One of the beautiful things about flowers is their nostalgic quality. Lavender, for instance, takes me right back to my grandmother's house in England. She had the quintessential British fish pond and a tiny garden shed surrounded by lavender. I have vivid memories of making that shed my garden home. I would rub that lavender in my hands and breathe it in. Heaven. Though the lavender fades, the evergreens don't! They keep us merry with their happy shades and glossy luster. They stand in the foliage gap as everything else fades into it's tired winter tan. And that smell! The scent of pine reminds me of the holidays and stirs up a jolly spirit; the happiness that comes with Christmas. Lucky for us, the evergreen family is a workhorse and it enables us to bring "the smell of the season" into our homes, or at least to our door fronts. Enter the seasonal wreath!
Not only is the scent of pine nostalgic and its appearance merry, but making a wreath with it is just plain fun! We were asked to teach a live greens wreath class at the Village Food and Spirits in the town of Amanda. The Village was hosting a series of Christmas craft events to offer a sense of community and fun... and this class was a perfect fit!
Bright and early one Saturday in December, we gathered with a lovely group of ladies and created beautifully aesthetic, take-home wreaths. For this class we chose a simple grapevine wreath. A grapevine form demands the least amount of technical know-how and lends itself to a more free, organic shape (which happens to be my favorite style!) If you are a wreath purist you could definitely make your own wreath from scratch with bramble, willow or vine...or you could just buy a pre-made one much easier!
We brought a beautiful selection of foliage from around the farm, and added store bought eucalyptus and foraged greenery (I highly recommend grabbing a great cup of coffee and an even better friend to take along on foraging days!) Eucalyptus is not native to Ohio for sure, but it is just so absolutely attractive in wreaths that it's always worth the purchase.
We displayed a non-exhaustive list of the greens available for use: Pine, juniper, cypress, holly, Hawthorne berries (watch those thorns), a few varieties of eucalyptus, seeded
eucalyptus, cedar, boxwood, some dried beebalm etc. Throw in some different sized pinecones and we had more than enough to
work with!
I explained some simple tucking techniques, demonstrated how to attach pinecones and decorations with floral wire and set the ladies free. I have to tell you that I was amazed by how some basic instructions could be interpreted and put to use in so many different ways. A few of the ladies decided to finish
their wreaths with a festive bow like this easy one minute bow:
Each wreath was unique and eye-catching and I would have been proud to hang any of them on my door! Watching these ladies was just as much fun for me as it was for them to create! If you're in the area and want to jump in one of our seasonal wreath making classes, or perhaps you'd like to host a class for family or friends, head on over to the services tab of
bramblerunfarm.com and click the "workshop: wreath making" contact button!