Making your own wreath is incredibly satisfying and so much fun – it's a great way to get in the festive spirit. In the following post, I will take you through the steps to ensure you can create your own natural wreath. I bought most of the dried things online and the foliage from my local florist. You can forage for lots of these things too – as well as make your own dried accessories. Anything goes in a natural wreath, you can't go wrong!
Step 1: Soak your oasis in water overnight
I used a 30cm oasis which I bought on Amazon. Submerge your oasis in a bath or sink face-side down. This is to keep your fresh foliage watered once your wreath is made. Hang your oasis for 30 mins or so to rid it of some of the water before you begin.
Step 2: Gather your foliage and dried accessories
The base will be made from fir. Everything else will go on top of this. I bought fir and eucalyptus from my local florist. And I bought the dried orange slices, limes, pine cones (3 different kinds) fake berries (though you could forage for these), and lotus flower heads online. Included in my pine cones are gold sprayed ones to add a bit of festive cheer.
Step 3: Tie brown string around the top of your oasis
Using a knife or scissors, score a vertical line at the top of your base. Push brown string into the groove and tie it at the top of your oasis. This is so that you can attach your ribbon to it at the end in order to hang your wreath.
Step 4: Create your fir base
Cut your fir into approximate hand-sizes (using secateurs). Pull the pine needles off the bottom to leave approx a 5cm stem. Poke your fir into the outer edge of the oasis, all the way around the circumference.
Step 5: Complete fir base
Once you have completed the circumference, cover the top of your oasis base with the fir. Angle it diagonally, so that it moves around the circle. Position it slightly inwards too, to ensure you cover all of the oasis.
Step 6: Add your fresh foliage
I have used 3 kinds of eucalyptus for my fresh foliage, which I bought from my local florist. I also added in a bit of festive mistletoe that I picked up from my local greengrocers. You could also forage for trailing ivy, or anything else you can find on a country walk or in your garden.
Step 7: Attach your dried accessories
Think about the positioning of your dried accessories first, and lay them on top of the wreath where you would like them to go. Using florist wire, wind it around the bottom of the pine cones, lotus heads, and berries. Thread it through the orange slices. And wind it around the dried lime around the circumference. Leave plenty of spare wire at the end of each dried accessory and fold it back on itself to double it up. Wind it together to create a sturdy enough spike to push into your oasis. Be careful not to pull out any foliage and push in the wire as far as you can.
Step 8: Add in your dried foliage
I bought some dried lavender online, but you could also forage for dried grasses or twigs. The purple of the lavender creates a nice contrast to the green. Push this into the oasis around the circumference and over the top to finish your decoration.
Step 9: Attach ribbon to finish
Find the brown string you attached at the beginning, and tie a firm knot in the top low enough down that the foliage is covering it. Thread your ribbon through the brown string and tie it into a bow at the top. I used a neutral velvet ribbon.
And voila! Carefully lift your wreath and hang it on your door for all to see...!
