How to make a winter wreath for your door from scratch

Wreaths aren't just for Christmas – you can use these steps to make your own non-Christmas winter wreaths to keep on your front door into the new year.

Becki made this wreath using mostly foraged greenery, she says: "I have used here foraged firs, wild chive, heather, dried flower heads left from summer time and berries.

"Eucalyptus works well for wreaths as it will bend and also its leaves look nice a festive, if you're unsure of the best materials to use, pop to your local florist and ask them for some help, but ideally you'll want long stemmed, a mixture of full and sparse leaved branches and something with a bit of colour like berries and something to give it some interest ( I used heather which I bought in a pot from my local market)."

Becki's top tip is to imagine it as a three-step process. To start, you build up a base colour or leaf, then you add in longer foliage and finish with pops or colour and individual stems: "Don't be worried about it looking too neat, it's lovely to let the beauty of nature work its magic and take note of each stem, branch and flower shape as you attach them to the wreath base."

Every wreath will look different depending on the materials available to you, but Becki's techniques should help you to make your own winter wreath DIY creation at home.

Materials

• Rattan base (Becki got hers in Hobbycraft)
• Florist wire
• Scissors
• Mixture of greenery

How to make a winter wreath step-by-step

Choose a foliage as your base leaf, Becki has used a fir as it has lots of movement in it and will fan out well around the wreath. Using florist wire, wrap the ends together to create mini bunches.

Lay your foliage in a continuous diagonal direction around your wreath. Cover about three quarters of the base as it is nice to leave some of the rattan showing through.

You can then begin attaching your small bunches to the wreath with wire, making sure to pull it tightly when securing.

Next, Becki added her wild chives, which is sparse with some length to it, working it in the same direction around the wreath base.

Now pick some foliage which has some berries to make the wreath look bountiful and fresh. Build up the section that you've already worked on.

Circular items such as dried oranges and seed heads work nicely when secured flat onto the seed heads.

Adding in pops of colour by using foraged berries works brilliantly for giving the wreath some focal points. Be careful if you have animals or small children in your house though, as not all berries are safe to consume and they may drop from the wreath.

Add in stems of wild heather pointing outwards from the wreath and also towards the centre of your wreath. Keeping the stems long will give your wreath a beautiful sense of movement.

Keep adding in stems diagonally and save your best bits for the top layer. Becki has included some dried flower heads from the summer to give her wreath a foraged look, but some pine cones or feathers would create a similar feel.

Looking for more wreath inspiration? Have a go at making an evergreen table wreath or head over to Gathered.how to learn how to make a Christmas wreath from scratch step by step.