Make Your Own Christmas Wreath
Make Your Own Christmas Wreath
We have just over 40 days until it's Christmas and that only means one thing - it's just about time to start decorating!
To start off nice and simple, we wanted to create handu dandy guide to create a lovely, natural Christmas wreath that you can hang on your front door.
Christmas Wreaths are a simple and customisable way to start decorating your home for Christmas that children can also join in with.
History of the Christmas Wreath
The word "wreath" comes from the Old English “writhian,” meaning "to twist," a fitting name as wreaths are traditionally crafted by twisting evergreen branches and adorned with flowers, berries, and festive decorations. Often made from the trimmed branches of Christmas trees, wreaths are a sustainable way to embrace the season while reducing waste. While today wreaths are most commonly associated with holiday decor, they’ve served various cultural purposes over time.
The earliest known use of wreaths can be traced to the Persian Empire, ancient Egypt, and Greece—not as decorations, but as headpieces. Laurel wreaths, for instance, symbolized power, authority, honor, and victory and were often worn by Olympic athletes, priests, brides, warriors, and guests of honor.
Wreaths first emerged as holiday decorations during the ancient Yule festival, celebrated by Germanic and Scandinavian peoples to mark the winter solstice. Yule wreaths symbolized the promise of spring, with evergreens representing resilience and life through the winter. The Romans also had similar traditions; during Saturnalia, they honored Saturn, the god of agriculture, with holly wreaths, which were exchanged as gifts and displayed as decorations.
Today, wreaths are most commonly associated with Christmas. In the 16th century, Christians adopted wreaths from the Yule tradition, with the circular shape symbolizing eternal life and God’s unending love. By the 19th century, Advent wreaths became a popular part of Christian practice. Each Advent wreath held four candles, representing the four weeks leading to Christmas, with each candle symbolizing hope, love, joy, or peace. For many today, wreaths are a cheerful emblem of the holiday season and a celebration of Christmas spirit.
How to Make A Christmas Wreath
You will need:
- A wreath base (35cm-diameter, wire or rattan, see below)
- 60cm thick garden twine, to hang
- Wild evergreen foliage
- Dried seed heads such as old man’s beard and cow parsley
- Hazel twigs with catkins
- Fir cones
- Florist’s wire
- Garden scissors or secateurs
Instructions:
Start by layering several handfuls of tree ivy to cover the base. Snip the stems at an angle into short sections, removing leaves from the stalk end, and secure each piece with wire. Begin at the outer edge and work your way inward until the base is hidden.
Once the ivy base is complete, add interesting leaves and twigs. Prepare these the same way as the ivy and secure them with wire, arranging them in small groups of three or five around the wreath for a balanced look.
Use woody stems first to create structure, then add lighter, airier elements such as old man’s beard and cow parsley seed heads for softer texture.
Gather small bundles of softer materials, bind them with florist’s wire, and attach them to the wreath.
For crab apples, insert a wire through each one, twist the wire behind to secure, and attach to the base.
Hang the wreath periodically to check for balance, filling any gaps as needed. Finish by adding berries and rose hips for color and texture.
Finally, spritz the wreath with water to keep it fresh.
How to Maintain Your Christmas Wreath
To keep your festive wreath looking fresh as long as possible, regularly check its moisture level and, if it feels dry, spritz it with a plant mister. We suggest misting your wreath every 2–3 days to help maintain its vibrant look, using a sprayer like this one to keep it healthy. Be sure to mist the back as well, as this helps keep the moss base damp.
In addition to misting, avoid placing your wreath near any heat sources. Wreaths should never hang above or near radiators, and ideally should be placed in a shaded area. Outdoors, a wreath can last up to 3–4 weeks. As the weeks go by, it’s normal for the foliage to change in color or texture—this is part of its natural charm! Our Botanique wreaths, including “Ferne,” “Clementine,” and “Pomme de Pin,” are designed to look beautiful even as they dry, featuring both fresh and dried elements like thyme and hydrangeas. If any parts start to look too faded, you can simply trim them off. Or, visit a local flower shop for fresh touches like ilex berries and dried fruits to replace any ingredients as needed.
When your wreath has had its season, we encourage eco-friendly disposal. For our Botanique Workshop Christmas wreaths, all ingredients are compostable except for the copper ring and wires—just separate these from the fresh materials like moss, foliage, and pine. The copper ring will remain intact, allowing you to reuse it for next year’s wreath! Decorations, too, can have a second life: dried oranges can be stored for future garlands, strawflowers and berries make charming gift accents, and dried hydrangeas from the “Ferne” wreath can be displayed indoors for a lasting touch of winter beauty.