Handcrafted Wreaths from Your Own Garden

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Posted by @Boopaints on
Nothing says "Welcome" like a wreath. Grab some of your favorite greens, blooms, and garden supplies and make a quick garden wreath.

 Let's welcome friends to our gardens with inviting wreaths that you can put together in under an hour; some in just a few minutes.They look wonderful hanging on the front door or garden gate and even along the fence in obvious places.

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Here are some supplies you'll need:

Garden greenery, flowers, twist ties, thin and thick wire, wire cutters and gloves, bases of various shapes, old hoses, hand tools, trinkets, ribbon, etc.

You can actually gather your greenery and simply loop it, secure with a twist tie, add a ribbon, and hang it on a hook. If you're making this for a special event, add your freshly cut blooms right before party time. I use florist tubes, which can be purchased from a flower shop or wholesaler, to keep the blooms fresh all day.  I simply tuck them into the greenery and use a twist tie or wire to secure them.

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Start with  a styrofoam base, cover it with sphagnum moss, and wet it well. Then tuck your greenery into the base. Blooms can be added, or you can sinply make a statement with the greens alone. You can also water your wreath by misting it often to keep it fresh longer.

TIP: Look for super-cheap wreaths at thrift shops or garage sales.  It doesn't matter if they are beaten-up because you will cover everything. Plus, you'll save $7 or more. Or use a wire frame wreath as your base and secure your garden greens to it with thin wire. When the wreath dries out, they will still look great and add cottage charm to your garden.

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Don't be shy about silk flowers. I can hear all of you gardeners yelling at me right now:  "Please don't."  Silk flowers can be tucked into fresh greenery, and at the dollar store they are a bargain. I had a side gate that I never used, so I added a fresh green wreath with silks.  As the greenery dried, the silks still looked good against the brown twigs. Plus, I don't like to waste flowers on a wreath I don't get to see.

I love to upcycle, using items that might have been designated for the landfill. My favorite is the hose wreath and I have made many of them over the past 30 years because I sold them at craft shows. Loop your hose and secure it with wire. Add whatever you want to make it a one-of-a-kind wreath.

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 When you are thinking about making a wreath and don't want to spend a penny, think outside the box.  Don't limit yourself to round wreaths: They can be square, triangular, or any other shape you like. You could snag an old picture frame and tie fresh greens to it, adding blooms, tools, or trinkets to make it "you-nique."

Wire wreath frames found at Walmart or craft stores are great bases but I prefer to find things at thrift stores, throw-away bins, or garage sales, or even bent ones in clearance sales that may be bent or scratched. I will use anything round or make it round to shape a future wreath. Once, after a storm delivered an abundance of twigs and thin limbs to my garden, I took the bendable ones and shaped them into a large oval, securing the ends with twist ties.  I added a bow made of burlap and hung it on the back yard patio wall.  It stayed just like that for two years and aged beautifully.

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I also used a round dish drainer (similar to the one above) as a wreath once. I loved it so much because I could tuck things into it all over, inside and out. Alas, someone else loved it too and snatched it.

 

Fruit wreath

The birds will love this if you hang it outdoors.  It can also be hung inside, allowing it to dry out and be used decoratively.

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This next one is made from vintage ornaments I have collected, but you could have fun buying plastic ones after Christmas and making one like this with your own greenery next year.

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I hope that you will make some wreaths out of your own garden supplies. Remember, before you toss out old junk, ask yourself whether it would make a great wreath or other piece of garden art!

 

 

 

Photograph sources:

Top wreath: Home Depot

Green wreath: Country Living Magazine

Sempervivum (red) wreath: Goldfinch4

Styrofoam wreath and wire frame wreath: Walmart

Green hose wreath: Housepitality Designs

Brown hose wreath: tidymom.net

Others: public domain or personal collection.


 
Comments and Discussion
Thread Title Last Reply Replies
House warming gift by qwilter Dec 23, 2013 1:53 PM 13
CORRECTION to one of the photos by Boopaints Dec 21, 2013 9:44 AM 0

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