Deck the halls with chilli peppers

It's elegant and festive – and there's not a holly sprig in sight. Here's how to make a Christmas wreath with a difference, writes JANE POWERS

IT WAS A GOOD autumn for berries. Prognosticating types say that this foretells a hard winter. And, yes, it looks like we are facing some cold months ahead, but the abundant fruits are a thing apart. We owe them to the fact that during the flowering period, the weather was fair, with little wind to disturb pollinating insects, and later on, the right amounts of moisture and sunlight helped to plump up and ripen the berries.

But no matter what the reason, nature has given us plenty of bounty for wreaths and garlands this year, which is especially welcome in this otherwise lean season.

I love making wreaths and garlandy things to hang from door handles or over the mantel piece. It’s time-consuming, but if you gather a friend or two, turn on Lyric FM and break out the mince pies, it’s a festive way to kick off the season at home.

Most gardens offer fodder for Christmassy decorations, it’s just a matter of keeping an eye open for possibilities besides the obvious berries, cones and evergreens. Remember that seedheads and dried flowers can also be woven into your creations: a spritz of gold, silver or white paint will make them come alive in the winter light. Flexible stems, such as willow or dogwood, can be wound into circular shapes and garnished with sprigs of foliage and flower, and with berries and baubles.

Forest walks may yield lichened twigs, cones and other interesting bits that have fallen to the ground. (Don’t pick things off trees, especially berries, as these are important both for birds, and for propagating the next generation.) Strolls on the beach may provide seashells, and a rummage through your cupboards may produce buttons, beads and other items suitable for providing little accents to your handiwork.

If you don’t have time to make your own creation from scratch, buy a spruce or other evergreen wreath and dicky it up with a few bits and pieces from the garden. If you are going the whole hog, however, try to pick your greenery the day before, and stand it in buckets of water or in the bathtub overnight. The material will take water into its cells and stay fresh for longer.

All wreaths need some kind of form to act as a foundation. This might be a bought-in floral foam ring or wire frame. Or you can make one yourself from wire coat hangers or chicken wire. The whippy stems of willow, dogwood or a similarly bendy plant may also be used. If you are using floral foam, soak it for a minute or two before use. With floral foam, you can insert much of the plant material straight into the ring; with other kinds of bases you will have to fasten the material into place with wire, pipe cleaners or twine.

Keep it as neat as possible, and angle it so that it follows the contours of the frame, unless you want a great shaggy thing to put on your door. When making a wreath or a swag, be sure to attach ribbon or twine (from which to hang it) in the early stages; otherwise it may interfere with your efforts.

For the wreath pictured here, I used the foliage from two Australian woody plants: the shrubby purple hop bush (Dodonaea viscosa ‘Purpurea’) and the river she-oak (Casuarina cunninghamiana). The latter is not a conifer, but it has needle-like leaves that give a delicately wispy effect.

I brightened up the sombrely-toned foliage with white-painted birch twigs, gold and silver seedheads from the annual love-in-a-mist, and chilli peppers. I wanted to make sure that the chillies and the seedpods were not lost in the leafy layer, so I attached them individually with long lengths of florists’ wire. Finally, I found some tiny red and clear beads that I had bought for some forgotten project years ago, threaded them onto wire, and shoved them into the mix for an extra bit of oomph.

Raw materials for seasonal wreaths, garlands and swags

Greenery from the garden:

Any good-looking evergreen foliage can be used: bay, camellia, cypress, eucalyptus, fir, ivy, Magnolia grandiflora, pine, pittosporum, rosemary, yew

Accents from the garden:

Seedheads and dried flower heads, including allium, clematis, ornamental grasses, globe thistle (Echinops), hydrangea, lilies, love-in-a-mist (Nigella), teasel, poppy

Berries and fruits, including chilli pepper, cotoneaster, crab apple, hawthorn, holly, ivy, pyracantha, rosehips, skimmia, spindle

Flowers, including winter jasmine, winter clamatis, early rhododendrons such as ‘Christmas Cheer’, daphne, mahonia

Twiggy things, including alder, birch, broom, dogwood, willow, and any other pliable stems

Found or hoarded:

Buttons and seashells (painted to match or complement your wreath), beads, ribbons, lace, cones from pine, larch and other conifers