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Dear Friends and Rhino Lovers,
If you grow lavender, what do you do with it? Do you leave it for the bees and enjoy it until the end of the year, or do you harvest it? I’m looking at mine with great anticipation and making all sorts of plans. The longer strongest stems are making their way into fresh flower bouquets. The rest will be cut for wreath making and dried flower wraps. This all means that I am unlikely to be drying much this year which is great as it becomes quite fragile once dried.
Today, I am going to show you how to make a lavender wreath.
You're Going To Need:
- Base wreath - made from Willow, clematis vine or birch
- 20 Handfuls of Fresh Lavender arranged into separate bundles (about 25 stems in each) and cut to size. I cut mine about the width of my hand. You’ll be placing 5 bunches on each quarter of the wreath frame.
- Binding Twine - for tying on the lavender - made from wrapped wire, waxed thread or garden twine.
- Scissors and Secateurs
- Ribbon for Decoration
The Base
First of all, you need a base. This can be made of anything as long as it’s not plastic (and certainly not oasis). I have made 3 alternatives: one using clematis vine, with a lovely organic shape (i.e. not a perfect circle), one using birch wired into a heart shape, and one with willow woven into a circle. In order to make your base you need a good length of your chosen material which you make into a circle about 10-12 inch diameter and with about 2 or 3 wrap-arounds which are then secured with a little twine.
Tying On
Wrap the end of the twine around the wreath base a couple of times and tie, to start off. Place the first bunch of lavender onto the base with the flower buds facing outwards And upwards. You are looking to create a flow of stems all heading either clockwise or anti-clockwise around the wreath. Spread the stems out to cover the frame.
Wrap the twine around the stems and the base to secure everything together. Wrap again to fully secure. You may need to take the wrapping down the frame a couple of turns before you place on the next bunch to get the spacing you want. Continue placing stems and wrapping until you get back to the start point and tie off.
Finishing
Add a ribbon or twine to the back of the frame to hang the wreath onto the wall. If you wish you could also add a ribbon on the side or bottom of the wreath as a bow. Then step back and enjoy your handiwork. It will smell amazing.
And there you have it - a colourful, beautifully aromatic wreath to hang in your home wherever you fancy. You can use this same method for other flower varieties, or for adding other flowers in amongst the lavender.
Here are a few suggestions to get you going: roses, cornflowers, strawflowers, grasses, larkspur, delphiniums, alliums - let your imagination run riot!
