How to Make a Christmas Garland with Fresh Foliage
Read time - 8 mins
A team of flower, style and design experts and enthusiasts. We love sharing advice on all things floral and offering top tips on expressing yourself and your emotions.
A team of flower, style and design experts and enthusiasts. We love sharing advice on all things floral and offering top tips on expressing yourself and your emotions.
Step by step guide to making a Christmas garland
Christmas garland-making instructions
Cut your string to the length you want
The string is your base (it’s less harmful to the environment than floral foam).
We made our garland for a mantlepiece, but you could do one for the Christmas table, your dresser or stair banister.
Prep your foliage
Cut your spruce, eucalyptus, hypericum, skimmia and conifer into pieces (range them from around 10 – 20cm) and make a few piles ready to use. It should be starting to smell like Christmas!
TOP TIP: Remove the leaves from the hypericum berries, they go brown and don’t last as long as the rest of the foliage.
Start wrapping
Yes more Christmas wrapping, but a different kind. Take a piece of each of your bits of green foliage and berries and create a nice bundle, hold it against your string with one hand, and with the other end take your florists wire and wrap it around the end of your foliage bundle and string serval times to secure them together. Make a second bundle and secure it to the string with your florists wire, placing it half way down the first bundle, so they overlap and there is no gap. Keep repeating this process.
Keep wrapping!
Keep adding foliage and berry bundles. When you get to the end of your string and the final bundle, add it so it is pointing inwards in the opposite direction to the rest so that you don’t have a messy garland end of stems. Wrap it several times with floristry wire to secure everything in place.
TOP TIP: Tuck spruce into any areas of exposed florists wire as the wire nestle and hides in the needles.
The final flurry
This classic garland will look lovely and festive as it is, but we like to add a little Interflora Christmas twist with addition of more Eucalyptus painted in metallic copper and our dramatic flower of choice, the anthurium, but you can choose any flower. Use the structure of your garland to slot these extra pieces into between the layered foliage bundles, securing with more florists wire as needed.
TOP TIP: Many flowers come supplied in individual water vials, ask your florist to keep them for your garland flowers.
More finishing touches
Add dried fruit:
- To attach a dried orange slice, take 15cm of wire and push it through the flesh just below the skin of the orange.
- Pull the two bits of wire together and do a few twists, then pull the wire straight.
- To attach it to the garland push it through the foliage to the string, then flip the garland over and find the end of the wire.
- Bend it back towards the orange, tucking it around the string.
- Repeat for your other orange pieces and spread them along your garland. Dried grapefruit and lemons also work well.
Add pinecones
- To attach the wire to a pinecone, grab one and have the pointy end facing towards you.
- Take a 15cm piece of wire and thread it through the cone, so you have equal amounts either side.
- Pull one of the sides around the bottom of the cone, nice and tight, so it joins the other piece of wire.
- Twist the wire ends together, then straighten it out – now it’s ready to attach to the garland the same way you did your orange slices.
Voila, your gorgeous garland is done! All you need to do is gently move it to where it’ll be on show and soak up the joy of making something so lovely (and low impact on the planet).
If you’re looking for more festive floral projects, you can also try making your own Christmas wreath using fresh foliage and seasonal flowers.
Making a sustainable Christmas garland
‘Sustainable’ is a funny word – what does it really mean? Well, here we’re using it to mean a garland that doesn’t use irreplaceable natural resources, cause environmental harm or upset the balance of our planet’s ecosystems. We want garlands that are green in every sense! There are a few ways to make sure your homemade garland is sustainable, and a few things to watch out for.
- Don’t use floral foam (this is usually fossil fuel based).
- Use plants and foliage grown locally (or in the UK) and/or organically (this reduces their carbon footprint through travel or through growing them in an intensive way).
- Compost your garland after the festivities are over.
- Reuse your floral wire year after year.
While it’s tempting to use a plastic garland because it won’t wilt, the manufacture of it will use fossil fuels, and it could take up to 500 years to break down (often into harmful materials that cause pollution and harm to the environment).
Opting for a fresh garland avoids this, and it should still be long-lasting – the foliage we picked for ours should last at least two weeks, if not longer, and don’t forget to spritz it with water regularly to help it on its journey to longevity.
How to keep a fresh Christmas garland from drying out
A real Christmas garland can stay looking beautiful throughout the festive season with a little regular care. The exact lifespan will depend on the foliage and flowers you use, but many fresh garlands can last for around two weeks or longer when cared for properly.
- Keep your garland away from direct heat sources like radiators and fireplaces, as warm air can cause the foliage to dry out more quickly.
- Lightly mist your garland with water every few days can also help keep the greenery looking fresh, especially in warmer rooms.
If you’re displaying your garland on a mantelpiece, remember to check it regularly and remove any flowers or foliage that have started to fade. This gives the rest of the garland more time to shine.
Christmas garland FAQs
To make a fresh Christmas garland for a mantelpiece, start with a strong base such as string or rope, then build up layers of evergreen foliage, flowers and decorations using floristry wire.
Measure your mantelpiece before you start and make your garland slightly longer than the space you want to cover. This will help create a relaxed, natural drape.
Evergreen foliage is a great choice for a fresh Christmas garland because it holds its shape, adds texture and brings that lovely festive fragrance into your home.
Popular choices include blue spruce, conifer and eucalyptus. You can also add seasonal touches such as berries, flowers, dried fruit and pinecones to give your garland extra colour and personality.
The best way to display a garland on your mantlepiece depends on the surface and the weight of your design. Lightweight garlands can often be secured using removable hooks or clips, while heavier designs may need stronger support.
Avoid placing anything that could damage the mantelpiece, and make sure your garland is secure before adding extra decorations.
A fresh Christmas garland can last for around two weeks or longer when made with long-lasting foliage and cared for properly.
Keep it away from direct heat, mist it regularly and remove any fading flowers or foliage to help it stay looking beautiful throughout the festive season.
Absolutely. One of the joys of making your own garland is adding your personal favourite touches.
Fresh flowers, berries, dried orange slices, pinecones and ribbons can all add extra pops of colour and texture. Just remember to use floristry wire rather than glue, as it’s much kinder to delicate stems and petals.
Create a Christmas garland to treasure this festive season
Making your own Christmas garland is a wonderful way to bring a little extra creativity into the festive season. From choosing your favourite foliage to adding those final decorative touches, every handmade garland has its own character.
With a few simple materials and our step-by-step guide, you can create a fresh Christmas garland that fills your home with seasonal colour, texture and fragrance.
Whether you’re decorating your mantelpiece, staircase or Christmas table, we hope this guide has inspired you to try something new this festive season. For more ideas, explore our Christmas Shop for beautiful flowers, plants and gifts to help make every moment feel special.
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