Make a stunning hydrangea wreath that stays lovely even after it dries

Hydrangea wreath—supplies:

How to make a hydrangea wreath—instructions:

1. You can make the wreath base with long, flexible twigs. For example, try using willow branches or the long root shoots of trees and shrubs. Gently bend each twig between your thumb and index finger to make it pliable, which helps the wreath ring form more easily. First, take one long twig and bend it into a ring. Continue with another twig, wrapping it around the first. If the twigs aren’t long enough or the ring won’t hold its shape, secure it with wire. Keep wrapping twigs until the ring is the thickness you prefer.

For the example wreath, shoots cut from the base of a damson were used. If needed, trim any extra twigs that stick out from the ring.

2. Begin binding the wreath one bloom at a time. Wrap the wire a few times around each flower stem you add and the wreath base. Gently tighten the wire so the stem stays in place but doesn’t break.

In addition to hydrangeas, this wreath uses giant lady’s mantle and ostrich fern. You can also add any beautiful dried leaves or even the leaves of an herb that thrived over the summer.

3. Give the wreath variety by using different hydrangea species and cultivars. Between the hydrangea blooms, add ostrich fern leaves and giant lady’s mantle blossoms, for example. Sage, rosemary, and lavender also keep well and dry nicely. If you’d like more greenery between the blooms, try adding periwinkle.

This wreath features two different hydrangeas. The smaller Hydrangea paniculata 'Grandiflora' (also called Peegee hydrangea) blooms turn pinkish as the weather cools, and Hydrangea macrophylla also changes color over the course of the growing season. Keep the finished wreath sheltered from the elements. It will remain striking even after the blooms have dried.

4. Cut the end of the wire and secure the binding by threading it through the wreath ring or between blooms. Then hang the wreath with a ribbon.