DIY | How to Make a Natural Fall Wreath

Make your own natural Autumn wreath this year! This farmhouse style Fall wreath created with dried goldenrods and punctuated with vibrant purple statice makes a welcoming statement to any entryway. This DIY wreath made with botanicals foraged from my backyard cost nothing to make and is a cheap and charming alternative to buying pricey seasonal wreaths. 

I love flowers! And after the blooming season is over, I look for ways to extend their ephemeral beauty so that I can enjoy them a little longer. Fashioning them into a charming wreath for autumn is the perfect way to showcase and preserve their beauty and put the natural world on display.

I created this gorgeous purple and gold wreath for Fall, using just two types of flowers. Dried yellow golden rods from my garden and purple statice that came along in a grocery store bouquet. Statice are long lasting flowers that retain their brilliant color even after they are dried. 

To dry any kind of flowers, hang them in bundles upside down in a cool, dimly lit spot. I cut down my golden rods  at the end of summer and hung them upside down in our dark garage for about a week to dry them out, before using them in the wreath.

....Wreath Making- A Meditative Experience......

Making a natural, organic wreath is not difficult to do. In fact, I find the entire process almost meditative. From taking long, slow strolls foraging for botanicals to working quietly with my fingers. Bundling, snipping, arranging, wiring.... until slowly a beautiful, unique arrangement takes shape beneath my fingers. And finally there's nothing more pleasing than standing back to admire my handiwork, knowing that I created a gorgeous one-of-a-kind piece to celebrate the beauty found in nature.

HOW TO MAKE A NATURAL FALL WREATH WITH DRIED FLOWERS AND BOTANICALS

What you require:

1. A wreath form- either a store bought grape vine wreath or perhaps a vine that you can forage from your own garden and twist into a wreath form.

2. Dried flowers and botanicals

3. Secateurs/ scissors

4. Floral wire

Process:

1. Forage for florals and botanicals:

   Look in your back yard or go for a walk and forage for flowers, leaves, branches, grasses, thistle, interesting seed pods, little fruits, vegetables, berries or even feathers that you can use in your wreath. Look for different colors and textures- the possibilities are endless and Mother Nature offers up a veritable buffet to select from. 

2. Dry florals

If using fresh cut flowers, hang them upside down in a dark room for 1-2 weeks to allow them to dry out. Different botanicals dry out differently and some will retain their color and shape better than others. Deciding what to use is a process of experimentation and personal preference. 

3. Make little bundles of botanicals

Bundle together little bunches of flowers and botanicals and tightly secure each bundle with wire. Depending on the shape, size and movement you want to create, you may need to trim the stems on these bundles to the desired size. For my golden rod wreath, each of my bundles was about 8 inches long.

4. Arrange bundles in the shape of a wreath

Arrange the little bundles in the shape of wreath get a sense of how you'd like to design your wreath. 

5. Wire the bundles to the wreath form

Now start wiring the bunches one at a time to the wreath form. For my golden rod wreath, I angled the first bundle outwards. I attached the second bundle, overlapping it to cover the base of the first bundle. I kept turning the wreath form and attaching bundles one over the other maintaining the same angle as I made my way all around.

Depending on the look you're going for, you may need to adjust the length of the bundles by snipping off the stems of the bundles if they are too long.

Pick up the wreath form and give it a good shake ever so often just to check that everything is on nice and securely. 

It's good to have a wreath hanger handy, so that you can hang up your wreath at various stages and stand back and take a look to see if adjustments need to be made.

6. Add the final touches 

This might be adding pops of color or texture with berries or feathers. In my wreath, my final touch was adding in the purple statice to complement the yellow golden rods.

CARING FOR A NATURAL WREATH

These natural wreaths are great for both indoor and outdoor decor. However they fare best and last longer when hung away from natural elements. The sun will fade colors quickly and the rain will damage the wreath. Hung on a covered porch is ideal for preserving the life of the wreath. However, hung indoors above a fireplace or on a mirror is also very beautiful and a way to bring the natural world indoors.

Check out my other craft ideas, by clicking on DIY below.