BBC Gardeners World Magazine 2026-05-27T15:47:47.000Z https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/diy/feed/atom BBC Gardeners' World Magazine <![CDATA[18 Christmas wreath ideas]]> https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/diy/how-to-make-a-christmas-wreath/ 2026-05-27T15:47:47.000Z 2025-12-01T12:00:50.000Z Making Christmas wreaths is an easy festive task in the run-up to Christmas. We’ve got plenty of inspiring ideas, whether you want to make a traditional Christmas door wreath or create a contemporary design. Check out our festive designs below using not only holly and ivy, but seedheads, rosehips and white snowberries. Whatever style you feel like creating, we’ve got the perfect wreath for you.

Browse our collection of practical how-to projects and videos, and find out how to make anything from a classic Christmas wreath to 'cool-themed', contemporary and even wildlife-friendly takes on the original wreath design. There’s an abundance of plant material in winter that’s perfect for making a wreath, from the red berries of hawthorn and pyracantha to the tawny hues of last summer’s seedheads. See what you can gather from your garden or local park, but be careful not to take too many seeds or berries so there's plenty left for the birds.

Browse our selection of projects on making Christmas wreaths, below.

Merry and bright Christmas wreath

Merry and bright wreath

For this wreath, pyracantha berries, rosehips, and skimmia and viburnum flowers add pops of colour to a textural base of mixed evergreens, including bay, euonymus, hebe and pine. The base is a wire frame that is cheap and can be used year after year, with the moss, foliage and decorations all harvested from the garden. As long as the wreath is not exposed to too much direct wind and rain, it will last well for three to four weeks.

Wreath-making masterclass

Watch our wreath-making masterclass, covering everything from choosing the right materials to building your perfect festive wreath.

Wreath-making masterclass

Pampas Christmas wreath

Pampas wreath

Dried flowers and seedheads, such as teasels and poppies, from the garden are a thrifty way of adding texture and interest to a wreath, and can be saved for future years. The amaranthus and nigella add wonderful purple tones, while the pampas grass and cardoons bring flair and pizzazz to your front door. This style of wreath doesn’t use moss and can withstand some wind and rain. The evergreens include leylandii and eucalyptus.

 

Festive Christmas wreath

How to make a festive wreath

This festive wreath is made with colourful plants or parts of them that should be easy to source from the garden, parks or florists. We’ve used more traditional plants like fir, holly and crab apples, but more unusual materials like echinops seedheads, sunflower seedheads and hydrangea bracts look great, too.

 

Contemporary Christmas wreath

How to create a contemporary Christmas door wreath

This contemporary Christmas wreath is created using birch twigs, Scots pine sprigs and the fluffy seedheads of old man’s beard (Clematis vitalba). You can then leave it as is, or add some finishing touches using silver baubles or bells, to catch the eye.

 

Brussels sprout Christmas wreath

Brussels sprout Christmas wreath

This contemporary Christmas wreath, with an edible twist, is made from vegetables including Brussels sprouts, shallots and bell peppers. It’s cheap to make and is a fun winter project for the family. You can use any evergreens you have in your garden, and homegrown or shop-bought vegetables.

 

Living wreath

How to make a living wreath

A living wreath is the ultimate plant-lover’s choice. Use hardy succulents, such as sempervivum and sedum, to create this stylish wreath that can be unpicked and planted into the garden, come spring.

Fiery and festive wreath

Fiery and festive wreath

This red berry wreath was created using skimmia and cotoneaster berries and leaves, with pine cones and crab apples as extra decoration. A water-based red spray paint was used to add a more festive look.

 

Traditional Christmas wreath

View Green Video on the source website

David Hurrion explains how to make a traditional Christmas wreath using evergreen plants from the garden like holly, English ivy and conifer sprigs – you could even use small branches from the Christmas tree.

