Gardeners' Christmas pleasure: Christmas wreaths from "garden waste"

Gardeners' Christmas pleasure: Christmas wreaths from "garden waste"

It was such a lovely weekend here in the Cotswolds.  Bright and crisply cold.  The Genus garden received a little bit of tidying up attention.  Whilst raking up the leaves I had a sudden inspiration that I should use some of the fir cones and acorn cups in the messy pile for something creative.  So, a couple of garden waste inspired Christmas wreaths were born!  I used some polystyrene packaging material to cut a “polo” shaped disc, onto which I used PVA glue to paste on all the cones and cups.  I’m going to use this wreath as a table centre (look below for a picture of the result).

Having caught the wreath making bug, I then rummaged around in the compost pile for clippings taken from the bottom of the weeping holly tree in the Genus woodland garden last week.  I rescued these (no kitchen waste on top of them yet luckily!!), and put together another wreath using a frame made out of a bent coat hanger which, with the addition of some cheap baubles bought in the corner shop, and held on with florists wire, made a really lovely present for a friend.

“Where’s there’s muck there’s brass” they say ….. but equally true perhaps "Where there’s garden waste there’s something beautiful waiting for a gardener's transforming hand"!


Modern heroes of horticulture - Tamsin Westhorpe

Take a little bit of Gerald Durrell, a pinch of Felicity Kendall from the Good Life, and a slice of Mini the Minx, and you’ll have a good idea of...
Read More

Plant folklore - snowdrops

It’s surprising for a plant that has become so entrenched in folklore that snowdrops are not actually indigenous to Britain.  While the precise date of their introduction remains a subject...
Read More

Wildlife in the garden - winter migrants

We always celebrate the arrival of our spring and summer migrants such as swallows, swifts, cuckoos and nightingales.  Less celebrated and often creeping in under the radar are our winter...
Read More