Make your own botanical farm born festive wreath
Here at the farm we are feeling festive, our decorations are going up and we are have been foraging for materials, bringing the outside in this Christmas.
Feeling creative – have a go at making your own Christmas wreath by following this simple step by step guide.
Equipment you will need:
- Secateurs
- basket
- Sizel/ String/twine
Step 1
Get you wellies on and a pair of wellies and step outside into the countryside for a walk. Keep your eyes open for stands of hazel, look for the new growth and here you will find nice strait section of material to weave the solid base of your wreath. Coppice long thin rods that are approximately 5mm in width.
Tip: Use green, if it dries out soak your willow or hazel in water to make it more pliable and prevent snapping.
Step 2
Forage for moss, look in damp dark areas, we source ours from behind our drystone walls. You will also need to locate festive foliage (e.g pine, spruce, cedar, ivy, rosemary) and red berries (e.g. holly, rose hips, hawthorn), grab a basket and get searching.
Tip: If you have trimmed your Xmas tree, use these in your wreath and when foraging look for a variety of textures and colours to give interest and get your creative juices flowing.
Step 3
on a clear work surface set out you materials, and select you first hazel rod. Bend the rod into a circle (roughly the size of a dinner plate) and begin to wrap the end of the rod around the circle you have created by going under and over the ring until you end up with a coit. Next select your second rod, insert the base of this rod between the weaves keeping the base of the rod pointing in the same direction as the last, and repeat the weaving process above by passing the tip of the rod over and under the ring of hazel. Repeat with your hazel rods until you have a solid base.
Tip. To prevent your hazel rods just snapping, avoid bending it at a 90degree angle, you can gently bed the rod all the way along the length of the stem to loosen the fibres before working it into your wreath.
Step 4
Attach moss to your hazel ring by wrapping it with a continuous piece of twine, keep the tension on and tightly and evenly wrap moss on to your hazel base.
Tip – if you can peel moss off in strips you will find it easier to attach.
Step 5
Begin to select you foliage and continue to wrap onto wreath by binding the vegetation onto the ring with the sizel. Keep the tension on the sizel, an build up the layers of foliage and get creative with those colours textures and smells.
Tip – you can work in sections and tie off the sizel in order that you don’t loose tension, that could lead to your foliage falling out.
Step 6
When you have your finished ring, apply a loop of sizel to the rear of the wreath to enable you to hang it.
In our wreath we have included botanical such as Juniper rosemary and sage, red of dogwood and hawthorn berries give a festive splash of red against the green foliage.
Want to have a go but still confused?! Don’t worry keep an eye on our social channels for some videos to help you.
