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by Laura Charlton, CPH
The Holidays are soon to be here, winter is in the air. Your thoughts are meandering towards holiday parties, traditions, gifts and decorations. Wreaths can serve as great centerpieces, focal points or gifts for the Holiday Season. Homemade wreaths are a beautiful, inexpensive, and long lasting traditional decoration.
Typically, wreaths are made from the leaves of Cedar or Pine trees; occasionally, one will also see Holly used as the base in a wreath. What comes next is limited only by what is being nurtured in your garden. Use your imagination with the "greens" you choose. I prefer naturally occurring color, texture, and form in my wreaths, using what grows in the garden to turn wreath making into a fun and easy project for all ages.
Look outside, into your own garden. What do you see there? Take a walk around and make a note of what you see that is colorful, textured and sturdy. If it’s evergreen, what do the leaves look like in winter? I find many blues and yellows in the leaves of various plants in my garden. Look closely at the different shades of green and the texture of the leaves. They can be shiny or matte, wide or narrow, deeply veined or fairly flat. If it’s a deciduous tree or shrub, check their color and shape, some stems are crooked, straight, green or bright red or yellow. This will give you great ideas and assist in envisioning your finished wreath.
Some plants do not make a good choice for wreaths. Stay away from Hemlock, the leaves fall fast. Plants with real berries can become quite messy; they fall off, can be stepped on, staining and possibly making them unsafe as well. I like to use artificial berries, wiring them onto the wreath after it is created.
Personally, I always use a base of Alaskan Red Cedar and Lodgepole Pine as they make my wreath thick and full. You can also use other pine or cedar-like trees and shrubs, like Austrian Black Pine or Arborvitae. After that, you can begin to add your own artistic touches. Do you have any Spruce trees? How about Salal or Huckelberry bushes? In your mixed border, you might see Red or Yellow Twig Dogwood, David’s Viburnum, or some Laurel. Look closer, do you have a Japanese Umbrella Pine, a Contorted Filbert, or a Cryptomeria? Now that’s moving into the more unusual "greens" to put into your new wreath! There are many plants in your garden that can be used to make a wreath and they’re all free. The only thing you need is a sharp pruner, some wire plus a bucket or two to hold the cut "greens" until you are ready to make your wreath.
So gather your kids, your tools, and get out into your garden. Make it your new Family Holiday Tradition!
Laura Charlton is a Certified Professional Horticulturist, Certified Arborist, and Certified Tree Risk Assessor.
11/09 |
