How to keep your real Christmas Door Wreath looking fantastic & festive
Nothing says Christmas, like a real flower & foliage door wreath, to welcome people to your home!
Most people like to hang their wreaths up at the beginning of December and there is always a worry that they won’t last the entire festive season. So here are a few tips to help your wreath look as fresh & fantastic as possible.
Use Hardy foliage
Moss based wreaths, give the foliage a water source and help to keep them looking fresh, but ultimately all cut foliage will begin to dry out over time. So choosing hardy, long-lasting foliage, will help to prolong the life and fresh look of your wreath.
Examples of long-lasting foliage include, Spruce, Fir, Holly, Cupressus, Berried Ivy, Sussex Silver.
Foliage such as Eucalyptus looks beautiful incorporated into a wreath, but is more prone to drying out!
Consider your decorative elements carefully
Decorating your wreath is a very personal choice. For some less is more- a simple foliage only wreath with a beautiful ribbon is perfect. For others, more is more- think dried fruit, flowers, ribbons, baubles, feathers… the list is endless!
If you decide to add fresh flowers to your wreath, there is a high chance that they will wilt/dry out way before the festive season ends. If you absolutely have to have flowers incorporated in your wreath, it’s advisable to try to use flowers that naturally dry out well. Eryngium thistles and Limonium last a long time and as they dry out still look beautiful. Even flowers like Rose’s and Hydrangea can last a surprisingly long time and both dry out and still look fab- in their own dried out, crispy kind of way!
If dried out flowers are not your vibe, with a little extra effort, you could consider very carefully pulling out dying flower heads out of the moss and replacing them with fresh flowers over the festive season!
If you have a very exposed door and your wreath is likely to get very wet from the rain, it may be a good idea to give dried fruits a miss, as these can get mouldy when overly wet!
Wreath positioning
A fresh flower & foliage wreath, is made to be hung outside. Hanging it indoors, will dry it out and make it die very quickly, so ideally avoid this!
However, even outside, your wreath is exposed elements that will affect its longevity. Wreaths that are exposed to a lot of sunlight and wind will dry out a lot quicker than sheltered wreaths.
Cooler conditions are a wreaths best friend, but equally, frost can negatively affect your wreaths lifespan, so if a very cold snap is forecast, ideally put your wreath in a garage or shed overnight to protect it!
A watered wreath, is a happy wreath…
Just like a bunch of flowers, your wreath needs watering regularly to keep it looking fresh for as long as possible.
If your wreath has any dried fruit decorations or fresh flowers, you will want to avoid getting these wet, to avoid mouldy, sad looking decorations. In this instance, giving the back of your wreath a spritz of water every couple of days should be enough. Alternatively, you could consider lying your wreath on some grass overnight (moss base down to the ground) and allow the moss and foliage to soak up moisture from the grass overnight- just be careful its not forecast to be frosty when you do this!!
If your wreath is foliage based with no decorative elements that will go mouldy, feel free to spritz the foliage also with water.
New year, new wreath…..
With proper care, your wreath can last well into the spring!
If you find your foliage has dried out, why not remove it and reuse the moss base to make a springtime wreath?!
When kept cool and regularly watered, moss bases can last for a long time, so you can continue to reuse the base as you want, as long as there are no signs of the moss dying off or going mouldy. When it’s reached its end, remove all the moss and put it in your garden bin or compost. Save and reuse your metal wreath ring base for next years Christmas Wreath!
I hope these tips and tricks help you to keep your festive wreath looking fantastic. Follow Wildlings & Aster on Instagram for more useful floristry tips, hints & floristry inspo. If you would like to come and join us at one of our Christmas Wreath Workshops and make your own Christmas Wreath, check out our Christmas Wreath Workshops
Lucy williams
Oooooo good to know! I’m looking forward to receiving my wreath 😍