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Floral WreathWREATHS CAN BE COMMEMORATIVE BUT THEY CAN ALSO BE CELEBRATORY – IT ALL DEPENDS ON THE CHOICE OF FLOWERS, GREENERY AND TRIMS.
by Judy Newman In recent times, some of the floral wreaths that I have seen are more about plastic leaves than real foliage which is a shame because when made with real flowers, they can be so beautiful. Check out your garden and see what you have that can be used for this project instead of going down the fake route. At the moment, my rosemary bush is out of control – perfect for remembrance wreaths for ANZAC Day commemorations, and camelias are in full bloom too. Making your own wreath is actually really easy. You can either buy some kind of foam or dried base, or make one with wire which is what I have done here.
Materials
Method STEP 1: Bend the wire into a circular shape to the size you want your wreath. STEP 2: Take a length of rosemary and twist it around the wire. Repeat with other lengths around the circle until the wire is covered. You need just enough adhesive to cover the surface without too much excess, which will only squeeze out from the edges in the next step. STEP 3: Secure in three or four places by wrapping with lengths of florists’ tape. STEP 4: Add more rosemary or other greenery and tie in place with cord. Tuck shorter lengths into the wreath covering the cord until you are happy with the thickness of your wreath. At this point, the wreath will keep in a cool place for a day or two (spray it with water to keep it fresh) and you can choose when to decorate it with more fragile flowers which will have a shorter survival rate. STEP 5: Select your blooms for decoration. If the stems are short, you could wire each stem by wrapping it with a length of florists’ wire and florists’ tape if needed, then push the wired stem into the wreath. Use as many blooms as you like. STEP 6: You could also add ribbon or sprigs of smaller flowers. And if you are hanging your wreath, you can add extra wire to create a hook. |
For someone special – use their favourite flowers. For long lasting effects – use woody stemmed herbs and flowers that will dry well such as hydrangeas, straw flowers, roses or honesty.
For remembrance – rosemary is perfect for ANZAC Day wreaths.
For Christmas – Christmas bush would make a lovely fresh Australian wreath then add a festive touch with red ribbon and baubles.
You can also see some beautiful, and very touching ANZAC Day commemorative quilts this week at the Australasian Quilt Convention (AQC) at the Royal Exhibition Building, Carlton Gardens, Melbourne. On from Thursday, April 16 to Sunday April 19.