Making a Christmas wreath from holly and ivy

Holly and ivy have been brought into Irish homes at Christmas for longer than anyone can remember. Here’s how to make a real wreath from the garden, what to look for if you’re buying one, and how to keep it looking well until Little Christmas.

A real wreath is one of the nicest things you can put on the front door in December. It smells of the woods, it looks different every year, and most of what goes into it can come from your own garden, or from the trimmings of the Christmas tree. Making one takes an hour or two, and it’s a good job for a wet Saturday.

What you’ll need

A base. A wire ring is the easiest to work with. Willow or straw rings look more natural and can be reused for years.
Moss to pack around the base. It holds moisture and keeps the greenery fresh. Raked lawn moss works well, and most Irish lawns have plenty of it by December. Don’t strip moss from woodland or bogs.
Florist’s wire or reel wire, green garden twine, and a pair of secateurs.
Greenery, more of it than you think. A wreath eats foliage.

What to cut

Holly is the classic. Only female holly bushes carry berries, so if yours never has any, that’s why. Cut sprigs with berries sparingly and leave some on the bush for the birds.
Ivy trails nicely and lasts well. Long strands can be wound around the whole ring.
Conifer gives the wreath its body. Offcuts from the bottom of the Christmas tree are ideal, as are trimmings from cypress or pine.
Bay, rosemary and eucalyptus add scent and a softer, grey-green colour.
Extras: pine cones, dried orange slices (dried in a low oven for a few hours), cinnamon sticks, seed heads.

Cut only from your own garden, or with the owner’s permission. Holly and ivy berries are mildly poisonous, so if you have small children or pets, keep the wreath where they can’t reach it, and keep it off the kitchen table.

Making it

Moss the base. Pack a thick layer of damp moss onto the ring and bind it on firmly with wire or twine, wrapping round and round.
Make small bundles. Cut your greenery into pieces about a hand’s length. Gather three or four pieces of mixed foliage into a little bunch.
Work round in one direction. Lay a bundle on the moss and bind its stems on with a couple of turns of wire. Lay the next bundle so it covers the stems of the one before, and keep going round the ring, always in the same direction, until you’re back where you started.
Fill the gaps. Tuck in sprigs of holly, ivy and herbs wherever the wreath looks thin.
Add decorations. Wire on cones, orange slices and anything else last, pushing the wire through the moss and twisting it tight at the back.
Make a strong hanging loop. Twist a loop of wire onto the back. Then add a second one at the bottom so you can tie the wreath back to the door and stop it swinging in the wind.

Buying one instead

If you’d rather buy a real wreath, Christmas markets, garden centres and local growers all sell them. Look for foliage that’s springy and glossy, not dry and dull, and for a base that’s mossed or wet rather than bare. Ask how it’s made. A wreath bound onto damp moss will last far longer than one with sprigs stuck into a dry foam ring.

An artificial wreath is a good choice if your door gets the full force of the weather, or if you want something you can reuse. Choose one that’s labelled for outdoor use. Natural-looking ones can be freshened up each year with a few real sprigs of holly and ivy tucked in.

Keeping it fresh

Outside is better than inside. Irish Decembers are cool and damp, which is exactly what a real wreath needs. Indoors near a radiator, it can dry out within a week.
Mist it with water every few days if the weather has been dry or windy, and water the moss if it feels dry.
A north- or east-facing door will keep a wreath fresh longer than a south-facing one in the low winter sun.
Hang it in early December (8 December is the traditional day) and it should look well right through to 6 January.

After Christmas

Take the wreath down on Little Christmas. Strip off the wire, ribbon and decorations, put the greenery in the compost or brown bin, and keep the base for next year. For more on dressing the front of the house, see our guide to dressing the front door for an Irish Christmas.