15 Beautiful Christmas Wreath Ideas
Decorate your home and garden with the West's winter colors and beautiful natural materials.
Fiery
Clusters of yellow-orange kumquats and a few green citrus leaves add contrast to a red Leucadendron base. Dried palm stems provide a dash of orange. The colors are evocative of Christmas without being too Christmas-y.
Design by Zenaida Sengo of Flora Grubb Gardens and floral designer Susie Nadler of Cutting Garden; sold by Flora Grubb.
Shimmery
A base of silver Leucadendron gives this wreath silky highlights and a metallic sheen that catches the light. Plum Sempervivum, pale purple Kalanchoe cuttings, and green rosemary sprigs stud the base.
Design by Zenaida Sengo of Flora Grubb Gardens and floral designer Susie Nadler of Cutting Garden; sold by Flora Grubb.
Soft
Lichen-covered walnut branch prunings from an orchard north of San Francisco form this wreath. The branch ends are wired together into a circle, then the wreath is dressed up with gray and pink Tillandsia (aka air plants).
Design by Zenaida Sengo of Flora Grubb Gardens and floral designer Susie Nadler of Cutting Garden; sold by Flora Grubb.
Beachy
The creations that Heather Pando makes for her L.A. design studio , Little World Design, use botanicals in a whimsical fashion--a style translated to this wreath. One of Heather's favorite sights is springtime magnolia blossoms framed against the sky. "The effect is very dreamlike, and I wanted to re-create that for the holidays," she says. With her team--including Manuel Acosta, who put together this piece--she fashioned "blossoms" out of scallop shells and glued them to a manzanita frame that resembles driftwood. littleworlddesign.com.
Materials: Manzanita branches, scallop shells, pink rock quartz, sea fans (gorgonian), hot glue.
Tip: Create a traditional embellishment (flowers) from untraditional materials (shells and rocks).
Foraged
We first met this rising star when he was working at Flora Grubb Gardens in San Francisco; since then, Hank Jenkins has evolved into a "plant architect" (his words) , designing outdoor spaces in the Bay Area through his firm, Lushland. To get this wreath project kickstarted, he simply took a walk. "What's here is what grabbed my attention in my own garden and on hikes." Despite the fresh take on materials, he keeps the color palette traditional with green eucalyptus pods and red pincushions (leucospermum). lushlanddesign.com.
Materials: Eucalyptus pods and leaves, lotus pods, leucospermum, floral foam, floral pins.
Tip: To prolong the freshness of a live wreath, keep the foam moist.
Christmas wreath from the garden
A wreath of Ponderosa pine, Oregon grape, wolf lichen, and redtwig dogwood accents Patti Bosket's Leavenworth, Washington, porch.
The land around the house yields plenty of material for wreath making. "I'm so impressed by nature," she says. "I love the look, feel, and texture of native plants. Nature inspires my designs."
Cedar snowflake
This feathery cedar wreath lends informal cheer to your front door. The completed snowflake is finished with silvery dusty miller and eucalyptus pods.
You'll need six 7-inch cedar sprigs, and three 18-in. pieces of floral wire. Lay two sprigs end to end on an 18-in piece of 20 gauge floral wire (make a hanging loop on one end) Wrap the sprig and wire with 22-gauge wire. Complete two more sprigs on floral wire and twist wreath together. Embellish as you like.
Snowflakes in window
Use the natural patterns of Douglas fir sprigs to create elegant ornaments for a window display.
Fir and eucalyptus pods
Eucalyptus branches and pods impart a blue glow to a simple fir wreath.
Start with a purchased 24-inch conifer wreath. Add bunches of eucalyptus pods with floral wire.
Bay and rosemary wreath
Bay and rosemary leaves form a wreath that holds its fragrance for more than a week. The effect is fresh and welcoming.
Eucalyptus wreath
Silvery green Eucalyptus polyanthemos leaves and berrylike flower buds dry well.
"I especially like simple, monochromatic wreaths made entirely from one material and accented with a satin ribbon for hanging," says Northern California designer Mercedes Feller.
Fragrant bay leaves and sculptural oak branches are among her favorite indigenous materials. The effect is fresh and welcoming--seasonal decor that showcases the bounty of the landscape.
Four steps to the perfect wreath
Bold and beautiful
This special-occasion wreath made of carnations can last 2 or more weeks outdoors. Keep the blooms fresh by soaking the foam core with floral preservative and giving them a spritz from a water bottle every now and then.
Proteas wreath
Spanish moss, canella berries, and pincushion proteas make a simple manzanita wreath special.
To keep the pincushion proteas fresh, put their stems in floral water tubes. Insert tubes in wreath, hiding tubes with moss, twigs, or other greenery.
Harvest season wreath
Use a wire wreath frame and attach 8-inch-long cedar and Douglas fir clippings, working counterclockwise.
Tuck in 8- to 10- inch dogwood prunings. Make a hole through an apple segment, pass an 8-inch wire through fruit and wrap around greenery and frame, twisting ends together.
California citrus
Winter is the time for citrus in California; pair garden cuttings of kumquats with salal and boxwood.
