Store bought grapevine wreaths are not that expensive but if you have vines growing in your garden they are a family-friendly start to a weekend project.
DIY Burlap-Wrapped Holiday Planters and Front Door Décor
December 9, 2011 By 16 Comments
Ready for your weekend project? It’s holiday-themed planters this week and a quick tour of our front door, decorated for the season in non-traditional but natural tones of deep green, eucalyptus blue, and golden yellow.
It just didn’t feel like a red and green year for the holiday planters and wreath. Somewhat inspired by the golden berries and seeded eucalyptus stems that were found at the garden centre but also a unique contrast to the Bloodgood Japanese Maple-coloured front door, the pale green of the house, and the rustic tones of burlap which the planters are wrapped in.
Gardening For Your Front Door: Making Fresh Wreaths
December 3, 2011 By 40 Comments
Every year we like to hang a different wreath on our front door during the holidays. We’ve amassed a collection of wreaths to match the holiday season trends of sparkly red berries, Christmas ornaments, peacock feathers, and square-shaped boxwood but my favorites are most certainly natural, fresh wreaths.
A fresh wreath makes for an individual work of art that smells as good as it looks. Florists and garden centers are wonderful places to find one to suit any style but if you are feeling adventurous, a homemade wreath made with garden clippings or purchased greens, can be most gratifying.
Given the current popularity of lateral space gardening, there are supplies available for all sorts of wreath plantings. Evergreen, succulent, moss, and flower wreaths are beautiful micro gardens that will suit most any style or climate. Care will vary depending on what type of planting you decide on, but many will last for months, if not years, with a couple weekly squirts of a spray bottle.
Here’s how to make one:
Materials:
- evergreen foliage
- grapevine wreath
- pruners
- gloves
- twine
- berries, twigs, pinecones, ribbons (optional)
Directions:
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Step 1: Gather a variety of foliage, berries, twigs, pinecones, ribbons, and anything else you want to add to your wreath. Some of the evergreen cuttings that work very well are: holly, cedar, contoneaster, yew, pine, pieris, boxwood, laurel, camellia, fir, cypress, and magnolia. I like to contrast needles with broad leaves, and vary the color, but a wreath made of entirely one type of foliage can be incredibly dramatic. Also, think about tucking in herbs like rosemary, sage, lavender into the foliage to add another delightful aroma.
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Step 2: Using a grapevine wreath as your base, start by choosing a firm branch with stem thick enough that it will not bend easily. Add other cuttings of different foliage on top and gather the bunch in your hand. Snip off any long stems.
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Step 3: Using the twine, wrap around the bunch and the grapevine wreath together a few times until secured. For the first bunch, tie a knot in the twine to hold it in place but do not cut the end of the twine.
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Step 4: Gather a second bunch of foliage. Lay this bunch overlapping the twine securing the first bunch to the wreath. Wrap twine around the base of the new bunch a few times and set down. Continue adding foliage to the wreath by overlapping the previous bunch and securing with twine until there are no more gaps to fill.
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Step 5: Secure the final bunch by gently lift the foliage from the first bunch and tuck the stems under it. Secure with twine and tie off the final bunch with a few knots.
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Step 6: Now take a last look at the wreath. You can tuck in a few more greens to even out the design or add a few embellishments such as pinecones (using florist wire to attach them), berries, ribbons, or even ornaments.
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Step 7: hang and enjoy!
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The final word on making a perfect wreath: just have fun with it. Experimenting with different foliage will allow the wreath to become tradional or modern, contained or wild, themed or everyday. I loved the look of the magnolia leaves with their velvety bronze undersides. There wasn’t much else this wreath needed to make it perfectly stunning and completely different from my holiday wreath.
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A special thanks to the wonderful neighbourhood gals who provided all the foliage, wine, and treats that go along with the annual wreath-making afternoon.
Weekend Project: Halloween Hop Wreath
October 22, 2011 By 4 Comments
For this weekend’s project, we took a bunch of golden hops and tucked them into grapevine wreath. With a crow nestled in it has just the perfect balance of “festive” and “ominous” to become Halloween décor.
