How to make a beautiful twig wreath from tree trimmings

A twig wreath is easy, quick and stylish.

And it’s free, if you use your garden trimmings.

Now is a good time to prune many trees, shrubs and climbers. So before you dispose of your branches and twigs, give them a starring role in your Christmas decorating by making a twig wreath.

How to choose the right wood for a twig wreath

Twig wreaths are easy. But it’s not quite as simple as winding any old twigs into a circle and tying them. I asked award-winning floristry teacher, Julie Davies, of Julie Davies Flower Workshops for her tips.

We’ve done a ‘collab’ YouTube video together, so if you like to see a ‘how-to’ in action, check out Julie’s tips in this video:

Firstly, you need to choose the right twigs. We went round the garden to find the right ones.

We considered ivy, but Julie pointed out that the leaves were too big. ‘These big leaves will make the wreath ungainly. Although you could cut the leaves off and just use the stem, because it’s pliable and long.’

Next, we looked at our Lawson Cypress. The tips have pretty little cones and are pliable. ‘But there isn’t enough length in the pliable wood to give you one complete circle plus the extra you need to,’ explained Julie.

From left to right: ivy leaves are too big, privet leaves will die out of water, and the pliable tips of conifer branches aren’t long enough for a wreath.

You need a length of pliable wood or twig that will go round your circle once, plus around a quarter leftover.

Ligustrum (privet) is pliable enough, but the leaves will die quickly out of water. ‘Better for Christmas flower arranging.’

Our pergola has a mess of clematis, honeysuckle and akebia quinata climbers. ‘These would work well,’ advised Julie. And we need to cut it back anyway.

Best of all for a twig wreath – silver birch. You don’t necessarily have to prune the silver birch either. After a strong wind, there are often useful wreath-making and flower arranging twigs and branches on the ground.

What equipment do you need?

You only need secateurs, scissors and some twine. Julie uses a bindwire, which looks like raffia but holds like freezer twine, such as Oasis Bindwire.

(There are some affiliate links in this post, which means you can click on the highlighted words to buy. If you do, I may get a small fee, but it doesn’t affect the price you pay.)

All you need is scissors and secateurs, plus florists’ binding twine.

How to make the twig wreath

Gather together 4-5 lengths of twig or wood, with all the cut ends together. It feels a bit like making a witch’s broom.

Gather together several lengths of twig, keeping the cut ends together.

Holding the bunch near the cut ends, bend it round in a circle. Leave around one quarter

Make a circle with the twigs, with around a quarter of their length poking out from the top.

Holding the wreath firmly where the circle joins up, put your other hand through the wreath, take hold of the surplus twigs and draw them through, winding them around the wreath.

Keep repeating the process until the wreath is the size you want it. The wreath is held together by the bunches of twigs wound in around it, but you can also tie it with twine if you like.

Poke stray ends to neaten it – or leave them free and wild. If the wreath isn’t quite circular, you can work it into shape.

You can add decorations, lights, greenery or flowers – or leave it beautifully simple. If you want to add lights, you can conceal the battery underneath a ribbon.

A wreath made with a coat hanger and garden clippings

Julie has also been working with the delightful new online magazine Faversham Life, where she shows you how to make a wreath from a coat hanger and garden clippings. It’s so pretty and delicate, but you can give it a good shake and it won’t fall apart.

See how to make this pretty wreath from garden clippings on Faversham Life. Photo by Lisa Valder.

Or a wreath from dried leaves from your garden trees

You can also use dried tree leaves to make a wreath. Look at author and garden writer Francine Raymond’s blog to find out her tips for ‘bringing the outside in’ at this time of year. She made this gorgeous wreath out of leaves from her garden.

The leaves for this wreath came from Francine’s garden trees.

She dried them flat and glued them onto a florist’s wire wreath ring.

Find out more in Francine’s blog and website – she takes wonderful photos.

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from The Middle-Sized Garden http://www.themiddlesizedgarden.co.uk/make-beautiful-twig-wreath-tree-trimmings/