Festive Foliage
Let’s be honest all of the gorgeous wreaths I’ve seen popping up on socials or in the flesh whilst taking Ned for his daily strolls have got me wanting to make my own. This year I thought that I could include a selection of plant pot companions, to bring a play on scale and some pops of seasonal colour. I have to confess to not being a florist - and some of my methods are a little unorthodox, but they usually serve me fairly well. I feel that you can so easily get caught up with everything having to be perfect at this time of year. When actual fact it can be about having a little fun, and creating little pockets of joy. And there is a big difference.
My wreath started off with a copper wreath frame, that I have had for years, and reuse and repurpose. This I wrapped with lengths of ivy that collected from the back fence, where I didn’t really want it growing anymore - waste not want not and all that. There was a variety of woody stems and long lengths of fine trailing pieces. So a combination of both gave the wreath a solid base to weave other elements into. If you don’t have a wreath frame. You could make a circle of Ivy to desired diameter and keep wrapping and tucking lengths until you have a firm frame.
Whilst on my most recent stroll with Ned, I collected little snipping of some Hawthorn berries, some Oak Leaves, Sprigs of Yew and Spruce as well some Rose hips from the garden and some Ferns. With these I created little “posies” and added a plant pot companion or two. These little foliage compositions were wrapped with some fine wire, leaving some long ends.
The little foliage and plant pot companion “posies” are then tucked into the wreath, working around in a circle. The tails of wire are used to secure them to the frame or sections of Ivy on the back of the wreath. You can really play with colour combinations, textures, or using dried foliage and seed heads alongside fresh snippings from your garden. There are no rules, so just have fun - and try and take the perfect out of it!
Still feeling festive, I decided to try out the Viral Potato Wreath Hack.
I wanted to give this a try, because it used really accessible materials - because who doesn’t have a humble spud hanging around?! I gathered my ingredients again, and this time a tequila cocktail and had some fun whilst Jim made pizza’s.
After liberally stabbing the spud with a skewer as if I was making a jacket potato, I inserted small sections of foliage to the front of the potato to cover it, and to create an organic circle shape. I soon realised that it helped to cut your foliage sections with a pointed end, for easy insertion. And also to stab a hole and then immediately poke in some foliage, rather than trying to remember where I’d vigorously put the holes at the beginning. I kept turning the potato from side to side and putting in sections of flowering Ivy and Oak to fill in spaces.
Next up came a selection of Foliage inspired Plant Pot Companions, these had to be gently shaped and bent so that the painted designs appeared amongst the foliage, rather than being hidden.
Lastly a wire loop was added to the top and a big bow attached to the bottom. My hands very feeling weirdly starchy at this point. And although fairly pretty I think the wreath still felt like a potato! I also didn’t quite trust the weight of it, with the wire loop that I inserted, so for us it became a table decoration.
What do you think, will you be making your own wreath this year, or trying out the viral potato wreath? I think for me, I’m always going to lean on the side of a classic circle wreath, reminding of the ever turning circle of the year, holding us in it’s embrace and gently rolling us forward into what’s to come. Partnered with fresh every greens and winter foliage, it’s a celebration of the hedgerow and thats always where my heart is.