Mixed Berry Wreath

Mixed Berry WreathOne of my favorite holiday activities is wreath making. I like the symbolism of a wreath. The unbroken circle represents wholeness and continuity and because they’re generally made of evergreen material, it’s also a symbol of everlasting life. Now you don’t have to use traditional Christmas or holiday greens to create a wreath, a stroll around your garden will reveal a variety of materials that are perfect for the job.

This mixed berried wreath that is an attractive decoration anytime during the fall and winter. And if edible berries are used it can serve double duty as a wreath for the birds to enjoy as well. Here is how you put it together.

Materials:

  • clusters of mixed berries
  • 14? foam wreath
  • floral wire
  • floral U pins
  • ribbon
  • evergreen leaves

Directions:

  1. Gather berries from your garden. For this wreath I used Chinese photinia, rose hips and pepper berries. I purchased the pepper berries from a crafts store. Look around your garden and see what is available. Your berry selection can help define the style and color theme of the wreath.
  2. Once you have gathered the berries, cluster them in small bundles of 3 to 5 stems, depending on their size. Cut the stems to make them an even length and then bind them together with a little floral wire. You can purchase green floral wire on a spool at a crafts store.
  3. Next begin pinning the largest berry clusters to the wreath with the floral U pins. These large clusters will be the filler. Make sure that all the stems point in the same direction. Overlap the berries to hide the stems.
  4. After the wreath is evenly covered, fill in any open spaces with the smaller berries and clusters. Simply pin them to wreath as before.
  5. To create a focal point, tuck in a few large evergreen leaves at the bottom curve of the wreath. I used Chinese photinia leaves and created a circle that fanned around a group of berries.
  6. Hang the wreath with a loop of wide ribbon and enjoy!

Options for Wreath Materials:
Crabapples
China berries
Nandina berries
Beauty berries
Pepper berries (also available at florists)
Chinese Photinia berries
Grape vines
Evergreen boughs
Holly
Broadleaf evergreens