Weedy Wreaths

Interesting and Unique Wreath Making Ideas...

Weeds are all around us; we disdain them as not useful, and just want to get rid of them.  But here's a fun craft to use them for:

Weedy Wreaths take something that we just want to get rid of, by any means possible; why not make them into something fun?

Choose weeds that are longish, the longer the better, and pliable rather than brittle.  Freshly pulled weeds can be left to wilt, which makes them even more easy to use.

 I draw the line at thistles and nettles, but pretty much all other tall weeds could be used, or at least tested for this.

I have lots of very vigorous Pearly Everlasting, which is Anaphalis margaritacaea; sometimes this is grown as a garden plant, for it's pretty and papery flowers, but in a semi wild situation it acts as a pioneer plant, and tends to get very tall and leggy, then falls over. 

This generally coincides with the flowers opening fully (as far as it goes) so it's a good time to pull them up to dispose of them.

Usually around here, that's on the burn pile to let them dry until it's safe to burn in the fall.

Taking long stems and winding them around each other gives you the first framework of the wreath.  I usually aim for something around 30cm (1') across, because that's about the easiest size without using a wire to start the circle.

Continue to take fresh stems, and wind them the same way, until it's about the size you want.  Then you can insert small clumps of just the flower heads in any bare spots, and wind a short piece of tie wire around to make a loop to hang it on.

Wanna get even more fancy?  How about some copper wire stars to decorate it with? 

These are short lived crafts, because in my experience, the papery flowers tend to shatter eventually.  But that's okay, because there's always more material to make Weedy Wreaths with.