Helpful information
Timing: November / December (although you can make seasonal wreaths all year around!)
Where to do it: Indoors
Timing: November / December (although you can make seasonal wreaths all year around!)
Where to do it: Indoors
Essential items
Optional items
Follow these steps to make your festive wreath with ease.
Step 1. Gather your equipment
This may include collecting and cutting greenery and foliage from the garden. Use secateurs and gardening gloves to do this if easier.
Step 2. Cut your cardboard to size
Take a large cardboard box. Cut one of the sides until you have a roughly square large piece. It needs to be big enough to fit a dinner plate on (around 25cm across).
Step 3. Draw circles on the cardboard
Place the cardboard on a flat surface. Carefully place your bigger plate (dinner plate size) face down onto the card. Take a pen or pencil and draw around this plate.
Remove the big plate from the cardboard. Now, get the smaller plate. Place it in the middle of the big circle you have just drawn. Carefully draw around the smaller plate using your pen or pencil.
You will now have two circles on your cardboard, a big one with a smaller one inside.
Step 4. Cut out the circles
Use scissors to cut around the outside of the big circle.
Once that is done, fold the circle of cardboard in half. Make a small cut in the centre with the scissors. You will then, safely, be able to cut around the inside ring.
Once day, you will be left with a wreath shape circle. It will look a bit like a huge ring donut!
You might want to get help with this step, if you are concerned about cutting yourself.
Step 5. Wrap string around the wreath
Measure and cut a 3 metre length of string. If you don't have a tape measure, that's roughly the length of your outstretched arms three times.
Take the string and tie it around the carboard wreath. One simple loop with a knot should be good.
Now, wrap the string around the cardboard wreath. Keep going until you get to the end of the string. Then, firmly tie and knot this end.
Step 6. Cover the wreath with greenery
The aim of this step is to cover your wreath with greenery. You may want to use gloves for this step to protect your hands.
Poke your pieces of greenery underneath the string so they are held firmly in place. Each piece of greenery can go underneath several loops of string so it's really secure.
You can use as little or as much greenery as you like. You want to try and cover the cardboard template, so you can't see the carboard any more.
Step 7. Add foliage any other decorative items
Now, add your foliage. You can add anything else to your wreath, like other bits of nature with berries of fruit, or pine cones.
Step 8. Add ribbon or string to hang the wreath
Wrap around some ribbon or string around wherever the top of the wreath will be. Tie a knot to make a loop. If you want your wreath to be more eco-friendly, stick with a natural fibre like garden string and avoid man-made material like ribbon.
Well done! You can now hang up your festive wreath proudly.
If you hang your wreath outside on the front door, it should last for a few weeks. If it is kept indoors it will dry out quite quickly.
If you would prefer a video guide, watch this. You can pause as often as you need to.
If you have used all natural materials (e.g. no man-made ribbon) you can pop the whole wreath in the compost bin after Christmas. If you have any items that won't compost, take the wreath apart and remove those first.
You could also pile the pieces of greenery in a corner of your garden as a home for insects.
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