How to make a DIY fall wreath

A DIY fall wreath is a great way of decorating your door, and when made with the right flowers and foliage can last all the way through winter and beyond.

Making an autumn wreath is a great way of using up any remaining flowers and foliage from your garden before those winter frosts kill them off. Many plants require cutting back before winter anyway, so some of your cuttings could be used in a wreath before they head to the compost bin.

But you don't have to be an avid gardener, you can also use flowers from a bouquet you've been gifted! Whether you use them fresh or dry your flowers, incorporating them into a wreath is a great way of enjoying those beautiful blooms for even longer.

Caroline Grimble, floral stylist at Bloom & Wild, shares her tips below on how to create the perfect autumn wreath, even if you’re a complete creative beginner.

To achieve a professional-looking wreath, you will need a pair of scissors, floristry reel or binding wire, a wire or vine wreath ring, some ribbon or twine to hang it, and for a fuller look, you can add Sphagnum moss if you want. You’ll be able to find these tools at your local garden centre or florist.

How to make a DIY fall wreath

You will need

• Flowers
• Foliage
• Wreath ring (Caroline recommends choosing a vine or wicker wreath ring for a more natural look).
• Wire
• Scissors

Recycle your flowers! Dried wreaths are the perfect way to give new life to cut flowers. You can dry the flowers and foliage from a dying bouquet, the easiest way is to hang them upside down in a dark and dry storage room. 

Dried flowers can add a nice touch to autumn wreaths, but they’re delicate so add them at the end to fill any gaps. If you'd like to learn more, you can check out our dried flower wreath tutorial.

Foliage that dries well	Flowers that dry well
Oak leaves	Hydrangeas
Eucalyptus	Strawflower
Rosemary	Red Roses
Wheat	Sea Lavenders (Statice)
Chasmanthium grass	Pinks (Dianthus)
Corn	Baby's breath
Grasses	Amaranthus
Seed heads	Dried Nigella

Step 1

Prep your flowers - Cut the flower & foliage stems and keep them about 8-15 cm long. Lay them in groups of 2 to 3 stems, staggering down, so the tips lay slightly below each other.

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Step 2

Start making - With your chosen foliage stems, gather little bunches of foliage together and attach them with wire. Snipping the foliage down to lengths of between approximately 15 to 20 cm.

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Step 3

Add your foliage - Feed the wire through the frame and secure. Then lie your first bunch of foliage on the mossed or vine ring and wrap the wire tightly around the bunch and frame.

Make up another foliage bunch and lay it so it covers the stems of the previous bunch, wire over the stems as before.

Work down in a zigzag formation so you have full coverage.

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Step 4

Add the flowers - This is the right time to add any flowers you might have. These can just be inserted into the ring and are perfect for brightening up and filling in any gaps in the composition.

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Step 5

Hang your wreath - Finally, add your hanging ribbon or twine. A thin ribbon looks best when attached to the frame at the back, while a larger one can be wrapped around the top of your wreath and secured with an oversized bow.

Both ribbon options are excellent choices, with the thin one letting your foliage and flower do the talking and the large one adding a clear focal point to the composition.

Show off your DIY Fall wreath

Now it's just a case of hanging up your DIY fall wreath and enjoying the admiration of your visitors. It's worth keeping some spare foliage and flowers just in case you need to make any repairs, but even if the wreath does start to fade it'll only help add to that autumnal vibe.

Even more fabulous autumn wreaths

If you can't get enough of autumn wreaths and want to switch things up (or maybe you have multiple doors), there's plenty more inspiring projects to try in our list of fall wreath ideas.