
Fionna Hill creates a colourful winter wreath from mostly foraged materials when there are not many garden resources to choose from.
You will need
You will need
- Vines - long , supple and freshly cut – basket willow ,periwinkle, grape vine pruning, birch, kiwi fruit are all suitable
- Thin lemon verbena branches or other long supple trails like ivy
- Rose hips on short stems
- Mandarins - the small the better
- A butchers’ hook or floristry wire
- Ribbon
- Secateurs, scissors
- Cut long, thin, supple basket willow stems. Alternative vines could be periwinkle, grape vine, birch, or kiwi fruit
- Begin entwining the willow into a circle. Start with the longest stems and hold onto the circle until it is entwined enough not to spring apart. Leave a few leaves on if you wish and weave in both directions; this is a casual wreath and does not have to look perfect
- The wreath is now ready for the lemon verbena. Cut the spiky willow bits off later – they can be useful to hook stems into.
- Long supple branches of lemon verbena. These leaves will dry and retain their lemony perfume.
- the wreath entwined with lemon verbena trails
- Pruned rose hip branches and tree cut mandarins
- Rose hip prunings – these are Wedding Day; it’s a good choice as the stems are thin and easy to bend.
- Wreath with added rose hips. The hips have been threaded through the willow and the cut tips hooked in.
- Tree cut mandarins. Alternatively, use small bought mandarins that have been wired.
- Wire individual mandarins with long floristry wire pushed through and tightly twisted at the top.
- Mandarins on long soft stems being placed at intervals. Remove their lower leaves to allow the stems to be pushed in more easily. Leave a few top leaves on.
- Butchers hook and ribbons are used to tie the wreath up.