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How to make a Christmas Wreath:

You will need:

• A wreath ring – either from a florist or a coat hanger
• Stiff wire (florist wire is best)
• Vegetation

The best vegetation is holly, conifer and anything else you can find out and about in the garden which has a wintry feel. Dark green and frosty colours do best. Don’t pick from other people’s gardens or public land. Suggested plants from the BBC:

Ilex x altaclerensis ‘Golden King’: for holly leaves with a golden splash of colour. An added bonus is that the leaves are free of spines.

Ilex ‘Silver Queen’: holly for green foliage with a silver edge. This is a male plant though, so it won’t produce any berries.

Hedera helix: the traditional English ivy. If you don’t have any in your garden, ask your friends. It grows in abundance and it should be easy to find a few leafy branches.

Hedera colchica ‘Sulphur Heart’: Persian ivy with large, variegated leaves.

Ilex aquifolium, common holly: traditional red berries.

Viburnum opulus: orangey-red berries.

Symphoricarpos x doorenbosii ‘Mother of Pearl’, snowberry: has a whitish-pink berry that will make your wreath look as if it has flecks of snow on it.

Ilex opaca, holly: this holly has attractive yellow berries.

Skimmia japonica subsp. Reevesiana: a good alternative to Rose hips: for a dramatic touch.

Skimmia japonica ‘Rubella’ : this is a male plant, and so doesn’t produce berries, but it does produce attractive purplish clusters of flower buds around Christmas time.

Jasminum nudiflorum, winter jasmine: small yellow flowers that grow in abundance at Christmas time.

Hamamelis mollis, Chinese witch hazel: these unusual-looking flowers will give your wreath an individualised and quirky appearance.

Mahonia x media ‘Charity’, lily of the valley bush: large, scented yellow flowers.

Eucalyptus gunnii: attractive blue-green scented, round leaves.

Picea abies, Norway spruce: branches from this traditional Christmas tree will give your wreath a very festive feel.

Rosehips

Chillies

Place the wreath ring flat on the table and attach the pieces of foliage to the ring using the wire. You can pack florists’ moss into the ring instead, fixing it with wire and then you only have to push the foliage in instead of wiring it.

The more foliage that you attach, the less that each piece will slide around. Use the inner and outer rings as separate rounds. On each round, make sure that the stems of the foliage point the same way. The two “rounds” can point the same or opposite way.

The more you add, the better it looks. Save the best, or most colourful pieces, until last so that they sit on top of the rest of the foliage. Pine cones, battery powered wreath lights (£25) and baubles make good features. You can then hang the wreath on your front door or give it away as a Christmas present.

For a longer lasting wreath, use twigs and then lay it down on newspaper, spray in gold or silver, then leave to dry.

If you would rather buy one…

John Lewis do a golden wreath for £25. Their cheapest wreath is £10. The Urban Garden do three ultra-modern arty wreaths – totally minimalist and very Swedish. The cheapest of them is £8.99. By far the best wreath collection we have seen here at Christmas.vg, is the range by NotOnTheHighstreet – they do a red hot chilli wreath for £10, a gold pine cone wreath for £25 and a Fairtrade option for £25. There are at least thirty original and innovative designs. For a traditional wreath, try Marks and Spencer – they have a wreath for £39.50.

If you would rather have one delivered…

Flying Flowers will deliver a £25 wreath. It’s straight-forward and traditional and they can send a bouquet on your behalf in no less than 12 countries worldwide, from Europe to Australia, New Zealand, America and South Africa. Post-a-rose deliver a traditional Christmas wreath at a price of £22.85 and postal delivery is free (courier £5.50)