How to Make a Christmas Wreath Using Fresh Greens

christmas wreath

Before you grab your wallet to buy that new holiday wreath, try making your own for cheap instead! It’s easy to DIY your own with fresh greens, and you can customize it any way you like. We used all bay to give our wreath a modern look, but you can use anything — juniper, cedar, pine, fir, holly, rosemary, hebe, boxwood, oregonia or eucalyptus all work great.

Fresh Christmas Wreath

Level: Easy

  • A wreath base — you can use wire or could make your own from ivy branches, willow or grapevine
  • Wire
  • Twine
  • Ribbon
  • Fresh greens
  • Clippers
  • Wire cutters
  • Pliers
  • Optional decorations (cinnamon, pine cones, chilis, feathers, fresh or dried fruit like apples, lemons, oranges)
  • Instructions

    1. Bundle

    wreath bay

    Create small bunches of greens. It can be all one variety, like we’ve done here, or you can mix different types of greens for lots of texture.

    Remove any leaves from the bottom 3 inches of the stems — the bunches should be pretty short. Tie bunches together with twine or wire.

    Good to Know: The fatter the bunches, the fuller your wreath will be. The longer you leave the stems, the bigger your wreath will be in dimension. So decide when you are making the bunches what you want your finished wreath to look like.

    2. Attach

    How to make a fresh Christmas wreath

    Attach the bunches to the wreath form with wire, overlapping the top of the new bunch over the stems of the previous. There should be no visible wire or bare stems. Use pliers if needed to make sure the wire is secure.

    Keep bundling and attaching your greens until the entire wreath is filled out.

    Hang

    wreath bay

    Add any optional decorations to the wreath, then add a piece of twine or ribbon to the back and hang it on your wall!

    christmas wreath

    This wreath will last about a month outside and 1-3 weeks indoors. Keep a water spray bottle on hand to spray the leaves as often as you can. Remember, you can change out the greens as the holiday nears to keep the wreath looking fresh. Just be sure to compost the old greens and re-use the wire!

    Share tips, start a discussion or ask one of our experts or other students a question.

    Make a comment:
    500 characters remaining

    One Response to “How to Make a Christmas Wreath Using Fresh Greens”

    1. Lydia Helm

      all wreath