Text by Tovah Martin
Autumn’s colorful fervor lives on in the heart of your home when you gather and weave together dried flowers and seedpods into seasonal wreaths.
As the days become nippy, who can resist squirreling away a smidgen of autumn’s shimmer to brighten your world indoors? And how wonderful if what you create captures and sustains the garden’s bounty long after it dwindles outside. Harvest that glory, bring it in, intertwine it together, and savor its hues. One thing is certain—you will surely want to see fall’s brilliance again in the coming months. And when you do, you’ll have all the texture, essence, and jewel tones of a sparkling season wound succinctly into a wreath.
Ever wonder why we craft wreaths to commemorate seasons past? Well, it might have something to do with the never-ending ring. What better way than a circle to express the perpetual cycle of nature? Take some of fall’s most suffused moments—the royal purples and deep blues of autumn’s blossoms fully opened, the promise of plump seedpods, and the soft waving of grains—and let them uplift you during the slumbering months ahead.
Collect flowers before they begin to wane. Get seedpods before they burst. Dry them by grouping and hanging upside down in a breezy space protected from sun, and weave your harvest together by tucking it into a grapevine frame. When dried, the brittle stems work easily into the bundled vines, and if you secure each stem tightly in the frame, no wiring will be necessary. To keep your wreath at the peak of perfection and preserve fall’s splendor for years, display it inside your home away from direct sunlight. An autumn wreath’s glory is never gone. Cockscomb (seen here) will linger without fading, retaining its deep, suffused burgundy and garnet hues for years.
When autumn winds gust, twigs often come flying down. Recycle those that were raked up or pruned off to accent your wreath. Just bundle them together, wire them securely behind the grapevine frame, and feather them out.