 

Blue and gold Christmas wreath

Blue, gold and green Christmas wreath

This blue, gold and green Christmas wreath combines materials that can be foraged from the garden or on winter walks. We used a touch of gold and blue paint to give some of the ingredients in this wreath extra Christmas sparkle. Look for paints that contain low or no VOCs, to minimise environmental impact.

 

Pyracantha, ivy and crab apple Christmas wreath

How to make a pyracantha, ivy and crab apple Christmas wreath

This classic wreath design is made with yew, box and ivy, elder stems, pyracantha berries and crab apples gathered from the garden.

 

Mistletoe and teasel Christmas wreath

Mistletoe and teasel wreath

This unusual Christmas wreath should encourage you to get outside and forage. Experiment with seedheads, fir cones, hips and berries, and garnish with dried flowerheads. Mistletoe can be found growing wild, but is sold at florists and markets during the Christmas season.

 

Rustic Christmas wreath

View Green Video on the source website

David Hurrion shows you how to make a rustic Christmas wreath. He uses materials that can be found in the garden, including birch twigs, teasel seedheads and rose hips. The result is a naturalistic festive decoration that can be hung up indoors or outdoors to welcome friends and family.

 

Glamorous Christmas wreath

Rustic Christmas wreath created by Amber Partner

This sustainable wreath includes a little bit of everything: greenery foraged from the garden creates the base layer, with seedheads and dried flowers woven in to add texture and interest. Pine cones, willow stems, thistles and frothy clematis seedheads were added at the end to give a natural look.

More wreath inspiration

Exclusively for Subscriber Club members, David Hurrion shares how to make a stylish wreath. Click to see a full step-by-step guide to how to make it. Not yet a member? Find out how to access our Premium content.

Three quarter Christmas wreath by Amber Partner

 

Wildlife-friendly Christmas wreath

Wildlife-friendly Christmas wreath

This simple design is made using dogwood stems and long-lasting rosehips, although you could easily use other berries. Hang it where you can easily view any visiting birds – you could attach it to a fence or shed, for example.

 

Cool-themed Christmas wreath

Cool-themed Christmas wreath

This contemporary-looking wreath is made using white snowberries, silver- and grey-leaved foliage such as euonymous and eucalyptus.

 

Golden-toned Christmas wreath

Autumn-toned handmade Christmas wreath

This autumn-hued wreath features crab apples, beech and chestnut leaves, and wild carrot flowers, along with sprigs of eucalyptus to give off a wonderful scent. The foliage has been kept long and loose to give your handmade wreath a natural, foraged look.

 

Alternative Christmas wreath

How to create an alternative Christmas wreath

This heart-shaped wireframe, stuffed with foraged pine cones, echinops seed heads and crab apples, is a fresh twist on the traditional Christmas door wreath. To shape it, use an off-cut of 13mm-gauge chicken wire. It’s possible to make any shape you like, so if a heart isn’t for you, choose a star or a circle.

Golden greeting Christmas door wreath

Gold greeting Christmas wreath

This blue-green wreath, featuring hints of gold, is made with foraged ivy, pine cones and eryngium. Gold accents were added with a water-based spray paint. Pine and spruce are used for the evergreen foliage.

Listen to our Christmas wreath making podcast

Florist and gardener Shilpa Reddy shares just how easy it is to make your own traditional Christmas wreath, using ingredients foraged from the garden, in this free podcast. Listen here

Shilpa Reddy Christmas wreath podcast

]]> BBC Gardeners' World Magazine <![CDATA[How to make autumn wreaths]]> https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/diy/how-to-make-an-autumn-wreath/ 2026-05-27T12:57:14.000Z 2025-08-29T08:00:45.000Z Autumn is a glorious time to create beautiful and tactile crafts that celebrate the turning season. Whether you have a terrace of pots, garden, an allotment or simply enjoy foraging on walks, there are countless treasures to gather. Think dried seedheads, bracken, bronzed by the sun, architectural grasses and richly textured strawflowers. Wreath-making is a lovely way to bring the outdoors in—not just with Christmas wreaths, but all year round.

