Make your own spring wreath
Wreaths announce that the seasons are changing, that today is special, and good things are on the way. They help us to celebrate day-to-day living and bring the outdoors into our homes, even when holidays are far off. You don’t need a reason to drape a garland over your mantelpiece or hang a wreath on your front door, and you don’t need any fancy supplies. Cut tings from a recent pruning of your apple tree or sprigs collected on a family hike are all you need to make personal pieces to decorate your space.
We provide the recipes, but unlike when you’re cooking, they are only guidelines. We’ve chosen ingredients to suit the season, but we’ve also based them on what we like. If you hate persimmons, for instance, don’t use them. If you want to add 10 stems of narcissus instead of three, go for it.
You can also give yourself some leeway. Sometimes it may make more sense for a branch to arc to one side rather than the other, so don’t hesitate to make alterations to the overall composition as you see fit. Keep in mind that all branches are different, and they come in many shapes and sizes. Consider the arcs of your stems and the flexibility of your branches; while you can try to recreate the looks here, it’s more important that you work with what you’ve got to make something you like.
A good relationship with your local florist or nursery will do wonders for your projects. The staff will let you know what’s in season and how flowers hold up over time or out of water. They can also help you track down your ingredients, and are generally a fount of useful information. In addition to the ingredients found in commercial and retail outlets, some great materials are sitting in your backyard.
Better yet, forage for future ingredients by creating a simple drying rack. A spring and summer bounty of items dried for future use will help you when autumn and winter arrive. As when cooking, gathering ingredients will be easier if you shop with the seasons. There will always be some crossover between certain species, so look out for the availability of flowers and branches in your region.
Dogwood Wreath
Ingredients
2 branches of dogwood
1 6in x 6in piece of sheet moss
10 assorted mushrooms
Several pieces of lichen
Materials
2 water tubes
Thin-gauge wire Heavy-gauge wire
1. Trim and tube the branches of dogwood.
2. Bend each branch around in a loop and attach the loops together with thin-gauge wire to create a frame.
3. Scrunch the sheet moss around the base of the loop so that the wire and tubes are no longer visible.
4. Hang the wreath in place before adding the mushrooms. Stake several mushrooms with heavygauge wire and add them to the moss patch. Finish by tucking in pieces of lichen.
Tip
This can last up to 2 weeks when the water tubes are kept filled.
Lilac Wreath
Ingredients
5 olive branches
10 blooms of lilac
6 stems of agonis
2 stems of berzelia
2 air plants
Materials
Grapevine wreath frame
5 water tubes
Medium-gauge wire
1. Start with the grapevine wreath frame.
2. Tuck the olive branches into the top and bottom of the frame so that the ends point to the right.
3. Trim and add two blooms of lilac to each filled water tube. Place the lilacs in clusters around the wreath and secure with mediumgauge wire.
4. Tuck the stems of agonis and berzelia around the lilac clusters to conceal the water tubes. Finish by attaching the air plants to the bottom of the wreath.
Tip
The lilacs will last only one night but the other ingredients will dry nicely over time.
Note: Toxicity Many of the projects worked on in this book incorporate branches with fruits and berries, some of which are toxic and all of which should be kept out of reach of children and pets. Take into account that berries may fall from branches, so make sure that wherever they land, they are out of harm’s way.
The Wreath Recipe Book, by Alethea Harampolis and Jill Rizzo, with photography by Paige Green, is published by Artisan, priced £16.99.
We provide the recipes, but unlike when you’re cooking, they are only guidelines. We’ve chosen ingredients to suit the season, but we’ve also based them on what we like. If you hate persimmons, for instance, don’t use them. If you want to add 10 stems of narcissus instead of three, go for it.
You can also give yourself some leeway. Sometimes it may make more sense for a branch to arc to one side rather than the other, so don’t hesitate to make alterations to the overall composition as you see fit. Keep in mind that all branches are different, and they come in many shapes and sizes. Consider the arcs of your stems and the flexibility of your branches; while you can try to recreate the looks here, it’s more important that you work with what you’ve got to make something you like.
A good relationship with your local florist or nursery will do wonders for your projects. The staff will let you know what’s in season and how flowers hold up over time or out of water. They can also help you track down your ingredients, and are generally a fount of useful information. In addition to the ingredients found in commercial and retail outlets, some great materials are sitting in your backyard.
Better yet, forage for future ingredients by creating a simple drying rack. A spring and summer bounty of items dried for future use will help you when autumn and winter arrive. As when cooking, gathering ingredients will be easier if you shop with the seasons. There will always be some crossover between certain species, so look out for the availability of flowers and branches in your region.
Dogwood Wreath
Ingredients2 branches of dogwood
1 6in x 6in piece of sheet moss
10 assorted mushrooms
Several pieces of lichen
Materials
2 water tubes
Thin-gauge wire Heavy-gauge wire
1. Trim and tube the branches of dogwood.
2. Bend each branch around in a loop and attach the loops together with thin-gauge wire to create a frame.
3. Scrunch the sheet moss around the base of the loop so that the wire and tubes are no longer visible.
4. Hang the wreath in place before adding the mushrooms. Stake several mushrooms with heavygauge wire and add them to the moss patch. Finish by tucking in pieces of lichen.
Tip
This can last up to 2 weeks when the water tubes are kept filled.
Lilac Wreath
Ingredients5 olive branches
10 blooms of lilac
6 stems of agonis
2 stems of berzelia
2 air plants
Materials
Grapevine wreath frame
5 water tubes
Medium-gauge wire
1. Start with the grapevine wreath frame.
2. Tuck the olive branches into the top and bottom of the frame so that the ends point to the right.
3. Trim and add two blooms of lilac to each filled water tube. Place the lilacs in clusters around the wreath and secure with mediumgauge wire.
4. Tuck the stems of agonis and berzelia around the lilac clusters to conceal the water tubes. Finish by attaching the air plants to the bottom of the wreath.
Tip
The lilacs will last only one night but the other ingredients will dry nicely over time.
Note: Toxicity Many of the projects worked on in this book incorporate branches with fruits and berries, some of which are toxic and all of which should be kept out of reach of children and pets. Take into account that berries may fall from branches, so make sure that wherever they land, they are out of harm’s way.
The Wreath Recipe Book, by Alethea Harampolis and Jill Rizzo, with photography by Paige Green, is published by Artisan, priced £16.99.