Simplify Décor With Homemade Wreaths

By Laurie Casey
The Morton Arboretum

‘Tis the season for holiday decorating. Make a charming wreath from tree cuttings from your yard. It’s an easy project for your own door or a friend’s. Jaime Horn, horticulturalist at The Morton Arboretum, shares her techniques. “Making a wreath is a wonderful homemade gift that’s very personal,” said Horn, who has been making wreaths since she was 10 years old. “And it’s very inexpensive, especially if you use things from your own yard.”

Plan on spending between 2-5 hours to make the wreath. You’ll need pruners, gloves, and wire cutters, fine and heavy duty gauge wires and a wreath form.

Start with a wire form from a craft or hobby store. They come in many shapes, including circles, hearts or swags. The stores also sell premade grapevine forms, which Horn prefers. Or, you can make those grapevine forms if you have such vines growing in your yard.

“I like the natural look,” said Horn. “I keep it simple with what I have around, especially pine cones and berries.” Gardens yield treasures even in cold weather. Foraging for materials is a great excuse to get outside and enjoy your yard in winter. Yew, eastern white pine, juniper, white fir, arborvitae and ornamental grass all work well. “The denser and shorter the needles (such as yew and spruce), the less branches you’ll need to make the wreath look full,” said Horn.

Other suitable plants include bayberry, redbud crabapple and hollies such as winterberry. “I like to use anything that has berries on it,” said Horn. “Berries tend to drop off, but you can replenish them.”

Wrap fine-gauge, floral wire around 3-4 branches to create a small bunch, then attach bunches them to the form with the wire until the form is as full as you like, either completely greened or with half the form bare. Now it’s time for the finishing touches. If you are hanging a wreath off the façade of your house, be bold with the colors and trimmings. A front door wreath can be more subtle.

One of Horn’s favorite techniques is to use the wire or a wooden stick with a wire called a pick to tie berries, pine cones or jingle bells into mini bouquets, which she places in one large cluster or three to five clusters around the wreath. Other touches include dried seed pods, dried hydrangea flowers, ribbon tied in a bow at the top or bottom, silk flowers or clusters of metallic ball ornaments. You can also try using apples, pears, clementines, oranges or quinces. Like berries, they may need to be replaced every so often.

To hang the wreath, loop heavy duty gauge wire around the form and hang it by a nail. Or use a wreath hanger found at craft and hobby stores.

One of the best things about making a fresh wreath from plants in your yard is the endless possibilities. “I’m always looking for new materials. Each creation is different,” said Horn. “If I don’t like what I’ve done, the good news is it can always be redone or undone.”

Glad You Asked

Q. How long can a fresh holiday wreath last?
A. A homemade outdoor wreath can last many weeks, even a few months, according to Horn. Cold temperatures preserve the wreath and help it keep longer. However, a fresh wreath hung indoors will dry out, turn brown and drop needles fairly quickly.

Q. What are the growing requirements for white fir?
A. White fir, also known as concolor fir, is a beautiful large evergreen with blue-green foliage. It can grow up to 50 feet high and 30 feet wide, prefers full sun to light shade in rich, moist, well-drained gravelly or sandy soil. It tolerates heat, drought, and cold temperatures. You can find more growing requirements for other large evergreen trees at www.mortonarb.org, then choose “Plant Trees” and “Selection Guide”

At the Arboretum
The Callisto Ensemble will perform chamber music at 2:15-4:15 p.m. on December 7. Tickets to performance and reception: $28 (discount for Arboretum members). Call (630) 725-2066 for tickets and concert schedule.

Laurie Casey is a staff writer at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle.