Make a Fresh Boxwood Wreath

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I’ve been eyeing fresh boxwood wreaths for awhile now. I just can’t bring myself to pull the trigger. Those suckers can be expensive! And if you know me, you know I am cheap…ahem…frugal. (I think the preserved wreaths can be worth the cost if you KNOW you love them; that you’ll keep and enjoy one for a long while. Sometimes it’s hard to tell until something is in your home.) Enter this method: it cost less than $5. Perfect for “test-driving” an item to see if you like it.

Trader Joe’s: The Mecca for Wreaths

I had heard near the holidays that Trader Joe’s has fresh wreaths for sale, but they sell like hotcakes! I was pregnant (Read: MONDO pregnant this past Christmas, so there was no rushing anywhere to get anything! HA! Unless it was to the bathroom or the Labor and Delivery unit at the hospital!) Fast forward a few months and we found some boxwood branches at Trader Joe’s in their floral section. (Not one of the wreaths that had been so popular during the holidays, but, hey, it got me thinking!)

Slow Growth & Slow Movin’

If you have a boxwood bush that needs pruning, you are golden, but the 4 stems (that were in the little pack of floral “filler”) probably represent 4+ years of growth. Yep, those bushes grow slooooowly. They are probably moving at the same rate my daughter moves. (My great-grandma once told us, “It takes me all day to do nothing!” She was in her 80s….my daughter could give her a run for her money on that statement some days….)

I don’t have any boxwoods in my yard, nor do I know anyone that would want me to clip sections of their bushes off….so Trader Joe’s for the WIN!

This was a super easy little project. I use the term “project” loosely. (I have a baby, so indulge me with the idea that I was able to get a project accomplished!)

Materials

• Boxwood stems (see above…don’t go pruning unless your victim bush can stand to have a hair cut that lasts several years. I wish my son’s hair grew at the same rate!)
• wire/ floral wire
• floral clippers (I used mine for the stems and clipping the wire….Like I said above, I’m a rebel!)

DIY Boxwood Wreath

I wasn’t joking when I said this was only a 3-step little project. It really takes just a few minutes to make!

• Gather your materials (3 Steps & 3 Materials! I love when things match like that!)

• Start lightly bending your boxwood branches to begin to shape them into a wreath-shape. Don’t be afraid to gently bend the branches while working on your wreath. The branches have been sitting in water (if you got yours at Trader Joes like I did), so they are pliable.

• Take a small piece of floral wire and attach two branches together (TIP: Make sure you always have the branches going in the same direction.) You might need to place multiple pieces of wire on the stems to start getting them attached and shaped the way you want.

• Keep working your way around the wreath: attach with wire, bend, repeat. I’ve heard of Bend It Like Beckham….this is Bend it like boxwoods [wink]. I’ve heard ones that aren’t preserved can last 2 weeks…I’ll have to let you know how this one does.

I’ve also used the same method to make a boxwood wreath using faux stems. You can check that out here.