The most beautiful sight is the holly on the doorstep of the house. Without a doubt, holly is one of the most popular evergreen wreaths and fresh decorations used around the holidays. If you want to create a classic and timeless holly wreath for your home, keep reading.
A fresh holly wreath dotted with bright red berries is a traditional way to decorate for Christmas. I love playing with all kinds of greenery (white, gold, yellow, blue, red) in my holiday decorations, but the 20-foot-tall holly tree that adorns the entrance to my urban garden has so many berries. is in full bloom. Used in festive arrangements.
The leaves may be a little prickly, but they’re worth a few bandages for the final result of this easy-to-make fresh holly wreath.
When you think of holly, you definitely think of Christmas. If it were on your property, you might think, “It’s gone!” and “Wow!” are the two feelings I express when a) I get stung by a leaf, and b) when I have to remove all the volunteers from around the garden by cleaning up non-compostable leaves.
No matter how you feel about thorns, you can’t help but admire the beauty of their glossy green leaves and perfect red berries.
Here’s what we’ll cover today:
Where to find holly for wreaths
To make this wreath, I took some cuttings from a large tree that borders my new garden and the neighboring laurel. I’m lucky to find lots of holly in my area, and I can also look for other materials for evergreen wreaths.
Before you start cutting evergreens from your garden, take a quick read of my article on pruning basics. Decorating with fresh cuttings from your garden is always welcome, but it’s also important to take care of the health of your trees and shrubs.
If you can’t find holly, you can feature other impressive berries instead. Here are some of my favorites.
Beautyberry Wintergreen Sweetbox Rosehip Black Privet
For more greenery, check out our complete list of ideas for decorating wreaths.
Holly can also be purchased at florists and local grocery stores. Many florists have these supplies readily available and will be happy to sell you plants for making wreaths.
How to make a fresh holly wreath
Using holly, bay leaves, and grape vine wreath shapes, you can make this striking traditional wreath in under 30 minutes. However, with minimal materials, it makes a big impact when hung on your front door.
material
Please make it!
Gather lots of laurel branches and start making a wreath. Add one holly branch full of berries to the top and cut off the bottom of the bunch.
Wrap the string around the base of the bundle and then around the grape wreath. Secure the bundle with twine knots, but do not cut the ends.
Next, make another bunch just like the first one and wrap it around the grape vine wreath with twine.
When you reach the end of the holly wreath, push the last bunch onto the leaves of the first bunch and wrestle with the twine and sharp leaves until you secure the last bunch. Tie a few knots to make sure everything stays in place.
Now, let’s take a quick look at the wreath. Is there anything you can’t handle? Use pruning shears to shape the wreath and cut down any wild branches.
Hang the wreath and take a closer look. Do you need more trimming? Do you want more berries, or do you have an empty spot? With some tweaking over time, you’ll end up with a more sophisticated wreath.
Finally, hang your holly wreath where you’ll enjoy it most or create a festive atmosphere for your guests.
holly wreath decorating ideas
For the holly wreath, I made the berries the centerpiece and omitted the decorations. That being said, there are many ways to decorate a wreath.
Pine cones look great in any wreath. Use flower wire to wrap around the base layer of pine cones and secure to the wreath. Bleached pine cones have a particularly unique and festive look.
If you want to add other rustic touches, you can also add other dried seed heads and flowers, such as hydrangeas, magnolias, poppies, thistles, and Chinese lanternflowers.
Battery-powered fairy lights always look great when woven into a wreath. I especially like these star shaped ones and the Moroccan style lights.
Holly Wreath Frequently Asked Questions
If you hang your holly wreath outdoors, you won’t need to water it to keep it fresh. Cool air is usually enough to keep things looking good.
If you hang it indoors or live in a warm, dry climate, you can spray the wreath with water daily. You can keep the fresh greenery moisturized for longer by using a finishing spray after making the wreath.
Holly wreaths will last at least two weeks indoors and even longer outdoors. The evergreen wreath will still look fresh after Christmas, but it’s no longer in season, so compost it.
Holly is very prickly, so when making a holly wreath, the sting may be a little painful. Classic types of holly, such as English holly (Ilex aquifolium) and American holly (Ilex opaca), can be quite prickly. You can also find varieties with fewer thorns, such as winterberry and burford. Otherwise, it shouldn’t be painful if you wear thick gardening gloves and long sleeves.
For more inspiration for making fresh wreaths, check out my collection of wreaths I’ve made over the years with hydrangeas, lavender, evergreens, eucalyptus, hops, air plants, succulents, and more.
More Christmas decoration ideas
DIY holly rag
Holly wreaths are made with fresh bay leaves and holly berries and are a typical Christmas decoration.
Gather a few laurel branches. Add one sprig of holly with berries to the top.
Wrap twine around the base of the bundle and wrap the twine around the vine wreath to secure the bundle to the wreath. Tie a knot in the string to secure it, but do not cut it.
Continue to make more clusters and use the same twine to layer them into the grape wreath.
Finally, tuck the last bunch under the leaves above the first bunch. Secure with twine and tie a few more knots before cutting.
Trim the unruly parts of the holly wreath with pruning shears.
Hang your wreath!
