How to make autumn wreaths

How to make an autumn wreath

In this simple step-by-step, I'll show you how to make an ombre-coloured autumn wreath, using a mixture of fresh and dried ingredients. I collected some from my garden and bought others to supplement. The design is very flexible, so use plants you have in your own garden, or items you've collected while out walking – just be sure to forage responsibly.

You will need

Ingredients (fresh):

• Douglas fir
• Senecio
• Eucalyptus
• Responsibly sourced sphagnum moss

Ingredients (dried):

• Bracken
• Teasel
• Rose hips
• Reed Grass
• Honesty (Lunaria)
• Statice (Limonium)
• Amaranthus
• Strawflower (Xerochrysum)
• Achillea
• Eryngium (Sea holly)
• 30cm (12 inch) copper wreath base
• Reel wire spool
• Twine or ribbon for hanging

Step 1: Prep your base

Attach your reel wire spool securely to the wreath base by looping a 7.5cm (3 inch) section over the outside rim, then spiral the wire back over this section from top to bottom. Cover the wreath base in sustainably sourced sphagnum moss, looping the wire around at 2.5cm (1 inch) intervals.

Step 2: Sort and prep materials

Group stems by variety and light to dark. Create mini fresh and dried bundles, for uniformity use the same selection per bundle. Cut stems to size, stripping lower leaves for cleaner wiring.

Step 3 - Begin with fresh foliage

Attach your first bundle of foliage to the base. Wrap the reel spool over the bundle and wreath base two times, to fix in place. No need to pull too tight, angle the first bunch slightly towards the outside of the frame.

Step 4 - Build in a gradient

Work clockwise in a zig zag formation adding in your bundles from a gradient of dark to light — green foliage shades are followed by faded and deep browns ending at creamy honesty seed pods.

Step 5 - Add detail

Once the wreath is covered, tuck in stems of teasel or seed heads for texture and impact. Not pulling your wire too tightly allows you to place stems in and out.

Step 6 - Finish with a flourish

Find the outside of the cooper wreath base under your last bunch, loop the wire over the twice, cut off the spool leaving a 5cm (2 inch) length, tie a knot, insert this back into the moss base.

How to make your wreath last

Use twine or ribbon to hang inside or outdoors, but bring inside in wet or very cold weather. Keep it away from direct heat, lightly mist the fresh foliage only to maintain texture and freshness.

Hazel Gardiner Design is a contemporary floral studio based in London, which specialises in creating unique floral experiences. Follow on Instagram @hazelgardinerdesign

Autumn wreath ideas

Asymmetrical bracken wreath

Ingredients

• Dried bracken
• Dried Rose hips
• Dried poppy seed heads
• Dried ammi majus seed heads
• 25cm grapevine wreath base
• Reel wire
• Velvet ribbon, Copper 36mm

This design embraces the wildness of bracken in all its autumnal shades, from russet to deep bronze. Arranged asymmetrically, it plays with scale and direction, creating drama and movement. The addition of hips and seed heads brings contrast and delicacy. Best hung indoors or under cover; it will last for many months if kept dry and away from heat.

Clematis vitalba vine wreath

Ingredients:

• Long dried strands of Clematis vitalba (gone to seed)
• Dried rose hips
• 25cm grapevine wreath base
• Reel wire
• VV Rouleaux Red Ruby Slippers Double Sided Velvet Ribbon 36mm

This romantic design uses long trails of fluffy Clematis vitalba, gone to seed. Simply wrapped around the base to mimic its growing habit. Light and ethereal, with contrasting hips. We added long velvet red bows to enhance the whimsical effect. A perfect wreath for an interior door or wall. Harvest seeds heads when they first appear and dry fully to avoid mould.