Autumnal arrangements are especially evocative: deep, earthy and full of character matching the golden colours outdoors. This is also the time to make use of dried materials harvested from summer’s abundance such as hydrangeas and statice or to supplement with responsibly sourced shop-bought options. Each of the projects here is plastic-free and designed to be accessible, sustainable and full of seasonal spirit. You’ll find guidance on everything from asymmetrical wreaths to door swags and garlands—all designed to inspire creativity and connection with nature. Plus, check out our guide to drying your own flowers.

Foraging for autumn wreath ingredients in the garden.

How to make an autumn wreath

In this simple step-by-step, I'll show you how to make an ombre-coloured autumn wreath, using a mixture of fresh and dried ingredients. I collected some from my garden and bought others to supplement. The design is very flexible, so use plants you have in your own garden, or items you've collected while out walking – just be sure to forage responsibly.

You will need

Ingredients (fresh):

Ingredients (dried):

Step 1: Prep your base

Adding sphagnum moss to the wreath base.

Attach your reel wire spool securely to the wreath base by looping a 7.5cm (3 inch) section over the outside rim, then spiral the wire back over this section from top to bottom. Cover the wreath base in sustainably sourced sphagnum moss, looping the wire around at 2.5cm (1 inch) intervals.

Step 2: Sort and prep materials

Collect together fresh ingredients into a bunch.

Group stems by variety and light to dark. Create mini fresh and dried bundles, for uniformity use the same selection per bundle. Cut stems to size, stripping lower leaves for cleaner wiring.

Step 3 - Begin with fresh foliage

Wire your first bunch onto the base.

Attach your first bundle of foliage to the base. Wrap the reel spool over the bundle and wreath base two times, to fix in place. No need to pull too tight, angle the first bunch slightly towards the outside of the frame.

Step 4 - Build in a gradient

Attach bunches of dried ingredients to the base.

Work clockwise in a zig zag formation adding in your bundles from a gradient of dark to light — green foliage shades are followed by faded and deep browns ending at creamy honesty seed pods.

Step 5 - Add detail

Adding a bunch of creamy honesty seedheads.

Once the wreath is covered, tuck in stems of teasel or seed heads for texture and impact. Not pulling your wire too tightly allows you to place stems in and out.

Step 6 - Finish with a flourish

Hazel Gardiner holds the finished wreath.

Find the outside of the cooper wreath base under your last bunch, loop the wire over the twice, cut off the spool leaving a 5cm (2 inch) length, tie a knot, insert this back into the moss base.

How to make your wreath last

Ombre autumn wreath.

Use twine or ribbon to hang inside or outdoors, but bring inside in wet or very cold weather. Keep it away from direct heat, lightly mist the fresh foliage only to maintain texture and freshness.

Hazel Gardiner Design is a contemporary floral studio based in London, which specialises in creating unique floral experiences. Follow on Instagram @hazelgardinerdesign

Autumn wreath ideas

Asymmetrical bracken wreath

Asymetrical bracken wreath.

Ingredients

This design embraces the wildness of bracken in all its autumnal shades, from russet to deep bronze. Arranged asymmetrically, it plays with scale and direction, creating drama and movement. The addition of hips and seed heads brings contrast and delicacy. Best hung indoors or under cover; it will last for many months if kept dry and away from heat.

Clematis vitalba vine wreath

Clematis seedhead wreath.

Ingredients:

This romantic design uses long trails of fluffy Clematis vitalba, gone to seed. Simply wrapped around the base to mimic its growing habit. Light and ethereal, with contrasting hips. We added long velvet red bows to enhance the whimsical effect. A perfect wreath for an interior door or wall. Harvest seeds heads when they first appear and dry fully to avoid mould.

Asymmetrical foliage wreath

Green foliage autumn wreath.

Ingredients:

This fresh, foliage-filled wreath builds texture in layers, from long coniferous stems to gathered cones for a verdant display. Its asymmetrical shape adds visual interest, while moss supports moisture and structure. A wired ribbon gives full control when shaping your bow and neatly covers the join between greenery and base. Ideal for porches and doorways. Mist or replace fresh elements to extend longevity.

