"Warmth" and "welcome" are key words for the holiday season. Instead of waiting until Christmas to decorate, take the lead at Thanksgiving, and fill your home with these lush, surprisingly easy-to-assemble wreaths.
Fresh flowers make these projects perfect for when company is coming. After the blooms fade, replace them, or fill in the blank spots with colorful leaves and dried grasses.
Do the Door
Reasonably priced chrysanthemums make a wreath an inexpensive yet stunning Thanksgiving greeting. Don't think for a minute
that these are ho hum flowers. They offer several endearing qualities. Color variety tops the list, but a close second is
their stamina. Some of the longest-lasting cut flowers, they are great for a project such as a door wreath.
A good rule when choosing mums is this: Smaller flowers such as button, cushion, and daisy mums live longer (up to 10 days with adequate moisture). Larger blooms--‘Red Rover,' football, and Fuji mums--hang in for about a week. Add moisture to the florist foam daily using a turkey baster.
Choose an oval grapevine wreath for a slightly different spin on the classic shape. You'll find this and other options at crafts stores.
- To assemble the wreath, start by cutting a piece of moist florist foam to the desired length for the flower holder.
- With wire snips, cut a piece of chicken wire to fit around the foam, squeezing the edges to hold the wire in place.
- Secure the foam to the wreath in several places using florist wire.
- Begin inserting flowers at the bottom, clustering each type of mum for the best look. Work up the side until all flowers are secure in the florist foam. Add leaves, dried grasses such as sorghum, and feathers to fill out the arrangement.
The Goods: Here is the list of materials for the door wreath.
- oval grapevine wreath
- florist foam
- chicken wire
- 22-gauge florist wire
- 1 green Fuji mum
- 2 golden football mums
- 3 daisy mums
- 3 ‘Red Rover' mums
- 2 stems of green button mums
- oak leaves
- dried grasses such as sorghum
- 4 pheasant feathers
