DIY: Autumn Hydrangea Wreath

Hydrangea, also known as Hortensia, is a flowering shrub native to eastern Asia and the Americas. It is very easy to grow and produces large pom-pom flowers which bloom from spring through autumn. If you have hydrangeas in your garden, you may notice that the stems of the flowers are starting to dry at this time of the year. Now is a good time to take your cuttings and prepare them for this very easy autumn wreath.

First, gather your flowers. Cut long stems and place them in a container in which you've added just a few inches of water. Place your container in a cool shady spot:  

The idea here is to give them just enough water to keep them moist while the water slowly evaporates.  What happens is the flowers will dry but the petals will stay fresh looking.  My cut flowers sat in this watering can for about two weeks before I made my wreath.  

Once your flowers are dry, gather your supplies:  a wreath form of your choosing, some junky scissors, and some florist wire:

I purchased a grapevine wreath at a craft store, and it's about 22" in diameter.

The next step is to start placing the flowers around the wreath form to get an idea of how many you need and decide on placement:

Once you know how many flowers you will be using, cut a length of wire for each flower head. I used 12 flower heads and cut my wire into about 8 inch lengths.  

Next cut the stems from your flower heads, leaving about 2-3 inches:

I let the size of the flower heads dictate the placement on my wreath, putting the four largest flowers at the top, bottom, and sides, and then filling in the other areas of the wreath with the smaller flowers.  I also paid attention to color and weight balance with the remaining flowers.

Now simply place a piece of wire through the dried stem of each flower like this:

Then place the flower on top of the wreath and carefully lift the wreath and wrap the wire around it and twist it in the back to secure it onto the wreath:

Do this until all your flowers are fastened to the wreath.  

An afterthought I had was to use a hot glue gun and glue some of the dried leaves in various places around the wreath, tucking them here and there.

And now your wreath is ready to hang and enjoy!  I added a blue ribbon to mine.  I love blue!

I hung this wreath on my front porch, and over time the colors of the flowers will continue to fade.  So if you want your flowers to become 'antiqued' or 'shabby-chic' looking, that would be how to affect it.  I can say though, that if you want the colors to remain as they are, then keep your wreath inside and away from direct light.   

Do you enjoy wreath making?  What materials do you use?  

Thanks for reading!