All is in place for creating your wreath

Wreaths and garlands are an essential part of yuletide, and although they are available in different forms, it's the traditional holly type that best evokes memories of Christmases past for me.
By The Newsroom
Published 4th Dec 2016, 13:02 BST
Updated 6th Dec 2016, 10:51 BST
Holly berries growing in the garden. Picture by Tom Pattinson.Holly berries growing in the garden. Picture by Tom Pattinson.
Holly berries growing in the garden. Picture by Tom Pattinson.

Making them is a prickly job. By comparison, those constructed with different fruits, cones and flowers are so pleasurable to assemble.

Want to try making your own? Collect a few items from the florist.

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The base can be a simple ring of oasis, but you can construct one with moss, hay or straw, tied to a wire base. Don’t raid nature’s damp places for moss if it’s already in the lawn. Now is the time to rake it out, aerate the area, and apply a top dressing as part of maintenance.

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Start building the wreath by inserting coniferous sprays around the periphery, then attach holly twigs to wires for the top and centre. With green and variegated types of holly and ivy to hand for indoor decoration, everything is in place, including the berries.

The trees were laden just before the cold snap, then blackbirds polished them off – all except the few branches I’d wrapped in netting.