Autumn door swag decoration

Autumn door swag decoration.

Ingredients:

To make this door decoration, which is a simple alternative to a wreath, start with the longest stem and build up, staggering and fanning out each stem. Work left to right side equally for symmetry. Add shorter stems towards the end for enhanced depth. Tie securely with string and finish with ribbon looped and tied into long tails. An additional bow can be added for drama. These ingredients are robust, hang inside or out.

Vibrant orange autumn wreath

Rose hips, strawflowers and berries autumn wreath.

Ingredients:

This luxurious wreath is packed full of masses of gorgeous seasonal ingredients. The bright rose hips, berries and strawflowers ensure this autumn wreath has real impact. If you don't have enough rose hips, you could also include crab apples or orange berries such as pyracantha – but take care as pyracantha stems are very thorny!

Golden toned autumn wreath

Autumn-toned handmade Christmas wreath

This autumn-hued wreath features an array of golden, orange and brown tones from the leaves and the crab apples, along with sprigs of eucalyptus to give off a wonderful scent. The foliage has been kept long and loose to give your handmade wreath a natural, foraged look.

Strawflower and asparagus fern wreath

Shilpa Reddy strawflower wreath

Ingredients:

This bright and cheerful wreath uses dried strawflowers in a range of colours to bring a little taste of summer sunshine into autumn. You could substitute other dried flowers, depending on what you have access to. This wreath will look vibrant indoors all year round.

How to dry flowers Follow our step by step guide to drying a range of flowers, including strawflowers, roses, hydrangeas and lavender.

Flowers hanging to air-dry. Jason Ingram

Hips, hydrangeas and oak leaves wreath

Rose hips and oak leaf autumn wreath.

Ingredients:

The use of real leaves gives this wreath its autumnal feel. The leaves used here are dried oak leaves and their brown tones are echoed in the brown of the dried hydrangea flowers, but you could use any dried autumn leaves. And while this wreath uses rowan berries, cotoneaster would also work well.

Physalis and clematis wreath

Physalis autumn wreath

Ingredients:

The Chinese lanterns are the star of the show here. The Chinese lantern plant (Physalis alkekengi) is a hardy perennial that's easy to grow in the garden. The papery orange 'lanterns' enclose round berries in autumn. Left on the plant they eventually form a papery skeleton around the red berry within, but if they are cut at their peak, they make excellent dried flowers. To dry them, cut the stems as soon as the lanterns have turned orange, remove the leaves, then hang upside down to dry.

Rose hips and hops autumn wreath

Rose hips and hops autumn wreath.

Ingredients:

This simple yet elegant autumn wreath uses just a few ingredients, the bright lime green hop flowers contrasting beautifully with the orange rose hips. If you aren't growing hops in your garden, you can buy fresh or dried hops online or from some florists.

]]> BBC Gardeners' World Magazine <![CDATA[How to make fat balls for birds]]> https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/diy/how-to-make-fat-cakes-for-birds/ 2026-04-15T09:03:57.000Z 2024-12-01T07:29:24.000Z As well as feasting on our garden berries, seeds and other natural food such as earthworms, caterpillars and beetles, birds seem to love energy-rich fat balls, which give them a calorie boost that may help them get through cold winter days and nights. You can buy fat balls in the shops but they're easy to make at home. Simply mix kitchen scraps such as cheese, cake crumbs and dry porridge oats with melted lard or beef suet, and set in the fridge overnight.

Which birds benefit from fat balls?

While the jury is out on whether birds actually benefit from fat balls, they are popular with blue tits, great tits and long-tailed tits, house sparrows, blackbirds, robins, woodpeckers, nuthatches and blackcaps.

Alternative ingredients

Try rehydrated raisins, currants and sultanas, small pieces of apple or pear, or grated cheese. Crushed peanuts can also be added.