Without the space to grow hops in our small, urban garden, we were excited to receive a gift of freshly cut hops from the country. the Golden Hop Vine (Humulus lupulus ‘Aureus’) is a vigorous-growing deciduous vine and the prettier sibling of the common hops used to make beer. The cone-shaped flowers are green in the summer but when it’s time to cut the vine back in the fall, the flowers start to turn. The flowers arrived a pale yellow, but have dried to a rich golden colour. If you are lucky enough to get your hands on some hops, here are the instructions on making your own Halloween Hop Wreath.
Materials:
- grapevine wreath
- golden hop stems
- scissors
- Halloween decoration (crow or other)
Step 1: Pick out strong stems 3″-6″ long with clusters of hops at the ends. Snip off the leaves and flowers at the base of each stem, enough so that the stem can inserted into the wreath and hold.
Step 2: Starting at the inner bottom edge of the wreath, tuck each stem into the web of grapevine branches, enough so that when the wreath is hung they will not fall out. Insert the stems around the grapevine wreath from inner bottom edge of the form to the upper top edge. As the hop flowers will hang once mounted upright, this will ensure that the wreath will look symmetrical. A good practice is to periodically lift the wreath to its finished position to check the arrangement. Give it a light shake at the same time to remove any flowers that are loose.
Step 3: Use your creativity to decorate the wreath for the season. We used a crow but a spider, rat, or even a severed hand would have been just as compelling.
Step 4: hang your wreath and enjoy the flowers as they deepen in colour and release the most delicious hop aroma.
Weekend Project: Dried Lavender Wreath
October 15, 2011 By 8 Comments
It’s no longer possible to deny that it’s autumn (no matter how hard we try) so perhaps it’s best to start winding down along with the temperatures and light. Hanging some dried lavender around the garden could be just the aromatherapy needed to help de-compress after a long day, or perhaps it will just make you smile. Regardless, it’s a quick weekend project that will leave you calm enough for an afternoon read or a good night’s sleep.
Materials:
- wire coat hanger
- scissors
- twine or wire (in a colour that matches your flowers*)
- dried lavender
Instructions:
The best part about this project is that you don’t need any special materials beyond what you can likely find around the house. Start by bending a wire coat hanger into a circular form. The hook of the hanger will be hidden when the wreath is complete, and it makes it easy to hang the wreath when finished.
Gather a bunch of dried lavender and snip the ends with the scissors to get a nice neat edge. Secure the bunch to the form by winding the twine around it a few times and tying a knot. (*We’ve used green gardening wire for demonstration purposes, but a twine or wire colour that matches your dried flowers will have a much cleaner look in the end.)
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Leaving the twine on the roll, wind each new bunch to the form as they are added. Continue adding bunches until you complete the circle. Tuck a final bunch under the first bunch, and secure with twine and tie off.
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Be sure to work on a table or tarp where you can collect the dried flowers that fall of in the wreath-making process. Those wonderfully scented blooms are great for lavender sachets, cooking, or soap-making. We keep a big jar in the house over winter for a variety of uses.
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Wreaths of Hope 2010
December 14, 2010 By 3 Comments
If you liked my wreath but don’t have the time or desire to make your own, please consider buying one this year from Emerging Hope. This wonderful organization works with people living with addiction by providing them with gainful employment in landscaping, nursery work, and holiday wreath-making . Below is the call out to Vancouverites for this year’s wreaths.
Wreaths of Hope 2010
People living in poverty and addiction are awaiting the opportunity to use their unique talents once again to create your holiday wreaths. By purchasing one you are giving one of the greatest gifts possible: dignity and hope to someone struggling to improve his or her life. Just as the wreath was an early Roman and Greek symbol of victory, with every purchase you help someone experience a small victory in his or her life.
Each year the need is even greater than before, as many people face the winter without even their basic needs met. While we are not able to solve the big picture for the poorest people in our city, together we can make a difference in the lives of some. In this, our tenth year of wreath making, we aim to create many more hours of meaningful employment.
Pricing remains unchanged this year at $45.00 (Small) $60.00 (Med) and $90.00 (Large).
Please call Emerging Hope Projects to order: Ph:604.716.4284
THANK YOU for giving someone a hand up not a hand out this holiday.
Nothing Says Christmas Like…
December 10, 2009 By 6 Comments
…a gigantic evergreen wreath on your front door!
A few gals in the neighbourhood got together on the weekend to make holiday wreaths and I'm quite pleased with mine. It may scratch you a little as you walk by, but it sure is festive.
