Green Christmas by Jen Chillingsworth
(Quadrille, £18.99)
Photography Jen Chillingsworth
How to Make Your Own Christmas Wreath
Sustainable celebrations don't have to cost the earth
Jen Chillingsworth shares how to have a green Christmas by making your own wreath using foraged and natural materials.
Foraged Wreath
Making a wreath is a lovely way to slow down and embrace the season. It is a truly mindful activity, and one that helps you to pause and take a breather during this busy and often demanding time of the year.
I forage for natural materials from my garden and in the hedgerows to use in my wreaths. I ensure anything I cut has as little impact on thea local environment as possible. This means I only take what I need in areas where plants are in abundance, and I leave plenty behind for birds and other wildlife. When foraging for natural materials, it’s essential to check out the legal situation in the area you live as you may* require permission from the local authority or landowner.
I also add a little extra greenery to the foraged materials I’ve gathered, including eucalyptus from the florist, offcuts from the Christmas tree and flower heads that I’ve cut and dried over previous seasons.
I like to use a straw ring as a base as it gives the wreath a lovely shape and once the materials are secured in place they don’t tend to fall out. The rings are biodegradable and you can add them to the compost bin, but if allowed to dry out, I find they can be used the following year. Straw rings come in various sizes, and you can easily find them online.
Plant materials for a wreath
Evergreens: Pine, eucalyptus, spruce, fir, yew, leylandii, ivy (including the flower heads).
Berries: Holly, cotoneaster, rosehips.
Dried Flowers: Old man’s beard (wild clematis), grasses, hydrangea, wild carrot, teasels, honesty, poppies, thistles, weeds!
You will need
Selection of foraged evergreens, berries, dried seedheads and grasses
Secateurs
Straw ring – I use a 30cm (12in) size
Roll of floristry wire
Mossing pins
Ribbon
Twine
How To
1. Shake the foraged materials gently to remove any hidden insects.
2. Sort into piles of the same plant or flower.
3. Cut any evergreen materials into pieces around the size of the palm of your hand.
4. On the flat side of the straw ring, insert the end of the floristry wire into the straw, pushing it in to a depth of 1–2cm (about 1⁄2–3⁄4in).
5. With the curved side of the straw ring pointing towards your body, hold the ring in one hand and with the other, pull the floristry wire under the ring and over tightly, repeating this action several times until the wire feels secure.
6. To form a neat shape with a wreath, work in an anti-clockwise direction and add materials onto the part of the ring that’s closest to your body.
7. Select two to three pieces of foliage and place them on the curved side of the straw ring. Using the floristry wire, bind the pieces together by pulling the wire under the ring and over the stems tightly, repeating this action until the foliage feels secure. You want to ensure that the straw ring is hidden beneath the foliage, so you may need additional pieces of foliage to cover any gaps. As before, bind the stem tightly with the floristry wire.
8. Next, select another small bunch of foliage. Place this on top of the ring. Add a stem of dried flowers, seedheads or berries. Bind all the stems tightly with the wire, making sure to cover up the wire used to bind the first bunch of foliage.
9. Repeat this process until the straw ring is filled with greenery. After you have added the final pieces of foliage, turn the straw ring over and cut the floristry wire. Thread any excess wire under the previous strands and push the end of it into the straw to secure firmly.
10. If you have any gaps on the inside or outside of the ring, use the mossing pins to add pieces of evergreen material. Simply push the pin through the stem of the foliage and into the straw ring to fix. The mossing pins can also be used to attach pine cones, dried orange slices, cinnamon sticks and other materials if you choose to add these to your design.
11. I like to add a velvet ribbon to my wreath, which I tie in a bow and use a mossing pin to fix in place. To hang the wreath, I thread twine through the binding wire on the flat side of the ring and tie it together in a knot.
12. If you are hanging the wreath outdoors, be mindful that natural foliage can dry out. Rain will usually keep your wreath looking fresh, but if the weather is dry and bright, you may wish to spray the foliage with a little water.
13. After the holidays, remove the foliage and add it to the compost bin. Retain any mossing pins and floristry wire to reuse the following year. Allow the straw ring to dry thoroughly, and then store for next Christmas.
