How to make a Christmas wreath at home
To make a Christmas wreath, take a round base, cut greenery into short sprigs and bind them on in small bunches with reel wire, always working in the same direction so each bunch hides the last one's stems. Once the ring is full, wire or glue on pine cones, berries, dried orange slices and a ribbon, then add a hanging loop.
What do you need to make a Christmas wreath?
A wreath is three layers: a base that holds its shape, greenery that covers the base, and decorations that catch the eye. You can buy all three, forage the greenery, or mix the two. Most homemade wreaths look better for a mix, because real foliage gives the fullness and a few bought pieces give the colour.
- A base. A wire ring, a ring of twisted vines or willow, a straw ring or a foam ring. A 30 to 35cm ring is a usual size for a front door; go smaller for an inside door or a table.
- Greenery. Fir, spruce, pine, holly, ivy, bay and eucalyptus all work. Mix two or three for texture. Expect to use more than you think: a full ring takes a large carrier bag or two.
- Something to fix it with. A reel of thin florist's wire does most of the work. Garden twine works on a vine base. A glue gun helps with dried pieces.
- Decorations. Pine cones, berries, dried orange slices, cinnamon sticks and star anise, plus a ribbon for a bow or a hanging loop.
- Tools. Secateurs or strong scissors, wire cutters, and gardening gloves if you are using holly.
Our Christmas wreath making supplies set covers the decoration layer in one box: 15 natural pine cones, 5 snow-tipped cones, 100 red berries, 50 frosted berries, 10 orange slices, 5 cinnamon sticks, 5 star anise, 10 pine branches and 3m of jute twine. A wreath base is not included, so you bring the ring and the greenery.
How to make a Christmas wreath, step by step
This method suits a wire or vine ring with fresh greenery. Give yourself an hour or two and clear a table, because it gets messy.
- Make the hanging loop firstTwist a loop of wire or tie a length of twine round the top of the base before anything else goes on. Trying to find the frame under a full ring of foliage later is fiddly, and a loop added at the end often pulls the wreath crooked.
- Cut the greenery into sprigsCut pieces roughly the length of your hand, about 15cm. Strip the needles and leaves from the bottom few centimetres of each stem so they bind tight against the frame.
- Gather small bunchesMake bunches of three or four sprigs, mixing the types: a spruce sprig behind, a bit of eucalyptus or bay in front. Lay out ten or so before you start binding so you keep a rhythm.
- Bind the first bunchFix the end of the reel wire to the frame. Lay a bunch on the ring with the stems pointing the way you will travel, and wrap the wire tightly round the stems and the frame two or three times. Do not cut the wire.
- Overlap and keep goingLay the next bunch so its leaves cover the stems and wire of the first, and bind it the same way. Keep going round in one direction, angling some bunches to the inside edge and some to the outside so the ring looks full from the front and the sides.
- Close the circleWhen you reach the start, lift the leaves of the first bunch and tuck the last stems underneath. Bind them, cut the wire and push the end into the moss or vine at the back.
- Wire on the decorationsFor a pine cone, wrap a short length of wire round the bottom row of scales, twist the ends together under the cone and push them through the greenery to the frame. Group cones, berries and orange slices in clusters of three, spaced round the ring.
- Add the bow and check it hangingTie on the ribbon, then hang the wreath and look at it from across the room. Fill any thin patch with a single sprig pushed into the binding.
For the decoration layer
How do you attach orange slices, cinnamon and berries?
Dried orange slices take a wire through the flesh near the rind: push it through, bend both ends back and twist them behind the slice. Cinnamon sticks look neatest tied in bundles of three with a short length of jute twine, with the twine ends then wired to the frame. Star anise is light enough to glue straight onto a cone or a slice. Berry stems and pine picks have their own stems, so push them into the binding and give them a twist of wire if they wobble.
A glue gun is quicker for dried pieces, but hot glue does not hold well on damp foliage. Glue the decorations to each other or to a cone, and wire the cluster to the frame. Hot glue burns, so keep the gun on its stand and away from children.
The 10 artificial pine picks each carry two pine cones and five red berries on a green branch, which makes them an easy way to fill a sparse side. They are plastic and the maker lists them for indoor use, so save them for a wreath that hangs inside. The berries and pine picks in the supplies set are PVC too.
Why does my wreath look thin or lopsided?
Nearly every homemade wreath problem comes from one of a few things, and most are easy to put right before you hang it.
| Problem | Usual cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Gaps where the frame shows | Bunches spaced too far apart | Overlap more: each bunch should cover half the one before. Push single sprigs into the binding to fill gaps. |
| Flat from the side | Every bunch laid on top of the ring | Angle bunches out over the inner and outer edges, not just the face. |
| Wreath twists when hung | Hanging loop added last, or weight all on one side | Fix the loop to the frame itself and spread heavy cones round the ring. |
| Decorations droop | Glued to foliage, or wired to greenery only | Wire every piece through to the frame. |
| Looks busy | Too many kinds of decoration scattered evenly | Pick two or three kinds and group them in clusters of three. |
How long does a fresh Christmas wreath last?
Outside on a cold door, a fresh wreath usually lasts most of December. Indoors it dries far faster, especially near a radiator, a fire or a sunny window. Mist it with water every few days and hang it as far from heat as you can. Spruce and fir drop needles sooner than pine, so lean on pine if the wreath is going inside.
If you want something that lasts for years, build on a vine ring with dried and artificial pieces only. You can store it in a box in the loft and refresh it with new greenery next December.
Can children help make a wreath?
Yes, with an adult, and the part they will enjoy most is the decorating. Let them choose and place the cones and berries while you do the wire and the glue gun. Holly and some berries are not for little hands or mouths, so keep the foliage pile out of reach.
For younger children, a foam wreath is easier than a real one. The Baker Ross Christmas wreath decoration kits come as a pack of eight, each with a foam wreath template, self-adhesive foam pieces and a hanging ribbon, and finish at 12cm. The maker gives the age as 3+, so they suit a Christmas craft session for a group of children with an adult at the table.
For a family craft session
Christmas wreath decoration kits, pack of 8
£9.99
Christmas crafting bundle
£39.99 £43.96 separately
What else can you make for Christmas?
A wreath pairs well with a few smaller makes from the same table: painted wooden decorations, scented candles in tins or a set of punch needle coasters. Our guide to Christmas crafts for adults has ideas for an evening in, and the Christmas craft kits page gathers everything festive in the shop. Delivery is free to most of Great Britain.
Questions
What is the easiest wreath base for a beginner?
A ring of twisted vines or willow. Its gaps hold stems on their own, so you can tuck sprigs in and only wire the ones that move. A plain wire ring gives a fuller result but needs binding all the way round, which takes longer to learn.
How much greenery do I need for a wreath?
More than you expect. For a ring of 30 to 35cm, plan on a large carrier bag or two of cut foliage. Each bunch should cover half the one before it, so a full ring uses a lot of short sprigs.
Can I use artificial picks on an outdoor wreath?
Check the listing first. The pine picks we sell are plastic and the maker lists them for indoor use, so we would keep them for a wreath that hangs inside. Natural cones and greenery are the usual choice for a front door.
Does the wreath making supplies set include a base?
No. The set has pine cones, berries, orange slices, cinnamon sticks, star anise, pine branches and 3m of jute twine, but no wreath base. You add your own ring and greenery.
How do I keep a fresh wreath from drying out?
Hang it away from radiators, fires and sunny glass, and mist the greenery with water every few days. A wreath on an outside door in cold weather keeps far longer than one hung indoors.
