Your Ultimate Guide to Wreath Making at Home 2023

Got the urge to try wreath making this year?

Want some practical advice on how to create a design that'll help you (and all those who walk through your door) to sink into the true spirit of the season?

You're in the right place!

Here, we'll inspire you on how to artfully employ the colours and textures of the seasons to create wreaths for autumn and Christmas - we even run in-person courses to teach you live with immersive masterclasses at our studio in London.

There is so much wreath-making advice online this is damaging to the planet - well, not here! Because if you've been here before, you'll know that at Blooming Haus, we're ALWAYS mindful of both people and our planet.

This step in the autumn wreath-making process isn't mandatory.

But it's a lot of fun.

Put on some warm clothes, and go out looking for items like berries, pine cones, and leaves to include in your creation.

If you're making a Christmas wreath, why not take some gluhwein with you to get into the Christmas spirit?

Foraging can be a great family activity too.

Your kids will love scouring fields, parks, and woods for wreath-making materials.

Sourcing items in this way makes your autumn or Christmas wreath extra special.

And it's great for the planet because you're using natural resources from a local source.

Heads up...

Do not take or pick anything you shouldn't while foraging and avoid collecting items if you don't know they're safe to handle.

Once you've completed your foraging adventure, you need to organise the materials you're going to use.

Christmas wreaths and autumn wreaths can contain different items, and it's always good to add a personal touch.

But in general, you'll need a basic frame for your wreath, some twine, and the items you want to attach to the frame.

Traditionally, floral foam has often been used to create wreaths, but people are now more aware of the damage it can cause to the environment and realise that it should be avoided when making an eco-friendly wreath.

You can read more about this in our journal entry.

"The Impact of Floral Foam on Our Environment and Suggested Green Alternatives"

The only way to be completely eco-friendly when making a frame for your wreath is to use uncoated, non-anodised wire, but this can be difficult to source.

So, using a wire coat hanger is a substitute you can consider.

It's not a perfect solution, but it's preferable to using plastic.

You should also have some uncoated rusty wire or twine available to bind materials to the wreath.

Ribbons can be a beautiful addition too.

Once you've arranged the basic materials, you have a decision to make about how your wreath will be decorated.

There are no rules about this.

For autumn wreaths, we love evergreen laurel leaves and branches as well as beech.

You can also include pine cones and feathers.

For an extra pop of colour, hydrangeas are perfect flowers to include in a wreath for autumn.

They're available in blues, greens, pinks, and purples, and their full blooms add depth to your wreath.

Plus, these gorgeous flowers symbolise grace and gratitude, so they're ideal if you want to make a wreath to give as a gift.

Other flowers that add colour and texture to an autumn wreath are physalis (Chinese lanterns), rose hips, hypericum, thistles, and dried lavender.

Whichever flowers and other items you choose, arranging them in boxes in the order you're going to use them makes sense as it helps to keep everything organised.

Preparing the base is the start of the practical side of wreath making once the organising of your materials is complete.

To start with, you need to form your wire coat hanger, or piece of rusty wire, into a circle.

Don't worry too much if you can't make a perfect circle; you'll cover the base with materials, and this will hide most imperfections.

Plus, one of the fun things about wreath making is that you create something that's personal to you, so it's more important that you put love into making it than it is to worry about trying to make everything perfect.

If you're using a coat hanger as the base for your autumn wreath, bend the hook into a loop to make it easier to hang your wreath.

If you're using twine in your wreath-making, wrap it around the wire circle to create a more sturdy base.

Doing this gives you the structure you need to begin the next part of your wreath-making, which is decoration.

There are a few ways that you can decorate an autumn wreath in an eco-friendly way.

The most truly green option is to use bamboo sticks to pierce everything, but this can be tricky and laborious.

Instead, we'd recommend that you use twine or uncoated rusty wire to attach all elements.

Start with the biggest pieces of foliage and wrap them around the circle, making sure they're secured with wire or twine.

Here's a quick tip.

It helps to mark out where you're going to use certain flowers or foliage so your wreath looks even and well thought-out.

You can do this using something as simple as hair pins or cocktail sticks.

It helps to have them in different colours so you can code them in relation to which items you want on a particular position.

Simply place your markers around the frame and remove them once the flowers or foliage are in position.

Continue with this part of your wreath making as the wreath is built up.

As you go, poke in the stems of the foliage and flowers you use so the lines of the wreath look cleaner.

To create a personal touch, you can add some extras to your autumn wreath during the wreath-making process.

If you need some inspiration, we'd suggest adding some ribbon, mini pumpkins, or dried orange slices.

Whatever you decide to add to your wreath, don't leave any gaps.

Feeling inspired by this article about wreath making and want to learn more?

We'd love to welcome you to one of our dedicated flower courses.

These courses are designed to suit people with different levels of experience, from beginners to green-fingered enthusiasts.

So, you're sure to come away feeling informed and enthusiastic.

And you'll feel more confident about making a gorgeous wreath for Christmas to impress your family and friends.

All of our interactive classes allow you to meet us in person so we can share our skills and expertise with you.

The classes take place at our London studio, or you can watch them online if you prefer.

We love these opportunities to share our passion and pass on our love of floristry.

And we aim to help you unlock your own floral artistry.

We're excited when we see people discovering talents that they didn't know they had.

If you want to improve your wreath-making skills in time to create a beautiful Christmas wreath, we have a class just for you.


Take a look at what you may be able to achieve if you design some wreaths and flower arrangements for your home this Christmas...

If you would like us to come to you rather than attend a class at our studio in Battersea, we can do so for an extra fee.

These bespoke workshops can be tailored to what you or your group want.

So, if you have a group of people at your organisation who want to learn about wreath making, we're happy to help.

You can find the details of our classes here.

We'd also love for you to call us on 020 3389 9609 if you'd like to speak to us about bespoke wreath-making classes or any of our other floral design classes.

If you have questions about making wreaths at home, just pop them in the comments, and we'll take a look.

We'd also love to hear about your experiences making seasonal wreaths this year.

If you found our guide useful, remember to share it on your social media channels.