By Mandy Salm
Now that we are just past the Winter Solstice, time for pruning is beginning, which offers the opportunity to make wreaths. In this post, we make a wreath from grape canes, but any long, pliable non-thorny vine material can work -- honeysuckle and wisteria are two that come to mind. You will want a minimum of 2-3 ft. lengths, but 3-4 ft. is better. Longer than that and it gets difficult to weave with but requires fewer additions.
Once you have pruned your plant and have some material to work with, here are simple steps to follow for making a circular wreath.
Step 1. Holding the thicker end in your non-weaving hand, bring the vine around forming a circle. Keep in mind that the inner diameter will get a little smaller while the outer diameter will get larger.
Step 1. Form a Circle
Step 2. Working the end of the vine from front to back and up through the center of the circle, make three to four wraps each time around the diameter of the circle. If you are making a larger wreath, you will need more wraps to make it more stable. Work the vine to maintain a nice angle to the wraps while keeping the circle round. If you are using a finer vine such as honeysuckle, you will need to make more wraps around each time.
When coming to the end of a length of vine, tuck it into one of the spaces between interwoven vines, preferably to the back.
Step 2. Make 3 to 4 wraps of the Vine
Step 3. Begin the next vine about one hand width from the start of the previous vine, tucking the thick end into one of the interwoven spaces on the front so that it is secure before weaving as above. You will probably have to tussle with the form and push down uneven edges on a hard surface to keep it round.
Continue tucking in ends and new beginnings working to keep the weaving balanced and even. The vines are easy to pull out and re-do if needed.
Step 3. Begin the next vine about one hand width from the start of the previous vine
Step 4. There is no set number of vines to use for your wreath, just keep adding and weaving until you have something you like.
Step 4. Keep adding Vines
If you can't get to making wreaths shortly after pruning but wish to at a later date, that is not a problem. Harder material such as grape canes will need to be soaked for a couple of hours in a tub to soften them. They should be pliable enough to weave without too much breakage. Finer material such as wisteria or honeysuckle needs less time to soak, but would benefit from some soaking to keep the breakage to a minimum.
A Completed vine Wreath