My job gets really tough this time of year. Trying to motivate folks to get out into the garden and clean up the beds, replant the containers, plunk some bulbs into the ground along with spreading mulch everywhere to control weeds and insulate the soil is no easy task.
Most people are thinking about the holidays: How they want to decorate the house or which set of in-laws are going to visit for Thanksgiving. Frankly, gardening is probably one of the furthest things from their mind.
I get it. You’ve been working your butt off all summer long dragging hoses around the yard and mowing the lawn and you are over it. So instead of fighting it, I’m going to go with the flow and talk about how we can use our gardens to decorate the house for the holidays. More specifically, I’m talking about making wreaths for the holidays using plant material from the garden.
Wreath making is really a piece of cake. With wreath machines and wire forms, it’s so easy that you’ll amaze yourself with your creativity. Your wreath will look nothing like the cookie-cutter ones you see in the stores.
It all starts with a foundation of noble fir and from there adding personal touches with twigs, berries, cones and special evergreens, either from your garden or from a nursery.
I’ve seen wild and wooly wreaths with curly willow twigs shooting out like bottle rockets and fuzzy buds from the stag horn sumac nestled in amongst the greenery like sleeping elk. I’ve also seen wreaths that are nice and tidy with perfect symmetry and clean and crisp edges with just a subtle accent of cones. One can tell a lot about a person by the type of wreath they make.
Once you start making wreaths you begin to look at the landscape in a whole new way. Suddenly what was a bloomed-out perennial-ready for deadheading is a treasured prize for your next wreath. Even a noxious weed like Scotch Broom offers a unique texture to a holiday wreath — and I can guarantee you’ll never see Scotch Broom in a store-bought wreath.
Berries from Nandina, along with its feathery foliage are also wonderful additions to a wreath. The possibilities are endless and that is what makes it all so much fun. Even just collecting these plants and making an arrangement next to the front door will work wonders in creating a holiday feeling.
Making wreaths is a great way to reconnect with nature this time of year. It’s a chance to re-purpose your plants and give them one more time in the spotlight before they are relegated to the compost heap. You’ll come away with much more than a decoration for your front door. You’ll gain a better appreciation for the bounty of the Northwest and create a memory to look forward to this time next year.
Steve Smith is owner of Sunnyside Nursery in Marysville and can be reached online at info@sunnysidenursery.net.
Upcoming class
Learn all about wreath making Nov. 21 at Sunnyside Nursery. For more information and to register, visit www.sunnysidenursery.net.
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