I have a few firm plant favourites that I like to work with at Christmas time. My absolute favourite is honesty for its silvery seedpods, which are revealed as the papery outer cases are stripped off the front and back. The act of peeling honesty is such a meditative task, and I will often enlist the help of my children to get through the big bundles I have harvested and dried throughout summer. We sit by the fire and work our way through the stems, collecting the seeds as they fall to be scattered around the garden, to bring us more seedheads next year. The reveal of the silvery inside is nothing short of magical, and when used in decorations such as the wreath and this table display, it brings natural sparkle and shine, softly glowing in gentle candle light.
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How to make an honesty wreath
Sometimes simplicity is best, and with this wreath I’ve focused on one ingredient: honesty. It’s easy to make and can be hung on a sheltered front door or kept in the house. It’s best to cut honesty for drying in late summer rather than waiting for nature to strip the seedpods bare. This ensures stronger stems and silver centres, which will give the wreath longevity, and also makes it easier to store the pods until you are ready to use them.
You will need
- A woven wreath base (I have used a 20cm wreath base here; the final piece will be roughly twice the size of your base)
- Stems of honesty
- A length of ribbon or twine to hang from
- Snips to work with
How to make
Strip your honesty stems completely of any leaves and cut with snips into smaller lengths of stems. Approximately 20-30cm should be good.
Peel all the honesty seedpods to reveal their silvery inner shell. Starting at the top of the wreath, carefully insert each stem into the weave of the wreath base. If you push very gently, you will begin to feel when the stem has become secure in its position. Give it a wiggle if unsure, and if it feels secure then it is safely in place.
Work your way around the wreath, carefully inserting stems, ensuring that you cover the top, the inside section of the wreath and the outer edge.
At various points when building your wreath, hold it up against a solid wall to see how it looks set against a background. You don’t want to overload the wreath with honesty stems; rather allow each stem to have its space to breathe.
Once the wreath is full of honesty, loop a length of velvet ribbon or twine around the back and hang in position.
Discover more Christmas inspiration from Gardens Illustrated