Foods to avoid

Avoid using turkey fat, which doesn't set like suet and lard, and can coat birds' feathers, preventing them from being able to fly. It can also spread disease. You should also refrain from using raisins and sultanas if you have a dog, as they are poisonous to them. Bear in mind that mealworms are harmful to hedgehogs, so only add these if don't have hedgehogs visiting your garden.

Our fat balls for birds shopping list

You might already have what you need to get started on making your fat balls. If you don't, we've done the hard work for you with our handy shopping list. 

How to make fat balls for birds

You will need:

Total time: 12 hours Including overnight refrigeration time

Step 1: mix the ingredients

Mixing together the dry ingredients

The best ratio for this fat ball recipe is one part fat to two parts dry mixture. Mix all your dry ingredients together in a bowl.

Step 2: add the fat

Stirring in the melted fat with the dry ingredients

Melt some lard or suet in a pan and add the dry mix. Stir well until the fat has all been absorbed by the dry mixture, and everything sticks together.

Step 3: make the fat balls

Tie string through the bottom of yoghurt pots and add the mixture

Make a hole in the bottom of a yoghurt pot and thread through a length of twine or string, then pack the pot with your warm fat mixture, to make fat balls.

Step 4: remove the yoghurt pots

Set the cakes in the fridge overnight then remove from the pots

Place your fat balls in the fridge overnight to set, then cut through the pot and and peel it away. Tie a big knot at one end of the twine to secure the ball.

Step 5: hang the fat balls

Hang out the cakes in a sheltered tree or shrub

Hang the fat ball in a tree or shrub and wait for the birds to come and feast.

Kate Bradbury says

Keep a store of fat cakes in your freezer, taking just one or two out at a time on cold winter days. Never put them out in summer – in very hot weather the fat may melt and could smear onto birds’ feathers, preventing them from being able to fly.

Kate Bradbury

Where to place fat balls for birds

You can place fat balls anywhere you place bird food, such as from a specially designed hanging feeder to the bird table. If you have made them with string you can hang them from branches of shrubs and trees.

How to place fat balls for birds

If you added string or twine when making your fat balls, you can hang them from a branch of a tree or shrub. If you made them without string then you can add fat balls to a bespoke hanging feeder, or simply place them on your bird feeding table.

Frequently asked questions

Do fat balls for birds attract rats?

Fat balls for birds can attract rats, yes. Rats are grain eaters and are therefore attracted to bird food, but they are also generalists and may be attracted to the fatty mixture. If you want to help the birds but avoid attracting rats, focus on growing plants for birds that will help them to feed naturally.

Are fat balls healthy for birds?

As reported by the British Trust for Ornithology, recent studies have found that productivity in great tits and blue tits  reduced when fed fat balls over winter, but increased in great-spotted woodpeckers. This raises concerns that fat balls might not be good for some birds, but more research is needed. What's certain is that growing berrying trees and shrubs, leaving seedheads on plants and growing caterpillar foodplants such as long grass, dandelions and nettles, is very good for birds as it helps them to feed naturally all year round. The more natural food we grow in our gardens, the more birds will be able to feed themselves.\

]]> BBC Gardeners' World Magazine <![CDATA[How to make a cool-themed Christmas wreath]]> https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/diy/how-to-make-a-cool-themed-christmas-wreath/ 2024-11-14T12:14:20.000Z 2024-11-14T11:30:47.000Z This silvery white wreath combines silvery green leaves and stems, with white flowers and berries, to give your front door a magical, ethereal feel. Forage in your garden or on country walks for as many of the above natural ingredients as possible, but if you can't find them all then be creative with what you can find.

You Will Need

Step 1

Fixing sprigs of pittosporum to the wreath frame

Step 2

Wrapping wire around heather stems

Step 3

Spaying hairspray on clematis seedheads

Spray hairspray on the old man's beard seedheads to stop them dropping. Wire spiral strips of birch bark to the wreath base. Twist a loop to the top of the frame to hang it up.

