Directions

There is nothing better than creating a colorful and beautifully textured table-top wreath from your own garden! It is surprisingly easy and inexpensive. All you need to assemble it is an 8 inch oasis ring, good sharp clippers, and green florist picks.

The natural materials can be gathered from your garden or a friendly neighbor’s, augmented with fresh vegetables from the super market. Embellish the natural green wreath base with cut flowers from a florist. The wreath will keep for weeks with regular misting or soaking of the oasis ring and greens. As a final step, elevate the wreath and add a hurricane globe and candles.

Once Thanksgiving is over, set the wreath in a cool place, not freezing, and bring it back in at Christmas and add seasonal naturals  such as roses, pomegranates, and red carnations. Even a small birds nest or snowmen would add a nice touch!

Step 1  Soak Oasis

Place oasis ring in warm water and soak for 30 minutes until heavy.

Step 2  Add Hanger

Take a chenille strip and wrap it around the wreath base with a loop for hanging. You only need to do this step if you plan on hanging it.

Step 3  Set Things Out

After removing the oasis wreath and draining any excess water, place the wreath on a flat surface and lay out your materials. Have ready clippers, evergreen materials, fresh flowers, vegetables and picks. All your veggies can be ‘picked in’  with green sticks from the florist or just use sharp twigs broken off of your evergreens.

Materials

Here is a list of suggested materials. Just explore your yard or the woods and you can find many others to make it more interesting.

Evergreens

Aucuba

Rhododendron

Cherry Laurel

False Cypress

Juniper

Nandina

Andromeda

Boxwood

Pachysandra

Hellebores

Pine

Oakleaf Hydrangea

 

Vegetables

Brussel Sprouts

Lady Apples

Cabbage

Lemons

Limes

Artichokes

Broccoli

Small Pumpkins

Gourds

Grapes

Radishes

Turnips

 Berries and Flowers

Gerber Daisys

Mums

Winterberry

Beauty Berry

Sunflower

Wax Flower

Lilies

Grapvine tendrils

Roses 

Hydrangeas

Bittersweet

Lotus Pods

Pine Cones

Pepper Berries

 

Step 4  Start Greening Oasis

Place your oasis on a large plate so that the water doesn’t leak all over your table. Start taking small pieces of evergreens and sticking them into the oasis, starting on the outside edges and moving towards the center, covering most of the ring.  You don’t have to completely cover the oasis as you will be inserting berries, pods, and flowers next that will fill in the holes.

 Step 5  Place Flowers, Pods, Berries

Finished Greening

After you finish greening your wreath, the fun begins! Use your imagination and insert berries, pods, and fresh cut flowers directly into the oasis, and attaching picks to the cones and fruit.  Just keep in mind that anything that needs to drink water insert directly into the water-logged oasis. Later, you can change the flowers out as needed and transform the whole color combination without disturbing the base.

Step 6 Finishing Touches 

Once completed, your wreath is ready to be placed on your holiday table.  You can place the wreath on top of a sturdy candlestick to raise it up off the table and make it more dramatic.  I like to place a hurricane globe in the middle to burn a candle or place individual tapers around the wreath to make it more like an advent wreath.

Remember to stick your finger into the oasis to see if it is still moist so that all the plant material stays fresh. With proper care, you can keep it looking fresh for weeks through Christmas! These wreaths are great for the winter holidays as well as spring time.  For Easter, you could do one in ferny greens and add eggs and pastel flowers, like lilies, tulips, daffodils, and roses.