Foraging for Greens

I thought we had a pretty good handle on our trees, considering we’ve scoured our woods to identify the maple and birch trees for syrup, and the walnut trees for walnuts. It wasn’t until I started the hunt for pine trees that I notice how many varieties we actually have. While I took to the woods first, I was able to gather white pine, red pine spruce, red cedar and fir all from our backyard.

Some people will tell you to only use certain kinds of evergreen in your wreath making venture (ehmm…Rich), but I say just use what you have! I gathered what I could find, including small flexible branches and later some grapevines, then assessed what I liked best and how the different textures worked.

• Evergreens, Flexible Branches or Grape Vines
• Green Wire/Floral Wire
• Wire Cutters/Scissors/Pruning Shears

This takes some patience, and don’t expect it to look like a store bought wreath your first go around. I also tried it with some wire we had in the shop, but green floral wire really does make all the difference – you can get nuts securing your greens and it’s hardly noticeable.

I wish I had a better step–by–step but, to be honest, there are way more qualified people out there to help guide you. If you’re out to do it on your own, I think it’s more fun to experiment than follow a guide, anyways. To start, I twisted small flexible branches to create a circle form, securing them with wire in 2-3 spots.Then, I arranged my greens in small sections and wrapped them using the floral wire. I found the key is to layer a variety of evergreen textures to get a nice full looking wreath.

I also love the evergreen garland, yet wanted something a little more substantial above our stockings this year. We have a cut out below our tv, however, it goes mostly goes unused. We plan to remove it when we renovate the living room, but for now I wanted something to help cover up the void. Instead of a traditional garland, I used some of my larger greens to create more of a statement piece, than garland. Same simple guidelines apply as a traditional wreath – group greens and twist with wire. I also made a few simple bows to add a pop of red to all of our pieces!

After making my first wreath for our front door, I came across this blog post from Megan at Fresh Exchange about using grapevines. I love the rustic look and wild grape vines were easily accessible along our barns, so I took the opportunity to cut some of them back. Ever make too many wreaths that you have no where else to possibly hang them? Well, I ended up moving the party outside, where the rustic grapevine wreath now adorns our chicken coop. 

DIY simple orange garland and foraged wreaths for the win this holiday season! Not only was it fun to gather and create but a great last minute holiday addition to bring together friends and family.