]]> BBC Gardeners' World Magazine <![CDATA[How to create a contemporary Christmas door wreath]]> https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/diy/how-to-create-a-contemporary-christmas-door-wreath/ 2024-12-02T19:58:46.000Z 2024-11-14T11:30:34.000Z It's easy to make a traditional Christmas door wreath using materials gathered from your garden. You can adapt our ideas to what's available in your garden or local hedgerows – simply pick whatever is looking good.

This contemporary Christmas wreath is created using birch twigs, Scots pine sprigs and the fluffy seedheads of old man's beard (Clematis vitalba). You can then leave it as is, or add some finishing touches using silver baubles or bells, to catch the eye.

Make this contemporary Christmas door wreath using birch and pine, in four easy steps.

Looking for ideas for plants to gift this Christmas? We share our favourite Christmas plants and flowers.

You Will Need

Total time: 30 minutes

Step 1

Weaving the birch twigs together

Use the birch stems to make a circle roughly 30cm in diameter (tie the ends together if necessary). Weave more birch twigs into the loop to thicken up the sides and create the wreath frame.

Step 2

Pushing the sprigs into the wreath

Push sprigs of pine into the wreath frame (including any cones you have). Push the sprigs in at an angle to create a neat effect.

Step 3

Adding old man's beard seedheads

Add a few seedheads of old man's beard, binding the stalks into the birch to lock them firmly in place.

Step 4

Adding silver decorations to the wreath

Add some silver hearts to bring the wreath to life - any silver decoration with hooks that will latch onto the birch will work well. Now simply hang your wreath in a suitable location.

]]> BBC Gardeners' World Magazine <![CDATA[How to create an alternative Christmas wreath]]> https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/diy/how-to-create-an-alternative-christmas-wreath/ 2024-11-14T12:17:06.000Z 2024-11-14T11:00:01.000Z Christmas wreaths don’t have to be mass-produced or shop-bought. You can easily find all you need to create your own festive wreath in the garden, a park or out and about in the countryside. Fir cones, bark, seedheads, dried fruits and strands of English ivy are all perfect materials to inspire you.

This heart-shaped wireframe, stuffed with foraged pine cones, echinops seed heads, and crab apples, is a fresh twist on the traditional Christmas door wreath. To shape it, use an off-cut of 13mm-gauge chicken wire. It’s possible to make any shape you like, so if a heart isn’t for you, choose a star or a circle.

Follow our six easy steps to create your own alternative Christmas wreath, with materials from the garden.

Looking for ideas for plants to gift this Christmas? We share our favourite Christmas plants and flowers.

You Will Need

Total time: 1 hour

Step 1

Bending the wire into a heart

Cut an 80cm length of galvanised wire, and bend it into a heart shape, joining the ends at the bottom. Make another to match.

Step 2

Cutting the chicken wire

Using the wire heart as a template, cut two larger heart shapes out of the chicken wire (roughly 15mm wider all the way round).

Step 3

Twisting the chicken wire over the wire frame

Use short twists of fuse wire to tie the heart-shaped outline to the chicken wire, moulding it into a shallow frame. Take time to bend the chicken wire (you may want to wear gloves for this), tucking any sharp edges out of the way with pliers.

Step 4

Painting the wire hearts

Give both hearts two coats of paint, allowing them to dry in between. When the second coat is dry, bind the hearts at one side with fuse wire.

Step 5

Filling the wire heart with foraged material

Fill the open heart with foraged materials, putting the most delicate objects at the top. They should stay fresh through the festive season.

Step 6

Christmas wreath hanging from the door

Close and secure the frame with fuse wire. Attach a bunch of dried chillies or seedheads to the front with raffia. Use raffia to tie it to your door.

]]> BBC Gardeners' World Magazine <![CDATA[Rustic Christmas wreath]]> https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/diy/rustic-christmas-wreath/ 2026-06-28T13:49:37.000Z 2024-11-14T10:35:15.000Z Christmas is the perfect time to tap into your creative spirit and harness nature’s bounty to make beautiful foraged decorations for your home. This Christmas wreath is simple to make, gorgeous, sustainable and recyclable.

