What is the best folliage to make a wreaths

1 Dec

Images thanks to Kingfisher Farmshop our guest florists.

On our workshops, students noticed that (as well as the technique) the folliage you use makes a really big difference between a professional looking and limp looking wreath.
Seasonality and what you can get hold of will probably play a big part, but if you have the chance to go to Covent Garden market or another flower market the following folliage and decorations were recently used in our Wreath Making Workshops in Surrey.

Folliage included:

Blue Spruce pine
Sugar pine,
Douglas fir pine
and Cyprus Pine
Berried ivy
Variegated berried ivy
There’s no right or wrong, it’s personal preference. However, a mix of bushy-ness (if that’s a word) colours, texture and pattern.

Decorations wise, again, it’s personal preference. Its relatively easy to get hold of

Reds - Fresh Chillis, Common Winterberry,
Pink/purple & folliage - Japanese Pieris
Browns - Pine cones, Lotus heads, Chestnuts, dried chillis, cinnamon stick ( in bundles of 2-3)
Bright - Orange slices, whole dried oranges and limes, mini pumpkins

Equipment wise we use

12” Flat wire wreath rings + approx. one bag of sphagnum moss* (moss from your lawn apparently works equally well)
Floristry binding and flower arranging wire reel, for binding moss to wire and then later to secure foliage on the wreath - 1 per person.
Florist green stub wire - for wiring the cinnamon sticks together) wiring the chestnuts, whole dried oranges, segments

If you’re struggling to get yours like the shop bought ones. It is worth finding a wreath making workshop near you. We do a few wreath making workshop dates in Surrey with our guest wreath experts. They bring a van of folliage… and we mean a van…
We also go the whole hog with mulled wine and mince pies by the open fire… and we clear up the mess.