make a Christmas wreath were published in Gardens West magazine Nov/Dec. 2003.

Choose a frame
Wire frames of various diameters are available from garden and craft stores. Tie a strip of green plastic to the wire frame and wrap the frame so that the wire is completely covered (this is to hold the moss, keep it moist and prevent the wire from scratching your door or wall). Tie off the plastic and in the same position attach one end of the ball of twine to the frame.

Prepare the greens
Take evergreen boughs of cedar, fir, pine or boxwood and cut the limbs into many 15cm (6") pieces. Irregularly shaped pieces give a natural look so you can use nearly everything - just don't try and use any clippings that have thick woody branches, keep your cuttings limited to small branches.

Bundle the evergreens
Use the sturdy pieces from the base of the branches for the back the bunch; they provide support but are fairly well hidden. Gather four to six pieces in your bunch, placing the more decorative and uncut tips near the front where they will be the most visible. Keep your bundles compact and uniform in size.

Tie in the bundles
When you have formed an attractive bundle of greens, wrap the stems in a small clump of moisten moss. Hold the bundle against the frame with one hand and take the twine in the other. Pull the twine across the bundle, about two-thirds of the way from the top. Wrap the bundle a second time pulling the twine tightly.

Attach the second bunch of greens in the same way, placing the bundle in the same direction as the first one. The second overlapping the first so that only about a third of the underlying bunch is visible. Angle the bundles slightly so that they alternately point towards the centre or the outside of the wreath covering the edges of the frame. Add holly, berries, coloured leaves or unusual material to every third or fourth bundle to create your own pattern of materials.

Repeat these steps as many times as needed to work your way around the wreath. During construction, periodically prop the wreath up and stand back to observe it. Make adjustments necessary to keep the centre of the wreath open and the width even all around. Press the last bundle under the first so that it is not obvious where the bundles started or ended.

Attach a hanging loop
Do this before you add any extra decorations. Decide what is the top and where you'll attach the bow. Take a piece of floral wire and wrap it with floral tape. Twist a one-inch circle in the centre of the wire to form a hanging loop. From the back of the wreath push the wire ends into the wreath so it is well secured. Weave the wire ends in opposite directions along the back of the wreath.

Decorate the wreath by adding a bow and other ornaments. These additions should be kept in scale with the size of the wreath. You can wire on all sorts of adornments: pinecones (plain, painted or glitter-covered), acorns, small bells, Christmas ornaments or toys.

The Perfect Bow
Using 2 to 3m of ribbon 3 to 5cm wide hold the ribbon between your thumb and fingers, about 30cm from one end. Make a 10cm loop and hold it under your thumb. Twist the ribbon so the right side remains up and make another 10cm loop in the opposite direction. Repeat forming several more pairs of loops, twisting and holding them together. Make a 2cm loop in the centre and put a wire through the centre of this small loop twisting it tightly to secure all of the loops. If you are using wired ribbon omit the small centre loop and just twist the wire around the centre of the ribbon loops. Trim the ribbon ends on a slant. Wire on the bow by wrapping the two ends around the wreath, twisting it in the back.

How to care for your Christmas Wreath
Hang the wreath outside as much as possible and keep the moss moist. You can lay it out in the rain to water it (as long as any decorations are waterproof). If you wish to use it indoors try to move it back outside overnight. Properly cared for this wreath should last two to three months.

In cold weather climates use evergreens that are hardy to the area - fir, spruce or pine. Cones are popular and ornaments like artificial berries, ribbons, cords & tassels and artificial birds add plenty of colour and interest.

Evergreen Swags

If you are looking for something a little different than the standard 'doughnut' style wreath this year, consider a 'swag'

The first cut a base. A sturdy material such as wood is needed, as it will have to support a fair bit of weight. It can be any size and any shape, but a 15x15 cm square is most convenient.

Next you need moss. You can buy 'sphagnum' moss at garden centers and craft shops or collect 'step' moss, which grows abundantly throughout the island. Pick small patches leaving most of the moss intact to re-grow. The moss will act as an anchor for the branches and keep the arrangement fresh for several months. Soak it well, wring it out, then secured it with twine to one side of the base. Wrap the twine tightly or your finished wreath might sag when hung. A number of wraps with the twine will be necessary.

Once the moss is secured you are ready to start creating. Stick branches into the moss base starting with the large branches on the bottom and graduating up to the smallest on the crown of your 'moss mound'. Small pieces of holly, bows or pinecones (attached to a piece of wire) are good choices for the centre of the 'mound'. Be creative; in addition to the standard evergreens try something new. Go to the garden and collect some of the evergreen huckleberry, skimmia with its beautiful flower or large red berries, Winterberry, rose hips, Oregon Grape with leaves that have turned burgundy in the cold weather, ivy berries, junipers with berries attached or Harry Lauder's walking stick - twisted hazel. Dried seed pods collected last summer can be sprayed gold, silver or copper. Most important, have fun doing it.

Once your masterpiece is complete hang it using the twine on the back and enjoy. Don't forget to water it and it will last throughout the Christmas Season.




	Evergreen Materials: Choose foliage that suits where you are going to place it. For example, don't use dark green foliage on a dark green door. Add variegated foliage to brighten up a dark doorway. Consider the texture of plant materials selected. Small wreaths demand more finely textured materials. Our local plants make excellent evergreen wreaths. Foliage varies in its ability to remain fresh after being cut. Some suggestions of plants that hold up well are listed below. Cedar green, yellow and blue foliage Fir Blue spruce Pine Juniper Boxwood green, bronze and variegated Chamaecyparis blue, yellow & threadleaf varieties Oregon grape winter leaves often turn burgundy or red Holly English, variegated or Japanese Salal - small leaves Skimmia - their red berries are particularly attractive Eunomymus Huckleberry - evergreen and deciduous red stem forms Ivy - variegated and small leaf forms Sword fern tips Decorations Dried seed pods, cones (left natural or sprayed silver, gold or white) Berry clusters, real or artificial (waterproof) skimmia or holly ivy berries metallic blue berries from viburnum			Supplies Moss soaked and wrung out like a sponge 1 metal wreath frame 25 to 60cm in diameter 1 roll of 5cm wide green plastic wrap or strips of plastic cut from a green garbage bag Garden clippers, scissors & wire clippers 1 ball of green garden twine 2 to 3m of wide ribbon 2 pieces of floral wire - 18 gauge 30 to 40cm long Floral tape Wooden picks with wire for attaching cones or ornaments Protective spray, spray glitters

				Ribbon bows Artificial birds Glass or plastic balls, fruit or Christmas ornaments Small toys such as teddy bears (in scale with the size of the wreath)

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