Christmas wreaths look fantastic on the front door but also make lovely gifts.

If you have some time on your hands and are feeling creative why not have a go at making your own.

A good base is vital and it’s worth spending time and effort on getting this right. You may prefer to simply buy a foam, willow or straw base but you can make your own by twisting and tying or wiring evergreen foliage, willow or wire. A quick method is to reform a wire clothes hanger into a circle but it you prefer an evergreen base then use branches of spruce, pine or ivy. Using natural twine is best as it’s strong and camouflages well with the foliage you choose.

Think about the style you want to perfect and get inspiration from images online, magazines ad shops. You may prefer artificial embellishments, might want the whole wreath sourced from the smallholding’s offerings or you may decide on a combination of the both. Think about colours and textures and introduce them through foliage, berries, cones, dried fruits, lights, ribbons and baubles. Herbs bring scents and foliage offers so many different options such as eucalyptus, spruce, yew, ivy, holly, mistletoe or anything else from the holding.

Start building your wreath by tying or wiring foliage and flower stems to the base. Keep overlapping and pack tightly to avoid gaps until the wreath base is totally covered.

Now is the best bit. Add your decorations by wiring them or tying them to the stems with twine. There is no wrong way so create it as you want to, then move things if they don’t sit quite right. Keep going until you’re happy with your handiwork and then add a ribbon or raffia to hang the wreath with.