Holiday decorations are genuinely excellent when it comes to bringing a festive air to the chaos that comes with the season. Whether you’re throwing a get together at your home this year, or simply enjoy dressing up your entire home for the holidays, indoors and out, DIY wreaths can help you save money on store-bought options. Check out these seven gorgeous winter holiday wreaths you can make from your own garden supplies in no time.
1. Evergreen Branch Wreath
If you enjoy fresh evergreens around Christmas time but can’t have a real tree, this might be the perfect compromise for you. Forage greenery from fresh evergreen trees or shrubs in your garden for this simple DIY. You can make the sign say any of your favorite Christmas phrases, and the real greenery smells amazingly festive.
You’ll need a 12-18 inch metal wreath form from your local craft store, wire cutters, moss, and evergreen pieces cut into 6- to 12-inch sections. Try using any textured greenery that grows near you, such as boxwood, pine, spruce, cedar, juniper, or fir. If you can’t forage these branches, you can find options for sale at garden centers or Christmas tree farms.
How to DIY: Compact the moss into the metal wreath frame using floral wire every few inches to hold the frame in place. You can also skip the moss and attache the evergreen directly to the wreath form, but they stay in place longer with the moss process.
Fill the wreath with moss and start adding greenery from the top center by sliding the branches under the floral wire. Fill the gaps with smaller branches. When you reach the bottom, start from the top again and fill in the left side. Include the embellishments you enjoy, like pinecones, twigs, twinkle lights, faux snow, or a sign.
2. Edible Herb Wreath
For a chic twist on holiday greens, try making some herbal holiday wreaths. They grow more and more gorgeous as the herbs dry out, and it’s an excellent alternative for anyone who is allergic to evergreens. Expect the herbs to shrink in size as they dry, so make sure to fill the wreath completely.
This easy DIY sage option from Handmade in the Heartland shows you how to make your own. Although the instructions use sage only, you can use this method no matter what herbs you choose to use. Grab any edible herbs from your garden, a small-sized styrofoam wreath, U-shaped floral pins, and ribbon. Hardy evergreen herbs like rosemary, thyme, and winter savory work especially well.
How to DIY: All you have to do is attach the herb leaves to the foam wreath using the U-shaped pins to hold them in place. A single pin can hold around 5-6 large leaves.
For the best results, start attaching the herbs at the top. Move along the right side, attaching herbs with the leaves upward. Then return to the top center to do the same along the left side. A ribbon easily holds the wreath to your door.
3. Root Vegetable Wreath
Root vegetable holiday wreaths add beautiful—and unusual—pops of color to your home. You can use heirloom carrots and radishes, or any of your other favorite veggies to create this beautiful holiday wreath. Similar DIY tutorials use cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and more. The best part about a veggie wreath is that it’s filled with totally natural materials.
Collect some root vegetables, a twig wreath base, and floral wire. In HGTV‘s tutorial, they include icicle radishes, Cincinnati radishes, baby white carrots, baby maroon carrots, and regular orange carrots for a range of color. You can use any type of produce from your local store, however.
How to DIY: Arrange the first layer by laying an even layer of one color, either radishes or carrots. Keep the leafy sections under the roots of the next veggie for a beautiful aesthetic.
Continue adding in vegetables, one color at a time. Alternate the colors and tuck the greens, so the colorful pieces remain on top, and secure each vegetable to the base with floral wire. Allow the leaves to cover the wire from view.
4. Frozen Fruit Holiday Wreaths
If you live in an area with cold winters, a frozen fruit wreath is an excellent craft to bring color to your outdoor holiday display. It can even double as a bird feeder! All you need is some cranberries, a few apple slices, and some evergreen needles to pull of the look. Tie it to your home or a tree using a festive ribbon, and you’re done! The birds will take care of the cleanup process for you.
How to DIY: To start, collect any foods in your kitchen or yard that are safe for wild animals to eat. Avoid dyes or artificial sugars. Freeze about an inch of water in a Bundt pan, then scatter your ingredients on top. Next, fill the pan with another inch of water, and return it to the freezer. Long-lasting wreaths may require an additional layer of water after a few hours. Repeat the process as needed. Hang the wreath once the final layer feels solid. Finally, loop a durable ribbon or twine around the wreath to hang it on a branch or hook.
