Holiday DIY: Foraged Evergreen Garland
I have always been a gatherer. As a kid, my pockets were full of rocks from the beach or a collection of flowers from a walk through our garden or even a few frogs or turtles that were discovered near the pond at my grandparents home. I have always collected and chosen things. It is a natural instinct for me. Every season there are new things to be collected and winter is no different.
There is nothing I love more than the smell of fresh pine and cedar this time of year. In Michigan, the smells fill the woods you hike in even in the dead of winter and the evergreens that surround you are the smiling contrast to many gloomy days. They are the reminder that soon enough the snow will disappear and our world will be green again. The textures and character of these plants are so beautiful and special. They also are by far my favorite type of foliage to work with. I told Mike as I made our garland you see here, that evergreens are the best because they hold their shape, they are low maintenance, but they hold so much personality.
After creating all of our garlands this year, I decided I needed to share with you just how I do it. If I could and had the time I would fill our whole home with garland. It is so fun and honestly has been such a wonderful creative outlet on snowy days. I love the free form and wabi-sabi nature to creating our garlands. There are so many types if greens and more you can add in, but I wanted our’s to be the picture of what surrounds us. I wanted only to use what was out our front door and I would suggest for you to do the same. The easiest thing we can do with our holiday decor is to use what already exists and in fact, it is also the cheapest. I spent a total of $4 on all this garland when in previous years I tried to do fancier things and spend more than I care to say and in all honesty, this is my favorite I have ever made. Maybe it is because it feels like home because it celebrates what surrounds us or maybe it is because this year I learned how to get sap off of my hands. Either way this year I am sharing how you too can celebrate what surrounds your home just as easily as we have.
Now, for before I dig into how to make this and what you need let me tell you some ways to get greens on the cheap if you do not have a yard full of evergreens.
Check the Christmas Tree lots:
Most lots or farms where you would get your tree will have piles and piles of leftover greens that they trim from the tree base to prep the base for netting and loading on the cars. Most of the time they will give them away for free. Because they are the low branches they aren’t always the top notch ones, but gather enough and pick through them well enough and you will be surprised how much you can get from about a dozen good branches. I made a good majority of our garland from the trimmings of our tree from the tree farm.
Trader Joe’s:
We do no have a Trader Joe’s anymore in Traverse City, but I waited for the day that they would get their greenery in at the one by our home in Raleigh. They have great prices on it, but since many times it isn’t a stiff bristle fir but usually a white pine, you will want a few strands to get the job done.
Go for a walk and watch the side of the road:
If you leave in a city that does have some great walking areas just outside of the city itself or even have a friend with some great property outside the city, go for a walk. Take a basket or bag along and gather up fallen branches or even nab some if policy allows or your friend allows. Foraging is 100% okay but do it respectfully.
What I use in this tutorial is below, but in all honesty you can use nearly any type of varietals. The key is to have at least one type of Fir. They have stiffer branches and their bristles are shorter. These will act as the structure for your garland. The rest of the types I use (also could use Eucalyptse or Rosemary or Thyme) are simply to add color and variety to the garland.
So to get started you need to have:
At least 1-3 types of greenery. 1 being a stronger structural type green. This is the one you will use the most of.
22-gauge floral wire
Heavy Duty Scissors that can cut wire (this is not the time for cute styling scissors)
3 Command Hooks (you can use nails as well but this is what we used)
Now let’s start having some fun!
1. Measure:
You will want to measure the area you are creating the garland for. I eye-balled mine because I like to embrace the imperfect, but if you are wanting to be a little more exact I highly suggest measuring the trim of the doorway and adding an extra 6-12 inches depending on the size of bow you want to your garland.
2. Organize your greens:
I always want to see all of what I have before I start. I think of garland making similar to painting. I love to know what I have to work with so I can make a plan. I want to know the character of the greens and the textures they have. The thing I love about making anything with foraged greens is that you have to be okay with the imperfect and unfinished lines of it. I love to allow the greens do their thing and to kind of help them do it. I get really excited when I see some funk to a piece because I know it creates a fun challenge to incorporate it properly.
3. Choose your ends:
In my survey of greens, I look for the one with the proper character to end each side of the garland. For instance, this one I am showing above has the perfect drip to it that will close off the right hand side perfectly.
4. Lay and layer greens in a line to create the structure:
I always ALWAYS begin with the stronger of all the greens to make sure I create a structure that will hold up to being hung. I loved using the Fraser Fir for this, but honestly, any Fir will do the trick. I lay all of these pieces down in a line and look them over and move things around. What I am looking for is to hide the ends and fill any weird gaps while also making sure there is a good balance of strong branches and greens mixed together. If you have a weird hole don’t worry too much just yet, this is will be taken care of, right now your focus is to create a strong structure.
