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The Traditional Fresh Boxwood Christmas Wreath


The fresh, or real, boxwood wreath is set in tradition for being one of the most classic and elegant Christmas wreaths. At least that is our humble opinion! The wreath is truly beautiful whether accompanied by a beautiful bow and trailing tails, or hung with just a simple piece of red ribbon.

This fresh wreath, made from real boxwood clippings, is meant for outdoor home decorating if it will be used over an extended period of time. As with any fresh decoration that can’t be watered, it will need the cold temperatures to keep it fresh through the holiday season.

 

 

We each have boxwood shrubs in our yards, so getting the clippings for the wreath was not a problem. If you don’t have easy access to boxwood, you could check with the florist for clippings, or even get them from a friend’s yard (ask them first!).

These are the supplies we used –

 

 

As far as cost goes, we only had to purchase the wire wreath frame and the ribbon. Each were just a few dollars.

  • 8” wire round wreath frame (we love the look of boxwood wreaths that are made on square frames, too)
  • green paddle wire
  • wire clippers
  • boxwood clippings (a rose pruner is a handy tool for cutting the clippings) –  we  used overgrown branches that needed to be pruned anyway and made the clippings from them; you’ll need enough bunches to make a full looking wreath
  • paper to cover your work space for easy clean up – lots of tiny bits of stuff fall while working with the fresh clippings

 

 

First make the boxwood bunches by gathering several slender leafy stems together (we used about 6” to 8” stems) and tying them together by wrapping the paddle wire around the ends of the stems.The bunches overlay one another so the stems are always hidden.

 

 

 

After the boxwood bunches are made, you can start wiring them onto the wire frame, one at a time. Without cutting the paddle wire, we connected the end of it to the wreath frame, securing it to the frame where two of the frame’s wires cross.

 

We centered the first bunch on the face of the frame and wrapped the paddle wire (that we connected to the wreath frame) around the frame making sure the bunch was secure and snug.

 

 

 

You can have the bunches go in a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction. But, they should all be going in the same direction, to create a ‘swirl’ of greenery.

The next bunch overlays the stems of the preceding bunch, and we continued wrapping the paddle wire around the frame and the newly added bunch. For a full dense wreath, attach the bunches close enough so that you don’t get thin looking areas – it’s a good idea to hold the wreath up every now and then to see if you are getting the look you want.

 

 

Just continue adding bunches and wrapping with the paddle wire. Toward the end of making the wreath, you may see that you need to make a few more bunches to complete the wreath. We had to make a few more!

 

Adding Accent Ribbon

We thought that an elegant sheer ribbon would be perfect with a boxwood wreath. The ribbon we used for the bow and tails has a whitish background with a red poinsettia motif, and the gold highlights give it some sparkle. The sheer ribbon is just a personal preference. There are many ribbon styles that would look gorgeous with the boxwood.

 

 

 

This wreath can be easily taken apart after you take it down (just cut the paddle wire with wire clippers), and the frame can be used again next year.  Making this boxwood wreath was so much easier than either one of us thought it would be!

 

Join The Fun – Metamorphosis Monday / Homespun Christmas Doors & Wreaths / Frugal Friday

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Comments

  1. What a beautiful wreath and clear instructions on how to make one. Thanks!




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