5. Dried Citrus Fruit Wreath
Fragrant and lively, dried citrus fruits bring liveliness to holiday decorations. Fresh fruit has been used to create wreaths and garlands since the beginning of the 20th century, and while longer-lasting plastic is more common today, you can save your money and make a wreath entirely from fruit.
Use lemons, oranges, limes, grapefruit, or all of the above for the DIY wreath. Eight small lemons and oranges, along with 14 large citrus fruits like traditional oranges are plenty. You’ll also need an 18-inch foam wreath, straight floral pins, glitter, scissors, and thick ribbon.
It’s perfect for any season too! However, animals and insects may be attracted to the sweet scent. Hang the wreath indoors for the best results.
How to DIY: Start by slicing the fruit into either 1/8-inch-thick or 1/4-inch-thick pieces. Preheat the over to 150 degrees F, and add the sliced fruit inside. Bake the slices on an open rack for three hours and turn the slices every 90 minutes. When you’re finished, the edges shouldn’t appear brown. The fruit should remain slightly moist, but feel dry. Humid homes may require additional time.
If you like, you can sprinkle the citrus with fine ground glitter for a sugar appearance. The glitter should stick to the fruit on its own, without the need for adhesive. (Just make sure to only use edible glitter if you have pets in the house. On the off chance that any slices fall and get eaten, you don’t want your animals to get sick… or worse!)
You can then attach the fruit slices to the foam wreath using the straight pins to hold each piece in place. Overlap the citrus to cover the foam fully and tie a ribbon into a bow for a nice finishing touch.
6. Cranberry Wreath
Add a pop of bright red to your door this holiday season using a cranberry wreath. Real fruit covers this wreath, and this festive craft is easy enough for beginners and children. Expect the wreath to look fresh for only a few days, however. As a result, make yours around three days before a holiday party for the best results.
You’ll need raw cranberries on their branches, a styrofoam wreath, red fabric, ribbon, and a hot glue gun. A wreath hanger is recommended for this tutorial, but you can also use ribbon to hang the wreath if you prefer.
How to DIY: Prep the fabric by cutting it into three-inch-wide strips. You don’t need much material, just enough to cover the foam wreath all the way. Wrap the fabric strips around the foam until its fully covered.
Then, place the cranberries on the fabric and attach them using the hot glue gun. The fabric should hide any gaps between the berries. Glue the fruit until the wreath is covered, and use ribbon to tie a bow to the top center of the wreath for a finishing touch.
7. Pinecone Holiday Wreaths
For an easy, light-filled option that you can make at home, try one of these pinecone holiday wreaths. They’re lovely in the fall and winter holiday season, so you can allow them to hang much longer than some of the edible options. Plus, this pinecone wreath only takes about an hour to create alone and costs next to nothing if you can forage pinecones in an area near you.
Find anywhere from 55 to 65 pinecones. Sort them into three size groups, from small to large. If you can’t find pinecones near you to gather, you can purchase them as well. You’ll also need a 12-inch wire wreath form, LED fairy lights, a hot glue gun, and a few evergreen branches or berry springs.
How to DIY: Glue medium-sized pinecones to the two innermost rings of the wire wreath first. A small dab of hot glue on each wire should be enough. Fill the inner circle, then add the large pinecones to the two outer rims of the frame using the same gluing process. There should be a small gap between the pinecone circles.
Find your small-sized pinecones next. Add them into the middle gap, covering the opening between medium and large pinecones completely. This layer should appear elevated a bit from the last two circles. Try to place each pinecone in a place where it rests well and feels secure.
Decorate the pinecones with green foliage like evergreen pieces, colorful berries, ribbon, or tiny ornaments. Tuck the cuttings between the pinecones and add in LED fairy lights to complete the look. A battery-powered string of lights is ideal because you can easily hide the battery pack. Weave the cord around the finished product, and hang the wreath on your door or use it as a gorgeous table centerpiece.
Allow Your Creativity to Take Over
With so many impressive winter holiday wreaths you could make on your own, the options are endless. Don’t be afraid to let your creativity take the wheel.
Think about which vegetables, fruits, evergreens, herbs, or other items you may have easy access to. Find your favorite edible or fragrant foods, attract beneficial birds to your yard in the winter, or include final touches like glitter or ribbon as you see fit. The choice is yours!