Make a DIY LAVENDER WREATH the easy way!

Oh, fresh Lavender is the essence of summer! It's one of those things that's so hard for me to cut. It's just so beautiful I hate to do it, but it's a favorite that when cut and dried can be admired for years to come which is why I love making a wreath out of it!

Lavender is such a wonderful herb, in fact if I had to choose one and only one herb that I couldn't live without it would win the contest hands down. I use it in so many herbal applications but its such a versatile herb that can be used so many different ways including just as a dried herb to decorate your home with.

I had a lot of very large Lavender plants at my last house, if fact I had so much that I even used to sell it at our Farmer's Market. I would also dry several gallons worth a year. Sadly our new place was pretty much devoid of flowers. While it's a bit overwhelming to start over with my herb and flower garden the first thing I planted last year were several Lavender plants. As much as I would like to go on a spending spree at our local nursery you sometimes have to exercise a bit of self control and just do little by little. I've been looking through several of Tasha Tudors gardening books because her gardens were what dreams are made of and one of her tips was...

“If you have just so much money, spend it all on one variety and make a big splash.”

I'm so glad I followed that advice. I planted Lavender and Sage heavy in my front yard making a lovely alternating border and while it's not thick and full like I dream, it already has grown so much in just one year. So this year, while it's not the bountiful harvest that I was used to with my last house, it's something so I'll take it!

I decided to cut enough to make a wreath. I love Lavender wreaths because they last years and years. You can use a wreath form which is what I've done before and added large bundles to it making and beautiful, large and full wreath. As my harvest is limited I decided to use a cute brass 8 X 10 frame I had on hand. Its smaller size is perfect for the amount of Lavender I have.

So let's get started, it's easy and you may even have everything already!

Supplies:

Lavender Bundles: I used 3 small bundles but if you're purchasing fresh Lavender from the Farmer's Market you may be able to get by with 1 or 2 instead as they are usually a bit larger than the ones I cut. You can use just Lavender or add a few other herbs. In this wreath I ended up adding a few sprigs of Sage but Rosemary and Thyme would also be lovely. Just keep in mind that most herbs will not look quite as nice as Lavender does when they dry.

Picture Frame: Any size and shape will do but keep in mind the larger and thicker the frame the more Lavender you'll need. For my small wreath I used an 8 X 10 sized frame. You will take the glass and back off and use just the frame itself. The frame I used had a little hanger on it but if yours doesn't you can just loop lace, or a fabric strip around it at the end if you'll be hanging it. Like I said earlier, you can use a wire wreath base/form as well, these just typically use a TON of Lavender to cover, which  really makes a lovely wreath but not everyone has that much Lavender. For example I used approximately 15 large bundles on a large Lavender wreath I made before, it was a show stopper for sure though!

Wire: you can use any gauge wire, but using a smaller gauge wire is best as you're able to wrap it around the Lavender and base much tighter. Remember your Lavender is going to dry which means it will shrink so you want to wrap very tight.

Wire cutters or a sharp pair of scissors to cut your wire at the end.

NOW LETS GET AFTER IT!

Take your fresh cut Lavender and if it's in bundles, take a part and make smaller bundles (no need to tie) with approximately 10 stems.

I like to start at one of the corners. You'll place your first bundle at the corner with the lavender pointing inward. Wrap 1-2 times around and do not cut wire (that's just extra work.)

Next, you'll turn the corner and place your next bundle down pointing up and covering the wire of the last bundle, wrap with wire and continue adding bundles the rest of the way down, all facing in the same upward direction.

You'll continue all the way down not cutting the wire but keeping it tight. Remember the lavender will shrink when it dries so you want it very tight. If you're using smaller gauge wire just be careful not to pull too tight and accidentally cut the lavender with it as you're wrapping it.

Once you finish that side you'll turn the corner and place your next bundle facing outward. It will be facing the opposite direction as the bundle that you first started with.

Continue wrapping each bundle down the line, making sure to cover the wire from the last bundle. Depending on the size of your frame you may need to fan your lavender out a bit to cover a thicker frame.

You will round the next corner and start the next side with your bundle pointing down, which is pointing in the opposite direction of the lavender opposite it. Once you make it all the way to the top you will then place your last corner bundle facing out and in the same direction as your first bundle.

As you get to the first bundle, you'll have just enough space to put one more bundle. I find that by cutting the stems shorter on the last bundle it makes it easier to lift up that first bundle and secure the last bundle under it.

Now you can cut off the stems on the corners that poke out by gently lifting the corner pieces and cutting off the stems behind them.

Cut your wire and wrap it around some of the other wire a few times to secure and tuck in the end as it can be sharp.

You can now fan out the Lavender and add a few sprigs here and there to areas that are sparse. I decided to add a few sprigs of sage. You can add these by simply tucking them into the lavender bundles.

If you're going to be hanging yours you may need to add a loop of ribbon on the top. I think lace looks nice but any pretty ribbon or fabric strips will work. I don't add any floral spray to mine to preserve it, I just don't t think Lavender really needs it but you can use floral preserving spray or even hair spray to help keep the colors more vibrant and the blossoms less likely to break.

I hope you like making this easy and fun wreath. I like making a smaller size like this one as it's easy to tuck into just about any space plus the rectangular size is a little different and fun.

One word to the wise is that it's best to hang these places where they don't get bumped, as lavender when dry is messy if it gets bumped. I had one on my front door once and it ended up being a giant mess because everyone would crash into it when coming into the house and I'd always have dried lavender all over the floor by the door.

I used to be an innkeeper at a B&B in town and we had a lot of Lavender used throughout as decor. I fell in love with a square wreath on the wall and upon closer examination realized the base was just a frame. I think it's such a cute idea to make a wreath that's not the traditional round shape, so that's how I have been making them ever sense. That wreath was several years old, they really do last years and years. So this is a fun projects that hopefully you can get many years of use out of!

If you liked this DIY, make sure to check out some of my others like this Favorite DETOXING LAVENDER BATH SOAK recipe.

Thanks again!!!

Erinn

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