Wreaths and Braids

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Decorating the wreath

Tie together little bundles of fresh or dried herbs and push the stems into the spaces between the braided strands or into the strands themselves. Fresh herbs will dry right on the wreath. For a kitchen wreath, intersperse little bunches of bouquet garni herbs with dried red peppers and garlic or shallot bulbs. To mount red peppers, tie a 12-inch length of raffia around each stem and push the raffia through the braid, tying the ends firmly on the back of the wreath. Peppers may also be tied together in clusters before mounting. The colors of red peppers, green herbs, and white garlic make a festive holiday wreath.

With a little planning, a raffia braid can be the basis of a garlic wreath. Harvest the garlic before the tops have dried completely. When the tops are limp but not crisp-dry, braid them in as you braid the raffia. You may cover the wreath entirely with tightly packed garlic or space the heads evenly around the circle.

You may push clusters of dried flowers into the braided raffia and longer stems of everlastings into the tie at the base. An arrangement of long- and short-stemmed dried flowers also looks good over the ties at the bottom, with longer sprigs extending outward along the tails and up the sides of the circle. Some plant materials that can add a dramatic effect to the arrangement include blossom spikes of lamb’s-ears, purple basil, and lavender; clusters of pot marjoram blossoms; summer savory stems, bee balm flower heads after the corollas have fallen off; dried chive blossoms, tansy buttons, and pressed bay leaves.

— These ideas originally appeared in the October 1991 issue of Phyllis Shaudys’s charming and informative quarterly newsletter, Potpourri from Herbal Acres (Pine Row Publications, Box 428, Washington Crossing, PA 18977), and are used by permission of their creators. 

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