Garden Photo of the Day

Wreath Making with Cherry

Creating holiday decor from the garden

By GPOD Contributor
holiday wreath with white branches and purple berries

December is around the corner, which means it’s time for holiday decorating. And today Cherry Ong is sharing some of her incredible holiday wreath creations. She combines basic wreaths with materials gathered from her garden and purchased to make these marvelous custom creations. If you want to try your hand at making your own wreaths with materials from your garden, you can get your inspiration here, and learn the technique in this video: Make a Holiday Wreath.

holiday wreath with magnolia leaves and white berries
A magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora, Zones 7–10) and snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus, Zones 3–7) wreath. Amazingly the snowberries lasted through and beyond the season.

Ingredients: Fraser fir wreath, magnolia leaves, snowberry clusters, seeded eucalyptus, pine branches, white branches, and an apple-green velvet ribbon

holiday wreath with orange slices and orange berries
A wreath with warm tones. Magnolia leaves direct the color choices for this wreath. I made the dried orange slices by baking them for 8 to 10 hours in a 200°F oven.

Ingredients: Fraser fir wreath, gold Ilex berries, spruce with pine cones (foraged after a windstorm), and dried orange slices

holiday wreath with white branches and purple berries
A juniper berry wreath decked with more berries.

Ingredients: Juniper berry wreath base, more juniper berries, beautyberry (Callicarpa) from the garden, foraged privet (Ligustrum) berries, seeded eucalyptus, silver bells eucalyptus, white branches

holiday wreath with red and orange berries and eucalyptus leaves
This year’s front-door wreath screams of warm colors with foraged Pyracantha berries and Thuja ‘Forever Goldie’ from the garden, seeded eucalyptus, eucalyptus, grevillea, rose hips, and Cornus ‘Arctic Fire’ branches on a Fraser fir wreath base.

holiday wreath with hypericum berries, magnolia leaves and pinecones
Another red wreath, this time featuring Hypericum berries. This is one of the larger wreaths, and the base is made from discarded Christmas tree branches. I gave this to my godmother and her family.

Ingredients: Mixed fir wreath base, magnolia branches, red Hypericum berries with the foliage removed, foraged Norway spruce pinecones, seeded eucalyptus

woodland-themed holiday wreath with dried mushrooms
A woodland-inspired wreath with foraged conk mushrooms, variegated Skimmia japonica ‘Magic Marlot’ from the garden, saved lichen and moss branches, and store-bought preserved mushrooms (they were sold as vase fillers). I thought sumac flowers would’ve made a perfect luxe addition to this wreath, but I didn’t find any. Maybe next time?

close up of holiday wreath made entirely of pinecones
I wanted to create a natural wreath that didn’t shed or deteriorate indoors. I foraged pinecones over the years; some were bleached and some natural colored. I covered a cardboard wreath form with natural-colored reindeer moss before attaching different-size pinecones and added a satin ribbon.

holiday swag with dried oranges and cinnamon sticks
Finally, here are some simple creations made from leftovers and late additions.

holiday swag with white berries and branches and a small antler
I love them at the garden entrances and gates.

 

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Comments

  1. User avater
    musabasjoosue 12/01/2023

    I am always in awe of your holiday wreath creations, Cherry! Thank you for sharing them.

    1. perenniallycrazy 12/01/2023

      Thank you for your kind words! Happy Holidays!

  2. user-7392754 12/01/2023

    Each wreath is so different and so beautiful!!! Im going to save these pictures for some inspiration on creating a few of my own. I especially love the one with orange slices. Thanks for sharing, Cherry!

    1. perenniallycrazy 12/02/2023

      Thank you. So glad they have inspired you. The real fun is in creating your own. Seeing happy recipients is the cherry on top! Happy Holidays!

  3. btucker9675 12/01/2023

    Each one of these is so beautiful, natural and elegant! You are an artist!

    1. perenniallycrazy 12/02/2023

      Thank you.

  4. User avater
    cynthia2020 12/01/2023

    Wow!
    Your front door wreath and the arrangement with the antler were the most striking to me, but wow, they are all beautiful and so well done. Thank you for sharing! Happy holidays!

    1. perenniallycrazy 12/02/2023

      Thank you. The antler has been reused in the garden and as garden decor for many years. It always seamlessly combined with any naturals and in fact, enhances it. Happy Holidays Cynthia!

  5. User avater
    simplesue 12/01/2023

    Oh I LOVE the " juniper berry wreath decked with more berries." oh wow!
    You are super talented! All the wreathes are a fabulous work of art!

    1. perenniallycrazy 12/02/2023

      Thank you. Went for a lot of colour last winter - the berries always add so much pop to the wreaths. The birds loved them! Happy Holidays Sue!

      1. User avater
        simplesue 12/05/2023

        Happy Holidays to you also Cherry!

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