Make your own Christmas Wreath
The benefits from being out in nature and gardening are plentiful, from helping to lead an active lifestyle, improving mental wellbeing, boosting social interaction, and importantly taking part in socially meaningful activities, such as volunteering.
The good news is that Green Care initiatives, like the Green Hub for Teens, is not only beneficial for our teens, but also for the adult volunteers who help in the garden.
This week our lovely adult volunteers had a fun and festive day in the garden making Christmas wreaths. Here’s our simple guide for making your own. Have fun!
Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas.
You will need: (all available online)
- a wreath ring
- scissors
- green twine
- florist wire
- moss
- evergreen and/or dried foliage or seed heads
- dried oranges, cinnamon sticks (optional)
- small Christmas ornaments such as bells or baubles (optional)
- ribbon (optional)
For a more traditional look you can use a mix of textured, evergreen, or dried foliage from the garden e.g., short conifer branches, ivy and dried seed heads.
Decorations such as pine cones, dried oranges and cinnamon sticks not only look great but smell amazing and boost that festive feel.
Fancy something a bit different? Have a look online for more contemporary, fun ideas. Use your imagination and get creative using this guide as a base.
How to:
- Create a sturdy base for your wreath by packing generous amounts of moss all the way around your wreath ring. Secure firmly in place by wrapping it with green twine. This can be misted lightly with water later and can act as a reservoir for your evergreen foliage.
- Make a loop with the twine on the back of your wreath so you can hang it on your door.
- Take small bunches of your foliage, alternating colours, or textures as you go, and thread them into the moss base. Tie them into the base where needed using the green twine. Make sure to avoid gaps. For a neater look, keep the foliage flowing in the same direction.
- Check your design from different angles, making sure you have kept a good shape and that the moss is fully covered.
- Now you can start to decorate your wreath with ornaments of your choice. Secure the floristry wire to each decoration, then push the wire through the foliage and moss, out the other side. Bend it back and tuck it into the foliage to hide the ends.
- For the decorations, try wrapping cinnamon sticks together using the wire to form a bundle. Hide the wire with a bow and secure in place. With softer items like oranges, you can pierce the fruit and thread the wire through to secure it. To add a large bow to your wreath, first make a neat bow, then thread the wire through the back of it and pin into place.
- Finally, use the loop you made at the start to attach your Christmas wreath to your front door. Stand back and admire. Well done!
