Christmas wreaths don’t have to be mass-produced or shop-bought. You can easily find all you need to create your own festive wreath in the garden, a park or out and about in the countryside. Fir cones, bark, seedheads, dried fruits and strands of ivy are all perfect materials to inspire you.
This heart-shaped wire frame, stuffed with foraged pine cones, echium seed heads and crab apples, is a fresh twist on the traditional Christmas door wreath. To shape it, use an off-cut of 13mm-gauge chicken wire. It’s possible to make any shape you like, so if a heart isn’t for you, choose a star or a circle.
Follow our six easy steps to create your own alternative Christmas wreath, with materials from the garden.
You Will Need
- Dried fruits
- Flowers
- Seedheads
- Chicken wire (13mm gauge)
- Cream emulsion paint tester pot
- Paint brush
- Garden wire, galvanised
- Raffia
- Fuse wire
- Wire cutters
- Pliers
Total time:
Step 1
Cut an 80cm length of galvanised wire, and bend it into a heart shape, joining the ends at the bottom. Make another to match.
Step 2
Using the wire heart as a template, cut two larger heart shapes out of the chicken wire (roughly 15mm wider all the way round).
Step 3
Use short twists of fuse wire to tie the heart-shaped outline to the chicken wire, moulding it into a shallow frame. Take time to bend the chicken wire (you may want to wear gloves for this), tucking any sharp edges out of the way with pliers.
Step 4
Give both hearts two coats of paint, allowing them to dry in between. When the second coat is dry, bind the hearts at one side with fuse wire.
Step 5
Fill the open heart with foraged materials, putting the most delicate objects at the top. They should stay fresh through the festive season.
Step 6
Close and secure the frame with fuse wire. Attach a bunch of dried chillies or seedheads to the front with raffia. Use raffia to tie it to your door.
