This tutorial will guide you through making a wreath from the cuttings from your garden shrubs. You can only make this successfully using cuttings from woody plants. Soft, hollow twigs will not hold the shape you have made and will snap easily when dried.
In my garden I have a low growing Euonymus, planted in a wet area with little sunlight. The shrub grows like mad towards the sunny area where I have more attractive plants and flowers growing. Every year, I cut it back. A lot. The shrub has woody branches that are good for making door hangings, including wreaths. This year I made a wreath and a love heart. This is how I made the wreath.
I cut back the shrub as normal. Then, I stripped all the leaves and weakest green tips from all the branches I cut off.
Cut back Euonymus
Lots of branches removed
Euonymus branches
Removing the leaves, and adding the branches to a bowl to begin shaping them.
Adding more branches to the bowl.
Add branches until the amount looks even all the way around and enough for the thickness you want for your wreath. At this stage the wreath should look about twice as thick as you need. You will lose 10% when the wood dries, and you will wreath the branches which will make it around 40%-50% less width.
Wash stripped branches in salt water
Add salt to the bowl
Add cold water
Add some hot water to help the salt to dissolve. Purely adding boiling water will damage the branches.
Top up with cold water
Leave branches completely covered in salt water for minimum 24 hours.
I left mine for over a week.
Rinse the salt water and any debris from the branches with a hose pipe
Remove the cleaned branches from the bowl and allow to surface dry for a few hours.
This wreath was surface dried after about an hour as it was a hot sunny day.
Weave and twist the branches together. Thread the ends of the branches into the middle of the weave.
Tuck in and loose ends and snap off any weak ends. Bend and squash your wreath into it's final shape.
Leave to dry for about a week.
Add a finish to the wood, such as a wood stain or varnish, or leave natural.
I finished mine with pink gloss.
Wreath decorated with silk arrangement of black lilies and black glitter roses.
Hanging on door.
Hanging on wall.
