Making a seasonal wreath by Karen Roberts

Recent autumn garden jobs

It’s been quite mild but winter is around the corner and I’ve taken the dahlias up and sorted and labelled the tubers to store until spring. In some areas giving them a heavy mulch and leaving in the beds gives enough protection but I haven’t dared try it in Cumbria yet… For me, dahlias give border appeal with fabulous late season colour. Hopefully you’ve also got bulbs in the ground now; that’s another job that’s definitely worth the effort!

Make a seasonal wreath

I’ve started foraging around the garden to make a wreath. It’s not too tricky creating one and there are so many plant choices you’re likely to have something in the garden.

The base

A base can be fashioned from flexible stems of shrubs such as willow, hazel or dogwoods, as they bend and can be woven into a circle. For an alternative wreath try entwining coloured stems from dogwoods such as the red of Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’, green of Cornus sericea ‘Flaviramea’ and orange of Cornus sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’.

The basics

Start with evergreens. Holly (Ilex) is the classic but it is prickly to work with. Other good ones are Pine (Pinus) and Box (Buxus sempervirens). A shrub I put in lots of planting designs is Viburnum tinus ‘Eve Price’, so I’ve got plenty of this in my own garden to snip and use. Weaving in ivy (Hedera helix) is great, especially the variegated forms.

Fragrance

Other evergreen options give fragrance too. I love the glossy leaves of bay (Laurus nobilis) and the needlelike dark green of rosemary (Salvia Rosmarinus).

Pizzazz

Finally it is time to add colour and berries are a good start. It’s not only holly, raid the Pyracantha or Cotoneaster, and for white use snowberries (Symphoricarpos alba). Remember to leave some berries for the birds though. (And a word of warning about plants including their berries, keep away from children if they’re poisonous!) Other embellishments can include pine cones, and with a bit of forward planning, rose hips dried when they still have their deep colour look spectacular. For something different try using fading hydrangea heads.

From the kitchen

Also look in the kitchen cupboards and dry citrus slices (oranges or lemons ) or tie up packs of cinnamon sticks. I hope you all have some fun in the garden and here’s wishing you the very best seasons’ greetings.

To plan now for spring give me a call or email.

07856 528893 • karenrobertsgardendesign@gmail.com07856 528893 137x34mm magazine banner ad.indd 1karenrobertsgardendesign@gmail.com 29/10/2020 15:41