It includes a little bit of everything: greenery foraged from the garden creates the base layer, with seedheads and dried flowers woven in to add texture and interest. Pine cones, willow stems, thistles and frothy clematis seedheads were added at the end to give a natural look. Read the full guide to making this wreath, and more festive projects from Amber, in our December magazine.

Looking for some of the best festive plants to grow? Discover our favourite Christmas plants.

More wreath inspiration

Exclusively for Subscriber Club members, Amber shares how to make a stylish 3/4 wreath. Click to see a full step-by-step guide to how to make it. Not yet a member? Find out how to access our Premium content.

Three quarter Christmas wreath by Amber Partner

To make this wreath, you will need

Amber is owner of Howe Farm Flowers near Aylesbury, growing sustainable, seasonal cut flowers. The farm offers pick-your-own and workshops.

]]> BBC Gardeners' World Magazine <![CDATA[Blue, gold and green Christmas wreath]]> https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/diy/blue-gold-and-green-christmas-wreath/ 2024-11-14T12:09:15.000Z 2024-11-14T09:57:55.000Z In the depths of winter, fresh greenery from the garden is just the thing to lift the spirits.

This blue, gold and green Christmas wreath combines materials that can be foraged from the garden or on winter walks. Don't forget to follow the forager's code: don't pick on nature reserves, only pick from abundant patches and only pick one in 20 seedheads you find.

Don't worry if you can't find the exact plant materials used here – you can improvise using seedheads, foliage and branches from your own garden and beyond.

Follow these easy steps to make your own blue, gold and green Christmas wreath.

You Will Need

Step 1

Tying wires around the bottoms of pinecones

Go to a well-ventilated area, or outside, to spray your foliage. We sprayed olive twigs and half of the pine cones with gold spray paint and the eucalyptus and sea holly with blue paint. Ensure they're properly dry before you start assembling your wreath. Use spray paints that contains low or no VOCs (volatile organic compounds), to minimise the impact on the environment.

Step 2

Adding a sprayed pinecone to the birch base

For the base, take the birch twigs and flex them into a round shape, the size that you want your wreath to be – ours was about 40cm wide. Wrap reel wire around the bottom-right third of the circle, so the ends of the twigs are secure and the tops of the twigs form an upward spray of shoots on the top right.

Step 3

Securing the sheet moss to the wreath

Lay the sheet moss over and around the bottom half of the birch base and then bind it in place with the reel wire. Spray this with water so it's moist.

Step 4

Take small mixed bunches of the foliage and place onto the wreath. As each bunch is placed along the moss, secure the ends of the stems with reel wire. Bind around each cluster six times to make sure it's secure. Lay one bunch slightly facing into the centre and the next one facing out. Pack them in quite densely for a full appearance. Any gaps can be filled by poking loose foliage directly into the moss.

Step 5

Take a piece of the florist's stub wire and wind around the base of a pine cone, leaving a long stalk. Poke this stalk through the wreath and when the wire comes out of the moss on the reverse side, fold it back on itself to attach it securely. Repeat with more pine cones.

]]> BBC Gardeners' World Magazine <![CDATA[How to make a living wreath]]> https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/diy/how-to-make-a-living-wreath/ 2024-11-14T12:07:40.000Z 2024-11-14T09:10:37.000Z A living wreath is the ultimate plant-lover's choice. Use hardy succulents, such as sempervivum and sedum, to create this stylish wreath than can be unpicked and planted into the garden, come spring.

You Will Need

Step 1

Adding damp sphagnum moss to the wreath frame

Dampen the moss, and then attach small rolls of it to the wreath frame using binding wire wrapped through and round the frame. This will help keep the roots of your succulents moist.

Step 2

Removing plants from their plant pots before adding to the frame

Knock each plant from its pot and tease off the loose compost from its roots. Carefully flatten the rootball between your palms and place the plants in an attractive arrangement around the wreath.

