Tying an advent wreath from fir branches

While the garden is slowly calming down, the shops and stores are filling more and more with Christmas decorations and chocolate Santa Clauses. A pretty Advent wreath should of course not be missing for the right Christmas ambience. With these instructions you can easily tie your own Advent wreath without a blank.

Tie the Advent wreath yourself

An Advent wreath brings cosiness into the home and increases the anticipation of the festival. In the hectic pre-Christmas season, people like to fall back on a purchased copy. Such a wreath can quickly become expensive. Binding is not as difficult as many think. And you don't even have to use a previously purchased blank disc. With a little patience, creativity and the right materials, you can tie your own individual Advent wreath for little money.

blank

Most Advent wreaths are made using a Blankmade of straw, styrofoam or branches, for example. This is the basis and later provides stability for the candles and the decoration. Such a blank is also suitable for a hanging wreath, for example a door wreath.

But even without a blank, you can tie a sturdy wreath with candles. However, choosing the right cut green is crucial. For a wreath without a blank, solid sticks are suitable, for example:

• Fir green
• Spruce green
• Pine branches

You can also add deciduous trees such as ivy or ilex branches to your wreath. Cypresses, such as B. Thuja or juniper are also good options because they do not dry out as quickly. When binding without a blank, you should still rely on a framework made of coniferous trees, as these offer better stability.

Tie the Advent wreath without a blank

Materials needed

• Suitable sticks
• Gloves (the branches are sometimes prickly)
• Secateurs
• Green floral wire
• Candles and candlesticks
• Decoration as you like (cones, cinnamon sticks, holly branches, etc.)

As an alternative to conventional candles, you can also use LED candles. If you still want traditional candlelight on your wreath, you should use candles never blow out. Sparks can get onto the branches or the decoration and ignite the wreath. Instead, smother the flame with one Candle extinguisher. Leave the candles on the wreath never unattended burn.

How to tie an Advent wreath correctly: Instructions

Step 1: prepare sticks

For sufficient stability, it is advisable to make the individual fir branches small Bouquets tie together. This may seem a bit time-consuming in advance, but it will make the work of the actual binding a lot easier for you.

Take the fir branches and shorten them to about 10-15 cm. Now tie the individual branches together with the flower wire to form small bouquets. These should consist of about 4-7 branches, depending on how bushy you want your Advent wreath to be. Depending on the desired size of the Advent wreath, prepare more or fewer bouquets. Don't worry if the bouquets are not enough when you tie them. You can tie up small bouquets at any time

tip: Use green floral wire when tying. This is hardly noticeable between the dark needles.

Step 2: tie the bouquets together

Once you have prepared some bouquets, the actual wreath-making begins. To do this, place one bouquet of tiles on top of another in a clockwise direction and tie it to the stem with the wire:

• Tie the wire tightly around the branches in several rounds
• Otherwise branches can slip out
• Do not tie too tight, the wire can tear or "pinch off" the branch
• Do not cut the wire

So continue with all your fir bouquets until you have reached the desired wreath size. Make sure to point all of the branches in the same direction. In order to get the round shape later, you should bend stubborn branches into the desired shape every now and then. The wire should be used when tying not cut off but always remain in one piece. So simply put the wire aside before continuing.

Due to the roof tile-shaped resp. The previous wires are covered in a fish-scale arrangement of the branches. Then place the last bouquet over the first and tie it so that the wire can no longer be seen. You can then cut the wreath to size. If necessary, simply cut off any protruding branch tips.

Step 3: decorate

Your wreath is now ready to be decorated. To do this, place the four candle holders on the wreath. The places where the branches were wrapped with wire offer the best stability.

Depending on your preference and individual taste, you can, for example, the wreath with different cones, Nuts, cinnamon sticks, woods, dried apple or orange slices, star anise or ilexberries decorate. There are no limits to your imagination. Let yourself be inspired by nature on your next walk through the forest or the garden.

The decorative elements can also be attached with wire or glued on with a hot glue gun.

Note: Some decorations, such as the holly berries, can be poisonous. In such cases, you should make sure that the wreath is out of the reach of children and pets.

Making the Advent wreath durable

So that you can enjoy your personal Advent wreath for a long time, you should take the following measures into account:

• Spray regularly with cold water
• Alternatively: place the wreath in a shallow bowl with water
• Do not place directly on a heater or oven
• Warmth promotes dehydration and the wreath has needles
• Store in a cool place overnight, e.g. balcony, terrace, bedroom
• Remove dry twigs: risk of fire!

Note: It is often recommended to spray the branches with hairspray for a longer shelf life. This measure should only be used for wreaths without an open fire can be applied. Hairspray is highly flammable and encourages the wreath to catch fire.