Crafting your own Christmas Wreath.

Here at Robinson Place we think there is nothing better at getting us into the spirit of Christmas than creating a festive wreath to adorn our front door. We love to take a walk around the garden and farm to see all the wonderful winter foliage. The varying shades of mossy and emerald greens, sparse hedgerows decorated with ruby jewels of rose hips and smattered with vibrant red holly berries. The valley experiences some fairly wild weather at this time of year and often there will be a bounty of windfall for us to forage. It’s a great way to get out and look closely at what is on the farm, old and new, in the corners of wooded areas and you will be amazed at what you may pass daily but never stop to see. We like to come home and with hot festive drink or a group of friends get together to see what we can create. It is super satisfying to know that once the festive season has closed its doors for another year, we can take our garden creations and pop them straight onto the compost heap. A full cycle of life.

Start by taking three or four lengths of willow and work them along your knee to gradually bend and mould them into a circular shape. This will break down the fibres inside the canes and make them more pliable and easier to work.

When the willow becomes easier to bend and work, loop it round into a circular shape. Leave the ends over long as you will work these into the willow ring. Be mindful that the final wreath will be larger than the ring you create at this stage, as the foilage will increase the width.

Wrap and braid the ends of the willow around each other. Once you are happy with the shape tie any ends, or areas that are naturally trying to spring out, with twine to create a firm structure. Snip off the thick ends of the willow that are sticking out past the hoop.

You are now ready to start adding foliage to the willow. Start by tying off the bale of twine to the ring. Create small bunches of foliage to attach along the willow, You want the bunches to be large and thick enough to cover the willow.

Simply lay the bunch you have chosen over the willow and wrap the the twine around the end of the bunch and the ring. Loop the twine around a couple of times to secure the bunch. You can then rest the twine down to create your next bunch to add in. Don’t be tempted to cut the string to start the next bunch, leave it attached and simply carry on. It will feel fiddly at first but your will soon get the knack of it. By keeping the string attached through the making process, it helps the wreath to stay nice and secure as one whole piece rather than lots of smaller elements. Lay the next bunch of foliage next to the one you previously attached. You want the foliage to overlap each other in order to minimise gaps and to cover the securing string on the previous bunch.

Repeat, repeat, repeat. You may want to chose a theme or freestyle as you go, we personally think the wreaths look best if they follow some sort of pattern along the way. When adding areas of colour or interest like large pinecones, ribbons, or dried oranges, work to a pattern of odd numbers. Aesthetically working in odd numbers will create a more balanced finish.

Don’t overthink it, explore, experiment and try different styles. Don’t forget to share and tag us on Instagram! Most of all enjoy the sight of your latest creation every time you come home.

Merry Christmas from all of us at Robinson Place Farm!