Step 3

Using binding wire to fox the plants in place

Use binding wire to attach the rootball of each plant to the moss-covered frame, taking care with the stems. Make a wire loop and hang in a sheltered spot where it won't swing around.

]]> Tamsin Hope Thomson <![CDATA[Mud kitchen ideas for kids]]> https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/diy/outdoor-mud-kitchen/ 2024-07-11T10:31:57.000Z 2024-04-05T07:26:53.000Z A mud kitchen is an outdoor play area for children, where they can make potions, bake mud cakes, get messy and have fun. Mud kitchens can be as simple as a shelf on top of a couple of milk crates or a fully fitted miniature kitchen with a mixing area, stove top and storage space. Optional extras include refillable water butts, hooks for utensils and chalk boards for recipes. There's a variety of mud kitchens to buy online or you could make your own out of recycled wood such as pallets or decking boards. The other option is to look in charity shops for indoor play kitchens that could be relocated outside, depending on their material.

The best place to put a mud kitchen depends on your children's age, the size of your garden and whether you mind having a messy area that can be seen from the house. If your children are old enough to play on their own, put it somewhere where you can keep an eye on them but enjoy free time while they're playing. If you have a garden where it can be hidden from view, your kids can make a mess you don't have to look at when relaxing outdoors.

If you are making a simple mud kitchen, it might be worth placing it front of a trellis or fence that can double as the backdrop. Put some hooks in the fence for hanging up utensils and pots and pans.

How can kids benefit from mud kitchens?

Having fun with mud. Getty Images

Mud kitchens encourage kids to spend time outdoors and get involved with gardening and wildlife. This kind of messy play can help children to connect with nature and inspire them to use their imagination. What's more, mud (or soil) contains the bacteria Mycobacterium vaccae. Studies have shown that when this is absorbed through the skin it triggers a release of serotonin in the brain. Serotonin is a natural antidepressant and mood lifter, providing a general sense of wellbeing – it can also strengthen the immune system.

Be creative with a variety of games and activities. You can also make your mud kitchen educational, helping children to learn about helping nature or grow vegetables. Mixing and stirring are also good for developing motor skills. Most importantly, getting messy is fun!

Ideas for making a mud kitchen

DIY mud kitchen. Getty Images

If you're a DIY enthusiast, there are plenty of videos online demonstrating how to construct your own mud kitchen from sawn up pallets or recycled planks, but it doesn't have to be a major weekend project. To create a simple mud kitchen try one of the following:

  1. Balance a shelf on some round log seats or milk crates. Cut a hole in the shelf for a basin and use a nearby fence to hang utensils on
  2. Reuse an old wooden table or camping table and either put a mixing bowl on top or set one into the table. Use plastic boxes underneath for storage
  3. Look out for secondhand small cupboards or bedside tables that could make the base and already have inbuilt storage, then use a shelf or planks for the top
  4. Make a mud kitchen on the ground – look for a Belfast sink or similar that could be used for mixing mud, have a digging area and put out some pots, pans and utensils. Make sure it's an area that is not frequented by cats or foxes before turning into a play area
  5. Create a simple pallet mud kitchen – use one pallet for the back and cut up another to make the work surface and legs

Mud kitchen ideas for your garden

Nature collection. Getty Images

Mud kitchens have a lot of potential beyond mud pies. There's a range of games you can play using thing in the garden. We've come up with a few to get you started:

Mud kitchen accessories

Conkers as 'ingredients' for a mud kitchen'. Getty Images

Kitting your mud kitchen out with accessories doesn't have to be expensive. Children will be happy with old wooden spoons and spare pans, and if you don't have any spare, scour the charity shops. Items that are fun to use in a mud kitchen include:

To buy

These items are not vital, but here are some ideas that can inspire new games in the mud kitchen.

Materials to use from the garden

Things you could donate from your kitchen

Advice on buying mud kitchens

Where to buy mud kitchens

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