5. Trim and Shape:
This is key. Not every branch has to be kept full in tack. Many times I take a whole branch and break it up some to fit in the line better. Typically you can snap them pretty easily but using your scissors can help as well. This is where that sap starts gathering on your hands, if it hasn’t yet.
6. Wrap floral wire to hold together:
This is the most important piece of the garland creation. You will want to get your floral wire and I begin by wrapping a strong little knot over the first overlay of branches and then I just start wrapping it around. I keep it tight but I keep the wrapping focused on going around the main branches of the garland and not over the whole thing. I let as much of it go wild as I can. You do not want to cut or end the wire until you reach the end. Keeping it as one long piece of wire will add to the structure you are creating.
7. Securely Knot Each End:
I make secure knots on each end like I mentioned above, but the end of extra important because it can come unraveled. So, make sure you have tightened and secured it properly.
8. Create Loops for Mounting:
If you want to make it a little easier to mount it, you can use the floral wire to make small loops to connect to the hooks or nails you have placed appropriately on your wall or trim. You can do this by simply making a loop and twisting the base till the loop begins fully and securely closed.
Now you should have that garland base all created! Now comes the extra fun stuff.
9. Mount the garland on hooks:
If you haven’t yet, set your hooks. I highly suggest two for single doorways and three for double and four for triple width doorways. Our doorway was perfect for three hooks to be mounted. Once you have the hooks where you want them, attach the garland either by the loops you created if you chose to or if you are like me just by the wire you find haha. I like to not have too much planned and let things take shape naturally.
10. Fill in the Gaps:
This is the part I get so excited about and could spend HOURS doing haha. Now is the time for all the extra pieces you have gathered. Now you can use the structure of the garland to place various greens into the garland. I love spreading out the different types and letting them add depth to the garland. It is so fun to kind of just let the garland take a shape as you place more and more greens into it. You can decide when it is finished for you. I typically work on mine throughout the week as I forage new things they will be added to over the course of a few weeks and it makes for a fun ongoing project in our home.
That is all it takes to make your own garland for your home this holiday season. if you have any questions or any other tips feel free to leave them below! I would love to hear and to answer.
Have you guys started decorating? What is your favorite thing to do each season for your decor? Oh and this week I am also sharing how to make that wreath back there too. A super easy DIY as well!
Beautiful and very informative, thank you 🙂
I love how wild the garland looks over the windows, and the little green tendrils that snake down. Happy Holidays!
thank you for sharing this with us! I can’t wait to trt it! making your own always so much more beautiful! one of my favorite things to do for holiday decor is candles lit everywhere and leftover christmas tree greens in vases, jars, everywhere.
We currently live in an apartment, so decorating our space has been limiting; however, we’ve put our Christmas tree up in October, so we’ve been feeling festive since!
p.s. OMG, how beautiful is that view from your home! *all the heart eyes*
Thank you so help!
A few years Ago i made my own garland and it was bea and smeLled Wonderfully but…. after a couple weeks in the house all the needles started to dry and Fall?? ANy Ideas on hOw to fix or stop that?
There isn’t really a way to keep it from drying out. I usually don’t make mine till a week or two before Christmas so that it can stay as fresh as possible.
There is a product called wiltpruff that you can use to slow the drying process. I use it on all my outdoor winter arrangements.
SpRAying water to both sides Often does help
I live in an apartment and always go to visit family over christmas week, so I’ve gotten in the tradition of just filling my house with vases and vases of christmas greens and I always make wreaths / garlands for friends so they rotate on and off the walls all season.
number one florist tip to help slow the drying out of the garland (and wreaths) esp if you’ll be running the heater a bunch: mist it with a water bottle every few days
I have to say my favorite part of this post was getting to check out your beautiful home and those unbelievably amazing views from your picture windows. I’d love to see more of your house and your neighborhood. you have totally sold me on Northern Michigan, I cant’ wait to spend a summer there sometime, learning to sail and just swimming in the lake.
The end result is gorgeous! Thanks so much for sharing x
Jessica — NinetyCo
You’re a garland expert! I can’t even imagine how amazing the smell must be in your house. And omg – the snowy view from your windows?! this is like our life’s goal!
Is this a rental house? When do you think your house will be finished?
Yes, this is a home we are renting from a friend of our’s just for a couple seasons. But our home will most likely be done next year around Thanksgiving.
Such an amazing idea – I’ve already seen a pic on instagram and was totally thrilled!
xx Mirjam | http://www.miiju.ch
i love doing these! Mostly because I hate spending money on things that I know are all around (of course that depends where you live). They smell great, are so fun to make, and look so good! I didn’t make one this year but now I’m thinking I may have to.
