Make a festive fruit and foliage wreath

fruit and foliage Christmas wreath to make

A wreath as full-on gorgeous as the one shown here costs serious money if you buy it from a florist’s, yet all it takes are some glossy sprigs of evergreen, fruit with a blush of red, a few gilded decorations, some lengths of florist’s wire and our step-by-step instructions to give your front door a Christmas makeover

What you'll need

● Ring of florist’s foam in a plastic tray, approx 40cm in diameter (available from florist’s shops)
● Length of sturdy twine for hanging
● Sprigs of spruce or fir
● Pack of florist’s wire (available from florist’s shops)
● 12 assorted gold pear/pomegranate tree decorations
● 10 lychees
● 16 red apples
● 12 red crab apples
● 10 clusters of rosehips or hypericum berries
● Sprigs of rosemary and sage
● 4m x 4cm wide wire-edged ribbon
● 1m x 6cm wide wire-edged ribbon

How it's done

Lay the foam-filled plastic tray flat on the table, then tie a piece of twine around the top so you can hang your wreath once it’s finished. Next, push sprigs of spruce or fir into the florist’s foam at different angles all the way round so the foam is covered generously with greenery.

Push a piece of florist’s wire through the base of each gold tree decoration and twist the ends together, then push the wire firmly into the foam. (Alternatively, use a hot-melt glue gun to stick the wire to the base of the decoration.) Create three clusters of four: one at either side of the wreath and one at the bottom. Do the same with the lychees and nestle them among the gold decorations.

Push a piece of florist’s wire through the base of each apple and crab apple and twist the ends together, then push the wire into the foam. Repeat to make four clusters of apples/crab apples, spacing them evenly around the wreath.

Attach clusters of rosehips or hypericum berries among the gold decorations and apples, pushing the stalks into the foam.

To give the ring some texture, add sprigs of rosemary and sage, nestled among the fruit and pointing upwards.

Take a piece of florist’s wire and use a 50cm length of 4cm wire-edged ribbon to tie a bow around it. Twist the ends of the wire together and push it into the foam. Make another seven bows and position them around the wreath.

Take a piece of florist’s wire and use the 6cm wire-edged ribbon to tie an elaborate bow around it. Twist the ends of the wire together and push it into the top of the wreath – this will help to disguise the twine you’re using to hang the wreath.

Tips

If you’re concerned real apples will make your wreath too heavy, use a mix of artificial ones and baubles instead – they’re much lighter. To save time, buy a plain foliage wreath from a florist and add the rest of the decorations to it.

Photo: Micheal Paul