Making a Fresh Wreath and Sizing Garland

A fresh evergreen wreath is made by binding cut branch tips to a wire ring with spool wire, working in one direction until the ring is covered and the tips overlap by about half. Nothing is glued and nothing is stapled. The same method scales from a 12 inch door wreath to a 48 inch piece for a barn door, and the same arithmetic tells you how much garland a porch rail, a mantel or a staircase will take.

How fresh evergreen wreaths are made, step by step

The materials are short: a wire ring, usually double wire in 10, 12 or 16 inch diameters, a spool of 22 or 24 gauge wire, and branch tips cut 6 to 10 inches long. A clamp or a wreath machine holds the ring while both hands work.

Step one is cutting. Tips are taken from the outer 12 to 18 inches of the branch, where the needles are densest. A tip with a bare stem of 2 inches and 5 inches of needle is easier to bind than a long whippy end.

Step two is the first bundle. Four to six tips are gathered into a bunch about the thickness of a wrist. The bunch is laid on the ring so the cut ends point along the direction of travel, and the spool wire is wrapped three or four times around both the bunch and the ring, pulled tight by hand.

Step three is the overlap. The next bunch is laid so its needles cover the wire and the cut ends of the previous bunch. Half overlap is the working rule. Less than that and the wire shows; more and the wreath grows heavy and lopsided.

Step four is the close. When the ring comes back to the starting point, the last bunch is tucked under the first and wired down. The wire is cut and the end twisted into the back of the ring, not left to scratch a door.

Step five is the check. The wreath is held up against a window or a light wall. Gaps are filled with a single tip wired in from the back. A 12 inch wreath takes roughly 20 to 25 bunches, a 24 inch wreath about 60, and the count matters more than the clock: an experienced hand finishes a 24 inch piece in 20 to 30 minutes.

A reader who wants the construction described in more detail, including the difference between a wire ring and a mossed form, can find it in the notes on how fresh evergreen wreaths are made. The same source covers swags, long garland and candle rings, which are built on the same principle with a different base.

Is a noble fir wreath better than a mixed evergreen wreath?

Neither is better in the abstract. They behave differently, and the choice follows from where the wreath hangs and how long it must hold.

Noble fir has stiff, flat needles with a blue-green cast and strong stems. A bundle of noble fir holds its shape without much wire, so the wreath reads as full at 24 inches and stays full after a week indoors. It also dries more slowly than most firs, which is why it is the common choice for a wreath that has to look presentable from the first week of December to the last. The trade is price and weight. Noble fir costs more per pound and a 30 inch wreath of it is heavy enough to need a stout hook.

A mixed evergreen wreath combines whatever is at hand: fir for body, pine for length, cedar or arborvitae for a softer drape, sometimes juniper for scent and a little color. The mix is lighter, cheaper and more forgiving of a thin spot, because the different needle lengths hide the wire. It also dries unevenly. Cedar and arborvitae go first, usually within ten days in a heated room, while the fir behind them still looks green. On a covered porch in cold air, a mixed wreath can hold three to four weeks.

The practical rule: noble fir for an indoor mantel, a front door under a porch roof, or any wreath that must survive a long season. A mixed bundle for a fence, a shed, a mailbox, or a wreath that will be replaced in mid-December anyway. Both need the same care, which is water. A wreath is a cut branch and has no root. Soaking the back of the wreath in cool water for an hour before hanging, then keeping it out of direct sun and away from a heat vent, adds days to either type.

How much garland do I need for a porch rail, a mantel or a staircase?

Garland is sold by the running foot, and the number on the label is the length of the wire, not the length of the decoration once it is draped. The working rule is one and a half to two times the measured distance, because a garland that hangs straight looks thin and a garland that sags looks full.

A porch rail is measured along the top rail, end to end, including any corner posts. A 12 foot rail takes 18 to 24 feet of garland for a single swag, and 30 to 36 feet if you want two passes, which is what most people mean by a full rail. Add 2 feet for each post you intend to wrap.

A mantel is measured across the shelf, then down both sides if the garland returns to the floor. A 6 foot mantel with two 3 foot drops is 12 feet of run, so 18 to 24 feet of garland. A single pass along the shelf only, with the ends tucked, is 9 to 12 feet.

A staircase is measured along the handrail, not along the floor. A typical run of 12 to 14 feet of rail takes 20 to 28 feet of garland for one swag, and 30 to 40 feet for a double swag with a drop at the newel post. Measure the rail with a tape, write the number down, and multiply by 1.5 for a light look or 2 for a heavy one. Buy in 25 foot boxes if the total lands near a multiple, since a partial box is the same price as a full one at most stands.

What keeps the green green

Cut evergreen loses water through the needles from the moment it is cut. Three things slow that loss.

Water first. A wreath or a garland that can be soaked, or misted every second day, holds two to three times as long as one that is never wetted. A spray bottle on the back of the piece, not the front, is enough.

Temperature second. Cold air is the best preservative. A wreath hung outdoors in December in most of the United States will outlast the same wreath indoors by a wide margin. Indoors, keep the piece away from fireplaces, radiators and forced air registers.

Handling third. Every time a wreath is taken down and put back up, needles are lost. Hang it once, in the right place, with a hook rated for the weight. A 24 inch noble fir wreath can weigh 4 to 6 pounds when fresh.

Sizing and buying without waste

Diameter is the first decision and the easiest to get wrong. A door wreath should cover roughly half the width of the door: 24 inches on a standard 36 inch door, 30 inches on a double door, 36 inches or more on a garage or barn door. A wreath that is too small reads as a decoration; one that is too large will not sit flat against the frame.

For garland, buy by the measured run and the multiplier, not by the look of the box. For wreaths, buy by the count of bunches if you are making them, and by the weight if you are buying them. A fresh wreath that feels light for its size was made with too few tips and will show wire within a week.

Order early. Cut evergreen is a seasonal crop, and the last week before a holiday is when the good material is gone. If the piece is for a date that matters, buy it two weeks ahead and store it cold and damp until it goes up.