So that dreary summer is on it’s way out – you may as well bite the bullet and welcome in the autumn like you mean it. That’s right friends, it’s time to stop telling each other there’s a late heat wave coming and instead get excited about crispy leaves, crackling fires, hot chocolate and that impending most sparkly time of year…. dare I say it? Yes I damn well do – CHRISTMAS!!
Currently however, there are still 113 sleeps until my all time fave day of winter comes along and in between those sleeps I intend to spend a lot of my time getting that festive autumnal/winter feel on. I’ve been out grabbing lichen covered branches, picking blackberries for crumbles and carefully placing the odd broken acorn branches into the bottom of the push chair for a while now and most recently I’ve put them all to good use making an autumn wreath that I’m rather proud of.
Adding an autumn wreath and some seasonal plants to the front of the house I feel, makes you feel connected to the changing seasons every time you walk in and out of your home – for me, it brightens up even the most dreary cold wet London day with the promise of hot cups of tea once indoors, changing into big socks and that comforting feeling that things are about to have a little rest and quieten down, hibernating for the winter.
So why not make your own? This one was a lot easier than I thought it was going to be. I made from both internet faux foliage finds and the bits and pieces I’ve found in the park out on my walks.
And because so many of you were keen to hear all about how I made it, below is the rather basic but very satisfying afternoon’s activity ‘how to’ along with a linked list of where to find the bits.
- Forage for what you can find first
You’ll be surprised how many bits and pieces you’ll find in parks and (if you have any nearby) woodlands. You can add to what I used too with things like berry branches if you can find them or even the odd toadstool that will dry whilst hung (be careful as many are poisons – yet more hand washing!). Look under acorn trees for that recognisable scalloped leaf – especially the ones on nobly little branches that are on the turn from green to gold. After a windy night you’ll also find broken lichen covered branches under larger trees which won’t only look great on your wreath but also between moss over bulbs in baskets or tucked, on mass into a wide necked, low vase or a basket by the fireplace.
You can also forage for your wreath base too- dried up branches of climbers are a great one for this and can be twisted around in a messy circle and secured with florist wire to make your circular wreath base. Thin twigs from some trees and shrubs can also often be used if you soak them overnight first to make them more pliable – do some pruning in your garden or take some snips to the woods and see what you can find!
For the bits you can’t find in the great outdoors take your forage to the internet where you’ll find a load of options for faux autumnal springs and branches that you can use multiple times over along with pre-made wreath bases also on offer and that all important florist wire.
2. Position your findings!
Position your larger items first. For the faux items with long stems don’t be tempted to cut these off – you may want to use them for something different in the future. Just bend them around to the back of the wreath following the curve and secure them, using your wire to the back so they can’t be seen. Next, layer in your stand out pieces like your Chinese Lanterns or blackberry springs. Finally add some of those lichen covered little twigs and branches to cover any mass of faux stems that need hiding or to act as a spacer in between leaf stems.
3. Hang
Triumphantly attach a bit of string or ribbon to the back of you wreath with more florist wire and hang on your door! You can set the wreath off even further with a collection of gold and yellow chrysanthemums and white heather in pots around your doorstep or path – both of which you’ll find in the garden centres online right now!
I’d love to see pictures of your wreaths when done! Share them with me on Instagram or in the comments below. Links to all the items I bought for my wreath are below too!
Lichen Twigs – £16.34 / Blackberry Spray – £6.50 / Autumn Leaves £8.50 / Wreath Base – £4.50 / Floristry Wire – £2.25 / Maple Leaf Red £4.79 / Maple leaf amber £4.79 / Chinese Lanterns £4.95