I love this! Wish I had a large doorway in my home where I could hang something similar! 🙂
will this keep for next year or is this something you have to throw out after the holidays?
It is pretty much just for the season. You could use faux greens and you could keep it for years though just would cost more.
This was extremely helpful and simple. Question; how do you attach the filler greens in your gealand? Can you use a glue gun?
Yeah! So glad! I plan to recreate these again this year because it was so fun. As for the fillers, I just stuck them in and they usually naturally caught with everything else, but you can totally use some glue from a glue gun if you would like.
Oooooo! So pretty! I was just thinking how i could get a pretty Garland without paying a ton. How could i forget my giant blue spruce pine trees? Foraging Here i come! Thanks for the tips.
I just love fresh anything in the home, especially during the holidays. Beautiful.
I love the wreath on your wall as well..did you use a wire frame for that?
Thank you for this! I just got some from TJ’s and needed to know how to work with it!
Thanks so much for the instructions on the Garland. Last year we moved to 52 acres and have a lot of woods. Should I be concerned about tiny insects that I can’t see on them BEFORE I bring them Inside?
Well it depends on where you live. For us it is so cold when I do this and has been for weeks so there aren’t any bugs anymore. If it is warmer where you are you may have that issue but if you are in a cooler climate I wouldn’t worry about it at all.
I always use flyspray as we are in Australia,and it’s obviously HOT HERE and anything could crawl out!lol PS I love your creativity! I will be making one as well!
How long dose the garland last? Do you need to Spray with wa?
How do you keep the Garland
To stay fresh? Do Uou spray
Anything on it? How lOng does
It last?
Hi, i Love how your garland turned out! Although i may have to drive a bit farther for my pines and such. Question though how lOng does your garLand stay green? Do you think that spritzing it with water will help it last longer?
I don’t do my garland till the first week or December and I find it lasts almost a month but can start getting quite dry at the end. I haven’t tried spritzing it. Making sure the humidity in your home is right is important as well!
This entire post made me so happy. THank you for sharing your story, the how-to, and photos. i grew up in florida where decorations had to be store bought clippings, ARTIFICIAL and/or tropical. 🙂 i live in canada now and am so excited to create our very own forest found christmas decorations.
This is very helpful. wonderful!
I just absolutely love this. I am the same, the more greens in my home the better. what great tips! I love the idea about going to tree lots, Fabulous idea and beautiful end product! Thanks
i love this look for the winter season. so fresh and natural looking. thank you for sharing. so inspiring!
I absolutely LOve this! How many stems did you use? Roughly what was the length?
Love it! Youve inspirEd me to try this. When ive tried this in the past, i tied all the greens onto a roPe. Do you think its easier without the roPe?
This was a Really Great tUtorial. Im going to definitely give it a shot this year. I live in Florida but can Definitely pull this off with frazer fir clippings from the treelot and pine bough pieces and pinecones from our yard. I Have never liked using fake garland or wreaths of any sort but didnt have the confidence to pull off the real thing. Thank you! Your home is beautiful! Kay
Hi! What a great tutorial! I’m curious how long it takes you to make one garland like this? I think i might try to tackle this!
It takes about an hour without the time to forage it all.
Do the greens dry up with heat in the house all december?
I only have the garland up for a few weeks so it doesn’t really matter by the time they dry the holiday is over.
Loved this tutorial! I got so into it I made 5! One of them over 20 feet for a big window. My fingers kill after all that wire wrapping. But they turned out awesome, I found I liked making them a little thinner but maybe that’s because I didn’t want to run out of material before I got them all done.
How long do these fresh garlands stay fresh?
How long will this live garland last? I’d hate to do it too early and it looks dead and dry by christmas!
I would suggest doing it after Thanksgiving. I do not suggest it before at all. Also it depends on the moisture in your home as well. I find that if I do it the first week of December it looks just fine through Christmas.
Your tutori was just what I needed! Thank you so VERY much!
So trying this for my mantle and over doorways.
thanks!
Do you need to do something to them in case OF bugs? Spray or wash them off?
Thank you so much for your detailed instructions. I have been searching for days and this is by far the best tutorial!!
How do you keep it from drying out???
How long will it stay Green and fresh looking?
Thank you for sharing so explicitly, with words and photos! So much appreciated as I would never risk this on my own! Will try it tomorrow! Have a super christmas!
Always wanted to make a garland. It’ll be next year for sure. I’m a yooper and have tons of greens to pick on my own property. I make wreaths each year. Love to work with natural materials. Thanks for the tips. Nice job you do.