How to make a Christmas wreath

District Organiser for Kircudbrightshire, Theo Stanning’s wreath features sea holly and crab apples. 

Top tips from Penny: use a wire or willow branches for frame. Or use twigs and raspberry canes and make a square frame instead, with dried herbs and flowers arranged across.

Carol Rowe, who has opened her garden at Kilarden for numerous years, made a beautiful wreath from branches of larch, juniper and thuja, and added a dried orange for interest. She will attach a bow to it later on. We included a link to ‘How to tie a wreath bow’ tutorials by Penny Wright at the bottom of this page.

Whether you're looking for a traditional wreath or something a bit more modern, there are lots of ideas to consider. Take a moment to appreciate the pockets of wintry beauty in your frost covered garden: to bring these snippets into your home and to turn them into something new.

"The Holly and the Ivy" - the old family favourite

The wonderful thing about ivy is that there are some many different types of it: common, variegated and miniature, and a whole lot more besides. And it always needs a prune, so it's practically calling out to be used for a wreath. What's more, every strand has it's own kinks and bends, so no one piece looks the same. Holly is a wonderful burst of colour and texture to your wreath, but watch out for those spiky leaves, and good luck getting to the berries before the birds do!

If you want to make something for your feathery friends why not make a bird-feeder wreath?

Bird feeder wreath

Packed full of berries to keep the birds happy all winter long! As well as holly, why not try other berried plants like pyracantha, or use some rosehips. If you have any small apples, like crab apples remaining, they make a novel addition.

Add a little 'oh la la!'

Bring in the evergreens! Pine needles and pine cones make a wonderful, modern addition to the traditional Christmas wreath, with silver and grey colour tones. Show off the Scottish with hints of thistles or spice it up with some ornamental chillies.

Change up the texture, try adding twigs from dogwood, hazel or birch or something fluffy, like Old Man's Beard.

A quick, cheap and simple Christmas wreath - step by step guide

Cheap and easy to make, beginner level Christmas wreath. No need to buy anything - look in your cupboards for pieces of string, wire, newspapers, old t-shirts, curtain tape and go and forage in your garden or nearby park for branches of various conifers and evergreens.

Gather materials from your garden - pine twigs, juniper, ivy, eucalyptus, holly. Cut them into approx 4 inch pieces.

Prepare some twine (cut into 3" pieces), curtain tape or an old t-shirt cut into 2" wide strips, old newspaper and any bits and pieces that can add a sparkle to your design.

Twist newspaper so it forms a sturdy ring. Use a tape to secure as shown. For best results use a few layers of A3 paper.

If you have an embroidery hoop, you can use it as your frame.

Wrap a curtain tape or t-shirt strip around your frame to add colour and sturdiness.

Place your twigs flat on a hoop one by one, securing each with a wire or twine. They should overlap slightly and you can always add an extra one if you spot a gap or an ugly bit. Avoid making it too bulky to start with, you can add other elements later on.

You can also start on two sides, working your way up.

Nearly there...We used small baubles and pine cones to add texture.

Another example with beech nut husks, walnuts and pine cones.

Voila! What do you use for your Christmas decorations?

Your Christmas wreath wouldn’t be quite as fabulous without a bow. Penny Wright demonstrated how to tie six-loop bow and how to make a two-colour bow.

How to make a six-loop bow for your Christmas wreath with Penny Wright.

Two-colour bow for Christmas wreath with Penny Wright.

Every donation makes a difference to our charity. Please support Scotland’s Gardens Scheme - it only takes a minute. Thank you!