How to Make a Holiday Wreath From Yard Evergreens

A fresh evergreen wreath on a front door in Iowa typically lasts from late November to early January, or longer. Brought inside, the same wreath holds up for about 7 to 10 days. Those figures come from Aaron Steil of Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, whose step-by-step guide builds a wreath from yard greens on a simple wire frame.

Steil’s method uses short sections of fir, pine, juniper, spruce, false cypress, yew, boxwood and holly, bundled and wired onto a box-style frame. Other extension services add advice on which shrubs give the best material and how to cut it without harming the plant.

Choosing Greens From the Yard

Not all evergreens behave the same once cut. The UNH Extension Yard and Garden Infoline says pine and fir are the most commonly used boughs and hold up the longest. Hemlock and spruce lose needles quickly, especially indoors, and arborvitae discolors fast, so UNH suggests skipping it unless the display is short-term. Broadleaf evergreens such as holly, rhododendron, mountain laurel, boxwood and inkberry make good accents, and winterberry, dried grasses, cones and crabapple fruit can be worked in as well.

Janet Bitter, a Douglas County Master Gardener with Oregon State University Extension, points to Port Orford cedar and incense cedar as very fragrant choices, along with noble fir, Douglas fir, white pine and English holly. Blue spruce adds a colored accent, she writes, though its needles are sharp and can drop more quickly. Boxwood, magnolia leaves and junipers work as accents, and pinecones, acorns, seed pods and dried hydrangea can round out a design.

Ashley Bodkins of University of Maryland Extension notes that shorter-needled plants such as hemlock and spruce drop their needles faster than longer-needled species, and that cuttings used outdoors can last the whole season.

Cutting Without Hurting the Shrub

Timing matters. Illinois Extension recommends harvesting after a hard frost, when the plant is dormant and holds its needles longer. Bitter gives the same advice, saying a tree is more dormant and less stressed after a hard frost, and puts the window in Oregon at late October through December. She recommends cutting 3 to 4 feet from a branch tip, leaving no stubs, avoiding flush cuts, and taking material from hidden areas so the plant’s appearance is not ruined.

How much to take matters too. Illinois Extension says to never cut more than 25% of an evergreen and to spread cuts evenly around the plant to keep its shape. Bodkins advises against heavy cutting, especially in early winter, and says cuttings should not come from newly installed plants. Steil suggests pruning greens just before they are needed, from inconspicuous spots on the plant, and using only fresh material, since old needles turn dry and brittle.

Some evergreens recover better than others. UNH explains that juniper, cypress and yew produce new growth on older wood to a degree, so a few clipped boughs can even help control their size. Pine and fir grow only from new growth, and cutting the tip of a pine bough will not produce regrowth at that spot, so UNH urges caution with valuable landscape trees.

A yard that cannot spare enough material does not have to be stripped. UNH suggests buying extra greens from a florist or a Christmas tree farm, and says permission from the landowner is needed before harvesting from wild trees. Homegrown greens, it adds, are often fresher than purchased ones and can last longer.

Building the Wreath

Steil’s guide starts with the frame. Box-style wire frames are commonly 8 to 24 inches across, and he says 16 inches suits most gardeners. The greens are cut into 4- to 8-inch sections, and 3 or 4 pieces are layered into each bundle. To keep the wreath even, he suggests checking each new bundle against a reference bundle so they stay about the same size.

Each bundle is attached with No. 22 or 24-gauge florist wire, using 2 or 3 wraps. An anti-desiccant spray can be applied a few hours before working with the greens, Steil adds, though it is optional.

Cones, berries and decorative twigs can be added once the base is complete, as both Illinois Extension and UNH suggest. Bitter adds sweet gum balls and mistletoe to the list of extras.

Keeping It Fresh

Steil’s advice for making the wreath last is to keep it cool and moist. Outdoors, that means avoiding windy spots. Indoors, it means keeping the wreath away from drafts and direct sun and misting it regularly, since occasional misting has little effect.

Loose greens need care before they are used. Illinois Extension suggests storing cut greens in the garage and misting them often, but notes that boxwood and holly do not tolerate freezing after cutting and may change color. Bitter recommends submerging cut branches in buckets of cool, clean water to condition them, then spraying all sides with an anti-desiccant before arranging, a step she says holly especially benefits from. Once on display, she suggests moving greenery to a cool spot such as a garage at night and misting it every one to two days. Bodkins similarly recommends putting the cut ends in clean water in a clean container, keeping them cool and away from direct light and heat sources.

A Safety Note for Homes With Pets and Children

Several of the best wreath materials are toxic if eaten. UNH Extension lists yew, holly, inkberry, winterberry, rhododendron and boxwood as poisonous and recommends keeping decorative greens away from children and pets. It points to the ASPCA’s list of toxic and non-toxic plants for anyone unsure about a particular plant.

When the season ends, the greens can go back to work in the yard, and there are several ways of reusing holiday greens in the garden. Shrubs coated in ice later in the winter should be left to thaw on their own, as Iowa State advises in its guidance on letting ice melt off shrubs. And evergreens planted this year, which Maryland Extension says should not be cut for decorations, also need extra attention, since newly planted evergreens need about 2 inches of water a week until the ground freezes.

This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.

Image: Sneha G Gupta – CC BY-SA 4.0/Wikimedia Commons