Wintery White Wreath

Published December 19, 2012

Use a mixture of fresh and artificial greens and berries for your wreath.

The holidays are one of the most colourful times of year, so why limit yourself to traditional red and green for your holiday decorating?

Many retail shops are featuring shades of Tiffany blue with reds, pinks and purples and all sorts of different festive colour themes. It’s wonderful to see all the creativity out in the marketplace at this time of year.

If you plan to hang a wreath on your door it’s always nice to make one yourself using greens from your garden or perhaps from your local nursery. There are many types of evergreens in nurseries at the moment including boxwood, cedar, pine and spruce. I particularly love the look of fresh salal as a base for a wreath. The lush green leaves lend themselves beautifully placed inside a grapevine wreath form and decorated with fresh berries, pinecones and other artificial pieces.

For this idea, I used a combination of creams and greens for a more elegant look. It is easily duplicated using bright, festive colours if you prefer.

Materials:

1 40-centimetre grapevine wreath (available at craft stores) Pruning shears 3 large bunches of fresh salal Decorative items such as baubles, artificial berries Pinecones Fresh berries (optional)

Begin by cutting your salal into 25 cm pieces leaving a bottom section that is free from leaves of at least 7 cm long.

Insert your salal stems in a clockwise direction carefully filling in any gaps along the way. Be sure to fill in the sides of the wreath as well.

Once the wreath is completely filled, begin inserting your larger decorative items. Pieces such as pinecones and large berry boughs would go in next. Lastly, finish off the wreath with your smaller berries, baubles and ribbons.

Hang a strong wire on the back of the wreath and place outside on your door. If you prefer to hang your wreath indoors, the salal will dry very nicely and your wreath will last for many weeks.

Barb Lunter is a freelance writer with a passion for home decor, entertaining and floral design. Contact Barb at barb@lunter.ca or follow her blog at lunter.ca.