How to Make a Real Evergreen Christmas Wreath

Submitted by nicole on Mon, 12/03/2012 - 13:12

There are plenty of lovely artificial wreaths that can be bought, but I really love hanging a Christmas wreath made with real fresh evergreens on our door. In past years, I've bought them at the store when I've run across them. But this year I'm making my own.

As long as you have access to some evergreen bushes and trees (I raided my yard and asked my neighbors if I could take some trimmings from theirs), you can make a gorgeous real evergreen Christmas wreath for just a few dollars.

Materials for Making an Evergreen Wreath

metal wreath form
floral wire
scissors
Christmas tree and other evergreen trimmings

From the craft store, you'll need a metal wreath form (above) and a paddle of floral wire (below).

Both together should cost less than $5, especially if you remember to use a coupon.

Head into the backyard or a neighbor's yard (with their permission, of course) armed with a pair of scissors, and start snipping bunches of evergreen boughs. You only need small clusters, so it's really easy to take the trimmings for a wreath and 25 feet of garland without making any noticable dent in the tree.

Once back in the house, it's time to assemble the wreath.

Rather than attach each sprig of greenery individually, I bundled four or five sprigs together. Gather the sprigs in one hand, creating a pleasing arrangement, and wrap the ends together with a small length of floral wire.

Make a bunch of bunches. More than you think you need! I liked bunches that incorporated different types of evergreen branches. It added interesting texture and dimension.

Then it's a simple matter of using the floral wire to bind the bunches of greenery to the wire wreath base.

I used this same technique to add the real greens to the chandelier, too. The wire ring I attached the greenery bunches to was already a part of the metal chandelier, so I didn't need to purchase a separate wire wreath form.