An image of a wreath on a grey background

The Pros at the Botanic Gardens Teach You Wreath-Making

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Can’t get back to the Hill for one of its popular workshops? We got two student leaders to give you a private lesson!

By Melissa Newcomb

Each year, as the winter holidays approach, the Botanic Gardens helps Cornellians and local residents celebrate the season by hosting a series of wreath-making workshops. The events—which are so popular that they reliably sell out well in advance—teach attendees how to create a customized wreath with a variety of fresh evergreens, decorated with bows and other embellishments.

The workshops are run (with support from staff) by student members of the Horticulture Enterprise Team, part of the Gardens’ Learning by Leading internship program.

But this year, you don’t need to be on the Hill to learn from the pros: Cornellians has teamed up with the Gardens to offer this step-by-step tutorial (video included!) on making your own festive holiday décor—blinged out, of course, in jolly Big Red fashion.

“It means so much more when you make it yourself and get to customize it,” says one of the workshop leaders, Zoe James ’26. “Then you get to show your friends and family the amazing thing you made.”

Special thanks to the stars of our how-to demonstration: James and her co-lead on the horticulture team, Samantha Bilello ’26 (both are plant science majors in CALS), as well as to Missy Bidwell, the Gardens’ greenhouse supervisor.

You’ll need a metal wreath ring (available at craft stores) to use as the frame; clippers to cut the greenery; wire for securing the greenery to the ring; scissors for cutting ribbon; and the decorative elements of your choice.

“It’s important to have 22-gauge wire, or close to it,” says Bilello. “If it’s too thick, it’s hard to manipulate—but if it’s too thin, it won’t hold the branches to the wreath well enough.”

All of the tools that and materials that are needed to make a wreath: a wreath frame, clippers, scissors, and wire.

Gather an assortment of your favorite greenery. The wreath-making classes provide mixed evergreens including fir, spruce, boxwood, arborvitae, and red twig dogwood. You can mix several types, or use just one variety for a uniform look.

Safety tip: If you’re working with little ones (or just prefer to not prick your fingers) remember that when it comes to texture, not all evergreens are created equal. James offers this mnemonic: “Fir is fuzzy—and spruce is spiky.”

Options for decoration are endless: ribbons, berries, pinecones, and ornaments are perennial favorites.

In terms of a color scheme, you could go with gold and/or silver, or perhaps a classic winter white—but we’re leaning in heavily to Cornell red.

For a 14-inch-wide wreath, you’ll need approximately 120–150 evergreen pieces—yes, we know that sounds like a lot!—ranging in length from about 5 to 8 inches. (The variety of lengths allows you to conceal the woody branches within the greenery.)

How many boughs will it take? It depends, but a rule of thumb is that the pieces can be harvested from the equivalent of about 10–12 long branches.

Pieces of greenery stacked on top of each other and held in place with a pinch at the stick ends.

(As Bidwell notes, wreaths are often made from the scraps of evergreens harvested for other purposes—such as lower branches pruned off of Christmas trees.)

It’s a good idea to prepare your evergreens before you start making the wreath; this helps you gauge what you have to work with and makes the assembly process more seamless and enjoyable.

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Attach the end of the wire to the frame (but don’t cut it until the entire wreath has been assembled).

Create small bundles of greenery by stacking a few of the cut pieces into a fan shape, with the longest pieces in the back. If you’re using multiple types of greenery, experiment with layering to create a pleasing variety of tones and textures.

A section of greenery is held onto a metal wreath frame to be wrapped tightly around it with wire.

Once you have a bundle with a full appearance, wrap the wire around the stick ends and the wreath frame. Connect it tightly: wrap the wire 2 to 3 times and give it a tug to ensure the bundles don’t fall off.

Hands wrapping a bundle of greenery to a metal wreath frame with wire.

James offers this tip: “Wrap the bundles at a bit of an angle outward, so it looks very full and you have the hole that makes it a wreath.”

Repeat around the circumference until you complete the circle of greenery.

A wreath with no decorations is held upright.

When you reach the end, snuggle the final bundle into the first one to hide the woody ends, and wrap the wire around the frame several times before cutting it and tying it to the frame.

The easiest option is to buy a premade bow and attach it to the wreath with wire. If you’d like to make your own, use ribbon that’s 2.5 inches wide with wired edges, so you can easily position the loops.

A big red bow during the assembly process.

To make a bow, loop the ribbon in a figure-eight pattern; do this about five times (forming 10 loops), then secure in the middle with wire and attach to the wreath.

Lay your decorations atop the wreath and map out their placement to ensure you love the finished look before attaching them with wire or hot glue.

A completed wreath with pinecones, berries, and a big red bow.

As you review your creation, check for holes or sparse areas; this is the time to fill them in with a pinecone or other item.

Your wreath will stay fresh longer if it’s in a cool location with access to water—in other words, outdoors. If kept in the house, give it regular spritzes from a spray bottle.

A decorative cardinal perched in a wreath.

While an indoor wreath will stay fresh indoors for about a month, Bidwell says, “if you’re displaying it outdoors, it can last all the way past Valentine’s Day.”

All photos and video by Sreang Hok / Cornell University.

Published November 26, 2024


Comments

  1. Mary Ann Cunningham

    I love it exactly what I am teaching at our workshop I’m glad I’m doing it correctly 11years atNYSAES Geneva,NY now in M A

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