Easy Autumn Wreath

Perhaps you dried some lavender from your garden this summer and are now wondering what to do with it...  Let's use it to make an autumn wreath!  With this simple tutorial you can create a lovely splash of fall color for your living space or office.

Simple Autumn Lavender Wreath Tutorial

What you'll need:

• Dried lavender - We used Lavandula angustifolia "Royal Purple", but really any variety that has dried nicely will do.  Some varieties keep their color more readily when dried and others tend to fade.  Whatever you have on had, if you like the look of it, it's perfect!  If you need some dried lavender, it's available in any of our locations or we can send you some directly to your home.
  
• Wreath base - We used a boxwood wreath from last year that had faded in color to a lovely gold.  Other ideal autumnal options are wheat, pine cone, dried salal or magnolia, eucalyptus, twig, preserved leaves or berries...again, if you like the look of it and it says "fall" to you, it's perfect!
• Kitchen shears or clippers and floral wire (optional depending on wreath base).

Step 1:

Clear a large work space and gather your supplies.  Separate your dried lavender into small bundles of 10 - 15 stalks.  Trim the stalks to 2 - 3 inches below the flowers.  The number of small bundles you'll need will depend on the size of your wreath base.  We used a 16 inch diameter wreath base and made 7 bundles of lavender.  You can make more or less depending on how prominent you want the lavender to be - artist's choice!

Note: If your wreath base is made of salal, magnolia or other less dense material, it will be helpful to secure the ends of the lavender stalks with several wraps of floral wire.  This will make the bundles easier to secure amongst the other florals.

Step 2:

Add the small bundles of lavender sprigs to your wreath base.  Nestling the bundles into wreath bases made of dense material like boxwood should hold them securely.  For a balanced look, space the lavender flower bundles equal distances apart around your wreath and follow the same angled orientation of the other florals.

If you are using a less dense wreath base, securing your bundles with a twist of floral wire will help it hold up better.

Step 3:

Don't forget about the sides!  Hold your wreath up and view it from a variety of angles.  Are the florals balanced from all vantage points?  Add more bundles or adjust them to even out holes or clustering.

If your wreath base does not have a means of hanging on a hook or nail,  you can create one easily by cutting 3 lengths of floral wire each 3 inches long.  Braid the 3 lengths together to create a single strong length.  Secure it through the back of the "top" of the wreath and twist the ends together to create a secure loop from which to hang.

To determine the "top" of the wreath, hold it up at arms length and rotate it until you find the most visually pleasing orientation.  Tip: if one side of your wreath is a little bulkier than the others, orient the ample side to the bottom as a strong visual base for your wreath.

Well done!  Now hang it up and enjoy your beautifully created touch of autumn!

Speaking of wreaths... If you are planning on creating a holiday wreath, check out this tutorial for creating a Lavender Wreath for the holidays!