HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN FRESH EVERGREEN CHRISTMAS WREATH
Hanging an evergreen Christmas wreath on your front door is a beautiful addition to holiday decor. You've probably noticed them popping up on doors around your Indianapolis neighborhood in the last few days. Holiday evergreen wreaths, real or artificial, can be fairly pricey to buy. However, making your own wreath is surprisingly easy and very affordable. Plus, nothing beats and a unique, original wreath made with fresh greens.
Here are the supplies you'll need and the steps to make your own holiday wreath with real evergreens.
MATERIALS YOU’LL NEED
10-12" Wire hoop frame
Evergreen boughs (for a 12" frame you'll need about 3 branches that are each about 3 feet long)
Accent greens (if you like the mixed look)
Any Embellishments you might want (ornaments, pine cones, berries, etc.)
24 gauge floral wire (you can use either color, but the green blends in better)
Wire cutters (cutting branches will ruin your wire cutters)
Pruning clippers (cutting wire will ruin your pruning clippers)
Wilt Stop (optional)
CHOOSING A FRAME
When you look at frames, you're going to think that 12 inches are way too small. But, remember that once you add the greenery, you're likely to end up with an extra 2-3" across, which means your 12" frame is now an 18" wreath, the fuller you make your wreath, the bigger it will be. The average front door size is 36", so an 18" wreath will leave about 8" clear on either side.
There are also a variety of options for frame types available. There are single or multiple hoops frames, woven willow frames, wooden hoop frames, or floral foam hoops. For ease of construction, we prefer single hoops made from wood or steel. The multiple hoop frames can get a bit tricky to weave the wire through once they're fuller, so you won't be able to secure your greens as tightly. Floral foam hoops are ok, but the foam is more fragile than the wood or steel, its not great for the environment, and you still need to use floral wire or your greens will probably fall out of the wreath in the first strong wind they experience.
CHOOSING GREENS
The type of greens you choose is totally up to your personal style preferences. Wreaths with all one kind of greenery can be striking, but wreaths with several different types of greenery really draw the eye. We've got a few different varieties of evergreens available at the garden center for you to mix and match.
If you're going for the mixed look, adding in some broadleaf greens, like eucalyptus, holly, or magnolia, can have a beautiful eye-catching effect. Adding some sprigs of a silvery colored needle, like dried rosemary or lavender, also gives a unique look.
Whatever greens you choose, get at least one bundle.
GET SET UP
If you've bought your evergreen boughs from the garden center, leave them outside until you're ready to make your wreath. The cold helps to keep them dormant. If the weather outside is decent and you have a table you can use, try to set yourself up in the yard or in a garage to build your wreath. This will keep your greenery chilled, and will also keep fallen needles out of your house.
If you need to build your wreath indoors, bring your greenery in several hours before you start, and soak it thoroughly in water. You can stand the boughs in a bucket of water, or just lay them in a few inches of water in the bathtub.
When you're ready to get started, clip your evergreens into lengths of about 6-8" long.
WREATH BUILDING STEPS
Wrap the free end of your floral wire around the frame and secure it well. You'll need to be able to tug on it quite hard to make sure everything is secured to the frame.
Choose a small handful of greenery, bundle it together, and lay the bundle along the wreath frame at a slight diagonal, with the cut ends just over the top of where you hooked the wire.
Wrap the wire tightly around the bundle of greens several times. DON'T cut the wire!
Make your next bundle of greens and lay it a little further along the frame, so it overlaps and covers the wire wrapped portion of the previous bundle.
Pull your wire tight, and wrap again. Just keep adding bundles and wrapping the wire until you've gotten back to the beginning.
Tuck the last bundle under the fluffy loose ends of the very first bundle, and carefully wrap it a few times as well. Wrapping the last bundle is a little trickier since it's underneath the loose ends of the first one.
Once your last bundle is secure, you can cut your wire and secure it tightly to the frame. If you want to create a hanging loop with the wire, you can do that before cutting it.
Play around with your decorative accessories. Set them on your wreath and try a few different arrangements to decide what you like best.
Use pieces of your floral wire to attach your other festive decorations however you like.
Ta-da! You've got a beautiful original wreath that’ll give your Christmas tree a run for its money!
There is one more step, although this is optional: If you want your wreath to last as long as possible, spray it thoroughly with an anti-transpirant spray, like Wilt Stop.
If you're hanging your wreath inside, where it's much warmer and the air is dry, you'll want to mist it at least once per day. If possible, let it soak for a few hours once a week. An occasional bath will help the greenery stay fresh and vibrant all season. The best part is that if it does start to look a bit sad after a couple of weeks, you can grab a fresh bundle of greens from the garden center and whip up a new one, on the same frame, in just a few minutes!
Are you inspired to try your hand at creating your own evergreen Christmas wreath? Stop by our garden center; we've got everything you need to get started. Our team has made lots of wreaths in-store, so they can share plenty of tips to help your wreath look merry and bright.