Asymmetrical foliage wreath

Ingredients:

• Douglas fir
• Conifer
• Eucalyptus
• Pinecones
• Larch twigs
• Sphagnum moss
• 25cm braided willow wreath base
• Reel wire
• Natural twine for hanging
• Wired white satin ribbon 40mm

This fresh, foliage-filled wreath builds texture in layers, from long coniferous stems to gathered cones for a verdant display. Its asymmetrical shape adds visual interest, while moss supports moisture and structure. A wired ribbon gives full control when shaping your bow and neatly covers the join between greenery and base. Ideal for porches and doorways. Mist or replace fresh elements to extend longevity.

Autumn door swag decoration

Ingredients:

• Magnolia
• Rosemary
• Ivy
• Linen burlap natural wired ribbon 50mm

To make this door decoration, which is a simple alternative to a wreath, start with the longest stem and build up, staggering and fanning out each stem. Work left to right side equally for symmetry. Add shorter stems towards the end for enhanced depth. Tie securely with string and finish with ribbon looped and tied into long tails. An additional bow can be added for drama. These ingredients are robust, hang inside or out.

Vibrant orange autumn wreath

Ingredients:

• Rose hips
• Strawflowers
• Cotoneaster berries
• Ivy berries
• Heather flowers
• Dried hydrangea flowers
• Box stems (Buxus)
• Ornamental grass seed heads
• 30cm (12 inch) copper wreath base
• Reel wire spool
• Sustainably sourced sphagnum moss

This luxurious wreath is packed full of masses of gorgeous seasonal ingredients. The bright rose hips, berries and strawflowers ensure this autumn wreath has real impact. If you don't have enough rose hips, you could also include crab apples or orange berries such as pyracantha – but take care as pyracantha stems are very thorny!

Golden toned autumn wreath

• Eucalyptus
• Crab apples
• Beech leaves
• Chestnut leaves
• Wild carrot flowers
• 30cm copper wreath base
• Reel wire

This autumn-hued wreath features an array of golden, orange and brown tones from the leaves and the crab apples, along with sprigs of eucalyptus to give off a wonderful scent. The foliage has been kept long and loose to give your handmade wreath a natural, foraged look.

Strawflower and asparagus fern wreath

Ingredients:

• Pussy willow (salix)
• Dried strawflower (Xerochrysum)
• Dried asparagus fern

This bright and cheerful wreath uses dried strawflowers in a range of colours to bring a little taste of summer sunshine into autumn. You could substitute other dried flowers, depending on what you have access to. This wreath will look vibrant indoors all year round.

How to dry flowers

Follow our step by step guide to drying a range of flowers, including strawflowers, roses, hydrangeas and lavender.

Hips, hydrangeas and oak leaves wreath

Ingredients:

• Rose hips
• Rowan berries
• Dried oak leaves
• Dried hydrangea flowers
• 25cm grapevine wreath base
• Reel wire

The use of real leaves gives this wreath its autumnal feel. The leaves used here are dried oak leaves and their brown tones are echoed in the brown of the dried hydrangea flowers, but you could use any dried autumn leaves. And while this wreath uses rowan berries, cotoneaster would also work well.

Physalis and clematis wreath

Ingredients:

• Chinese lantern (Physalis) calyces
• Dried strands of Clematis vitalba (gone to seed)
• 25cm grapevine wreath base
• Reel wire

The Chinese lanterns are the star of the show here. The Chinese lantern plant (Physalis alkekengi) is a hardy perennial that's easy to grow in the garden. The papery orange 'lanterns' enclose round berries in autumn. Left on the plant they eventually form a papery skeleton around the red berry within, but if they are cut at their peak, they make excellent dried flowers. To dry them, cut the stems as soon as the lanterns have turned orange, remove the leaves, then hang upside down to dry.

Rose hips and hops autumn wreath

Ingredients:

• Rose hips
• Stems of hops with catkins and leaves
• Berries
• 25cm braided willow wreath base
• Reel wire

This simple yet elegant autumn wreath uses just a few ingredients, the bright lime green hop flowers contrasting beautifully with the orange rose hips. If you aren't growing hops in your garden, you can buy fresh or dried hops online or from some florists.

• Find inspiration for homemade Christmas wreaths using natural ingredients.