I sure love the smell of the greens and the the wood stove in our wreath shed. Piles of fragrant fresh greens are everywhere and the aroma of pungent spruce, fir, and pine fills the air and clings to all who make wreaths. An old wood stove makes it warm when chill comes through the door.

When I was a kid my brother and I began making wreaths and later my husband Ted and I made them. Our three boys all made them as soon as they were old enough. I just sent a box of wreath rings to youngest son Eric in Colorado so he and his wife can make some wreaths. It is a family tradition that has been shared with several of the nursery employees. For years Jola has been in charge of wreaths.

Although I don’t have the time as much now, last week I enjoyed collecting greens at the farm. I am always looking for berries and especially like the waxy blue ones on native cedar Juniperus virginiana. On Thanksgiving Day it was fun collecting a whole pick up full of bright red winterberry holly at son Teddy’s nursery in Greenwich.

We usually wait until this time of year to prune all of the evergreen trees in our yard. They all are thick, bushy and healthy so the 45 years of this treatment has been good for them. Hollies especially respond to winter trimming.

Making Wreaths

I learned to make my very first wreath on vines twisted into a circle more than 50 years ago. We eagerly waited to help when my Dad and Uncle Ed would make wreaths. One year they used huge tire rings. Later on as a grade school 4-H member I learned to make wonderful wreaths on coat hangers that had been shaped into circles. This became a holiday business from 7th grade through college when my brother and I made wreaths each year to sell locally. My husband learned to make wreaths too and once made a huge one on an old hula hoop!

Man has made wreaths, the unbroken circle, a symbol of eternity, since ancient times . Today they are still made in the same manner. Small bunches of plant material are attached to a form in a circular style. Use a thin, yet strong wire (#24 or # 26) on a spool or small paddles. Wrap small bundles to the circle form.

When our three sons were old enough to learn to make wreaths, they also made wreaths to sell each Christmas. Their first wreaths were also on coat hangers and later on metal rings with clamps to hold the greens. We still use these rings and have made wreath tables to hold the gadget that pushes the clamps shut.

I figure that I have taught more than 1000 people to make wreaths over the past 40 years. It was not unusual to have PTA, scouts, 4-H or church groups making wreaths in my kitchen, family room or porch when the boys were young. Now we have classes at our nursery, so the wreath cycle goes on. Joe and I use to teach most of these classes at the nursery, but now Jola who came here from Poland 20 years ago teaches the outside portion of the class in the wreath shed. I do the indoor part where folks decorate the wreath they make.

Techniques For Using Natural Trim

A botanical wreath can be as authentic as the outdoors. Made of fresh greens and trimmed with berries, cones, lichen, moss and pods it is a natural treasure. A simple bow and a cardinal or two is all that is needed to complete this traditional beauty.

Beautiful pods such as magnolia pods work well with bright red winterberries and also look pretty with other natural collections of materials. I often add pieces of lichens and moss for a woodland look. Pine cones also look beautiful glued to wreaths and swags. There are many kinds and many sizes. All coniferous trees have cones, see how many you can find. Some are as small as a blueberry, others the size of a cherry, and some as long as a banana. What a variety!

One of my favorite wreaths is the one I make called a ‘bird watchers wreath’ (pictured at right). Start with a fresh evergreen wreath, then using hot glue, attach a variety of berries and other kinds of bird food. I use several kinds of holly berries, rose hips, cedar berries, nandina berries, beauty berries, crabapples small corn when i can still find it , acorns or other nuts or any type of seed pod, including tiny sunflower heads. Some other trims that might please the birds would include little bundles of wheat or barley, stems of millet if available, and very tiny pumpkins cut in half so the seeds show. You can also make or buy bird see ornaments. If you have lots of hungry birds in your garden, you might have to replenish the seeds and pods several times. Try apple slices when the weather cools, or some wild persimmons for variety. A few cardinals or other colorful artificial birds can be attached to the wreath with hot glue. Cardinals, cedar waxwings, mocking birds, chickadees and catbirds all like this fruit. The cardinals and chickadees both love the sunflower and other seeds, and a great variety of birds will partake of all the other goodies.There is nothing happier than a wreath that has the song and color provided by the birds that visit your bird watchers wreath. Make one soon and enjoy the winter birds.

A more recent wreath I sometimes make is my Maurice River wreath. I first made this for a friend who lives on the river downstream past Millville. It has some native grass plums, bayberry branches, a few pitcher plant blooms, lots of winterberry holly, lichens, and any other native I pick back by the creek.

You can also add some sparkle to your wreath with glass balls or glitter branches, but take care not to cover the beautiful fresh greens that are a symbol of eternity.