HOW TO MAKE A STATEMENT WREATH WILLOW CROSSLEY, Floral stylist
For me, wreaths are not just for the front door. I love them on interior doors and hanging from the walls or ceiling, and use flat ones for the table… I’m all for having them everywhere.
The bigger, the better, though do remember you’ll need it to fit on your door. Ours normally goes up in mid-December; it’d be much earlier if I weren’t so busy decorating other people’s houses. I buy copper rings and pack them full of damp moss (secured with reel wire), but pre-made moss bases are available, too, which are a great idea if you’re short on time.
A traditional wreath might start with branches of spruce or pine, but you can do amazing things with eucalyptus and ruscus; gypsophila and asparagus fern, or even plants like muscari, which have the most incredible scent. Dig them up from the soil or remove from their pots, keeping the bulbs attached, and bind them in, pushing them into the moss for moisture.
Wreaths are up for a long time, so plan accordingly. Roses – if you have to have them – won’t last well, while dried materials such as straw flowers and seed heads (nigella, lunaria, teasels) are always going to be easier, and you can use them year after year. Dried hydrangea heads are a dream if your wreath will be hung in the dry. Outside, they’ll turn brown and soggy.
All I want for Christmas is… I should probably say world peace, but what I’d really love is a holiday in the sun. willowcrossley.com; createacademy.com
‘WREATHS ARE UP FOR A LONG TIME, SO PLAN ACCORDINGLY. ROSES WON’T LAST WELL…’