Six top tips for wreath making

The festive season is approaching which means it’s wreathmaking time! Follow these six tips to make your wreath extra special.

1. Have the right tools!

This is an absolute to ensure your wreathmaking it easeful and enjoyable. My preference is a pair of lightweight secateurs. They’ll get through your foliage stems easily, without being cumbersome.

Floristry scissors can work, but I find the finger rings can sometimes dig into my fingers when I’m tackling lots of thick and woody stems.

If you’re foraging for materials, or sourcing foliages from your own garden then a decent pair of loppers can also be really helpful.

You will also need a sharp and clean pair of fabric scissors or haberdashery shears for your ribbon at the end.

2. The freshest materials

We want our wreaths to last the whole festive season, right? The best way to make that happen is by choosing the freshest materials possible.

There’s a couple of ways to access the freshest materials. I have a few different wholesalers that I trust, depending on where you are based you might able to find a wholesaler that is open to the public.

You could also source materials from your own garden, or go foraging. This way you can cut your materials right before you create your wreath. If you do forage then I recommend reading the Foraging Guidelines by the Woodland Trust.

3. Plan your design in advance

This is definitely dependent on what kind of person you are. For me, when it comes to creating something like a wreath, where I will be looking at it for a good few weeks, then I like to know I’m going to be happy with the final design.

If you want, you could make a sketch of your wreath before you begin. I tend to just think about what overall feel I want to create, and this informs what materials I use. Before adding any adornments I place them on the wreath so I can visualise what they will look like.

4. Lots of textures

This goes hand in hand with the point above. When thinking about your design, and sourcing your materials think about all the different textures you can use.

I always like my wreaths to have a luxurious feel, and so I avoid using only spruce. If you wanted a wreath made from just spruce then you could easily find one in the supermarket. My favourite combinations are spruce, conifer, pine and ivy. You can also use holly, skimmia, eucalyptus, rosemary. There’s lots of other evergreen foliages to choose from. You can also add texture and interest from your embellishments.

5. Create a really good base

There are several different bases you can use for your wreath. My preference is to bind natural moss to a wire base with mossing wire or twine. The moss is super absorbent, so it will keep your foliage fresh for ages, and it’s easy to work with. I’m very generous with the amount of moss I use so I can achieve a lovely, bevelled shape. It also means when adding in the foliages they have plenty of moss to be securely anchored into.

The moss also has a rich green, earthy smell that really adds to the overall aroma of your wreath.

6. Add beautiful finishing touches

I love the classics. Dried orange slices, bursting bright red holly berries, scented cinnamon sticks and velvet red ribbon.

But this is your wreath. Add whatever makes you happy. Popular adornments that I use in my workshops are pheasant feathers, foraged pine cones, miniature golden bells.

If you’re looking for that really special touch, you can even attach your favourite decoration from your Christmas tree.

One thing I never skip is the ribbon. Like I said, I’m partial to a velvet ribbon, but there are so many options; different colours, textures, widths. Regardless of choice, your beautiful and luxurious ribbon will be cut with a very sharp pair of scissors (remember point number one!) on a bias to give a flawless finish.

Just a note - if you do use your most precious Christmas ornaments and then hang it on your front door, make sure you trust your neighbours to not nab it.

Want to make your own festive wreath this year, without the hassle of doing it at home?

We’d love to have you join us at a Rook Botanics workshop.