How To Make A Moss Base Christmas Door Wreath
I used to buy my wreath bases pre-made as they always looked so hard to create. I’d invest in a plain moss or pine base, then just add the pretty bits! This year, I decided to make my Christmas door wreath from scratch which was so much easier to do than expected! I felt a huge sense of creative achievement building this dyed pink fern and burgundy pampas wreath from bare-bones, so today on the blog I'm sharing my guide on how I did it.
I love how large and wild my wreath looks. By building it from scratch, I could choose exactly what foliage I wanted to use and create a truly bespoke piece.
You Will Need….
To get started, you will need a few items:
1 x Copper wire wreath frame (I used a 12”)
Box of moss (you can buy this at floral markets, wholesalers, or florists can source you a box. One average box will make you around 3 large wreaths).
Foliage. Buy this at flower markets, wholesalers or forage yourself! Great foliage to use includes pine, conifer, Eucalyptus and ivy.
Decorative items - these can be fresh flowers, dried flowers, fir cones, dried fruit slices - anything you like!
Wide velvet ribbon to hang your wreath. I always choose velvet as it looks so luxurious.
To create the moss base:
Unwrap a bit of floristry wire away from its reel (don’t cut the wire - the wreath will be created with wire continuously being unravelled) and tie the tip of the wire in a secure knot to any area of the copper frame.
Take a double-handful of moss and scrunch it all together tightly with both hands.
Place the moss down on top of the two bars of the copper wreath base and wrap the floristry wire around continuously to secure the moss in place.
Do the same with another piece of moss and continue the wire round in a circular motion.
Once the base has been covered in moss, fill in any areas which look sparse and wrap another layer of wire around the whole of the frame to completely secure it in place.
Squash moss together tightly and attach it to the copper base using floristry wire, wrapping it around continuously until all the moss is secure.
Adding flowers and foliage:
Gather and cut your foliage roughly the same length, then make small groupings by laying foliage on top of one another.
Lay your groupings at a 45° angle on the moss base and wrap the wire around the base of the stems, which will securely attach your foliage to your moss.
Making sure everything flows in the same direction and repeat all around the wreath base.
Once your wreath is full of foliage, thread and loop your ribbon onto your wreath. This is how you will hang your wreath and also defines the top of the wreath.
Taking your prettier, colourful elements, space them out accordingly around the wreath and then tuck them into the floristry wire once you are happy with your positioning.
Build up your foliage first, then add your more decorative elements.
That’s all there is to it! Hang your wreath and enjoy it throughout the season! Your damp moss will keep your foliage looking fresh and everything can easily be dismantled to be composted when you decide to take it down. If you would like to see a video on how I created this wreath, then click here for my Instagram Reel.
