We make a lot of wreaths in the studio every Christmas, and one of the questions we get asked most is "how do you actually do it?" So this year, here's the answer. It's the same method we use, written for a kitchen table rather than a florist's bench. You don't need any special skills, just a couple of hours, some greenery and a bit of patience with the wire. If you've ever fancied making your own instead of buying one, this is for you.
What You'll Need
For the base:
- A wire wreath ring — a 12-inch ring is a good size for a first attempt and suits most front doors once it's covered. Garden centres and craft shops sell them, and they're reusable year after year.
- Sphagnum moss — a carrier bag full, roughly. This holds moisture and keeps your foliage fresh.
- Florist's reel wire — a reel of thin green wire for binding the moss and foliage.
- Stub wires — short, stiff lengths of wire for attaching decorations.
- Secateurs and gloves — holly is prickly, and conifer sap is sticky.
For the greenery (mix three or four for texture):
- Nordmann or noble fir — the classic, needle-holding backbone of most wreaths
- Blue pine or spruce for a silvery contrast
- Cypress or thuja for soft, feathery fill
- Eucalyptus, holly or ivy for different leaf shapes
A large carrier bag of cuttings is about right for a 12-inch ring. Garden prunings are perfect, but only cut from your own garden, or with the owner's permission.
For decorating: pinecones, dried orange slices, cinnamon sticks, berries (real or faux) and a ribbon for a bow. To dry your own orange slices, cut them about 5mm thick, pat them dry and leave them in a low oven (around 100°C, or 80°C fan) for two to three hours, turning them now and then, until they're dry right through.
Step 1: Build the Moss Base
If your moss is dry, dampen it slightly and squeeze out the excess. It should feel like a wrung-out sponge, not dripping. Tie the end of your reel wire to the ring. Then take a generous handful of moss, pack it firmly onto the frame, and wrap the wire round it every couple of centimetres to hold it tight. Keep adding handfuls and wrapping, working your way round the ring until it's covered in a firm, even sausage of moss. Don't cut the wire — keep it attached, because you'll use the same reel to bind on the foliage.
A tightly packed base matters more than anything else. If the moss is loose, the foliage will wobble and the wreath will sag over time.
Pack the moss tightly and bind it every couple of centimetres. A firm base is what stops the finished wreath sagging.
Step 2: Make Up Your Foliage Bundles
Cut your greenery into pieces around 15–20cm long. Then make small bundles of three or four mixed pieces — say a sprig of fir, one of pine and one of cypress — with a solid piece at the back and the softer, prettier bits on top. Make up a pile of these before you start, around 15 to 20 for a 12-inch ring. It's much easier than stopping to cut as you go.
Each bundle overlaps the last to hide its stems and wire, and having a pile made up before you start makes it much quicker.
Step 3: Bind the Foliage On
Lay your first bundle on the moss at a slight angle, stems pointing round the ring. Wrap the reel wire tightly round the stems two or three times. Lay the next bundle on top so its leaves cover the stems and wire of the one before, and bind that one on too. Keep going in the same direction all the way round, angling some bundles slightly towards the inside edge and some towards the outside, so the whole ring is covered, not just the top.
When you get back to the start, lift the leaves of the very first bundle and tuck the last stems underneath, then bind them in. Turn the wreath over, cut the wire leaving a 10cm tail, and twist it securely round the frame.
Step 4: Add a Hanging Loop
Decide which part of the wreath looks best at the top, and add your hanging loop before decorating so everything sits the right way up. A doubled length of stub wire twisted into a loop round the frame at the back is strong enough for an outside door. Ribbon or raffia looks lovely but can stretch when it's damp, so put a wire loop underneath it if it'll be outdoors.
Step 5: Decorate
Every decoration needs a wire "leg" to fix it in:
- Pinecones — wrap a stub wire round the bottom row of scales and twist the two ends together underneath.
- Dried orange slices — push a stub wire through the slice near the edge, bend it down and twist.
- Cinnamon sticks — bundle three together and wrap a wire round the middle.
Push each wire leg right through the moss, then bend the end back into the moss at the back so it can't work loose. Group decorations in odd numbers (threes and fives look more natural than pairs), and stand back every few minutes to check the balance. Finish with a bow, usually at the bottom or top, wired on the same way.
Give every decoration a wire leg before it goes in. Pinecones, orange slices and cinnamon bundles all fix in the same way.
Looking After Your Wreath
Fresh wreaths love the cold. Hung outside, out of direct sun, a moss-based wreath will look its best for several weeks — so if you want it to look fresh on Christmas Day, late November or early December is the perfect time to make it. Give the moss and foliage a light mist of water every few days, especially if it's been dry or windy. If you'd like a wreath indoors, or your front door gets warm from the hallway, keep an eye on it: central heating dries foliage out much faster.
A Few Things We've Learned
- More foliage than you think. Running out three-quarters of the way round is the most common hitch. Cut extra before you start.
- Keep the bundles the same size. If they vary, the wreath goes lopsided. Bundles that match keep the ring even.
- Mind the inside edge. It's easy to cover the top beautifully and leave bare moss showing through the middle. Check from the front as you go.
- Make it a family job. Children love choosing and placing the decorations. Just keep the wire and secateurs to the grown-ups.
Hung outside in the cold, a moss-based wreath like this will stay fresh well into the festive season.
Short on Time This Year?
If the idea of a free afternoon in December sounds unlikely, we're always happy to make one for you. Our handmade fresh wreaths start at £10.50 for an 8-inch, and we also make artificial wreaths you can bring out again every year. See sizes and our 2026 prices on our Christmas wreaths page. Wreaths are the first thing to book up each Christmas, so it's worth getting your order in early.
Rather leave it to us? Order a handmade wreath from our Denby Dale studio.
See Our Wreaths & Prices