A tradition of decorat- “ing homes with green-

. ery for mid-winter fes- tivities was a common - practice in Britain in Celtic times and one we still practise today.

Most peopie, however, limit their decorations to a few attractive wreaths, swags or table centres. There are many ready-made arrange- ments available but the home- made items have more mean-

‘ ing and can be fun projects for the whole family.

.. Christmas decorations are sur-

-Prisingly casy to construct if

grows

you have a few simple materi- als and tools. ;

Rather than starting with a commercial wire wreath base . you can make your own hoop using a variety of plant mate- rials. Almost any long vine such as grape, ivy, kiwi or wis-

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teria can be cut and woven into a hoop for a base. Long branches from weeping wil- iow or yellow and red osier also work well. Remember to stagger the ends of the branches or vine around dhe circle as vou build up the base.

Moss for covering the hoop is not in short supply on the North Shore. Rake it cut of your lawn or strip it off a shady section of ground. Using a large handiul at a time, mount the moss on the base and tic i in place with a mono-filament or very fine wire. The diameter of the moss-covered hoop should be

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about six to eight centimetres.

Add a loop of wire or fila- ment to the hoop betore vou start adding greenery so the wreath can be hung from a door. This will determine the top of the wreath and the pat- tern of assembly.

There are two ways of arranging the greenery on the base. In one case you can start at the bottom and sys-. tematically work around the circle. A ribbon or ornament can be placed over the junc- tion at the bottom of the wreath. A second way is to start at the top and work down both sides meeting at_ the bottom. This second approach works well when the

greenery you are using is less

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rigid. The top junction in this case will be more obvious and can be covered again by a rib- bon, wired pine cones or a collection of nuts glued on a cardboard base.

The choice of greenery for the wreath is limited only by - your imagination and what is readily available in your arca. The colour of the door or wall where you intend to hang the wreath may also be. a factor to consider. |

Cut the leaves and side shoots off the foliage you are using and cut the end of the twig at a sharp angle to make it easier to slip it into the

damp moss and under the fil-:

ament or wire. Add only cne type of foliage at a time to

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“maintain balance and unifor- mity and star: with the one. you want for a background. Then add secondary materials or those that will highlight the wreath with colour or tex-

ture. Variegated material and ».*:

berries can make the differ- ence between an ordinary ©° wreath and a striking one. Some ef the material may" have io be tied with more fil-'- - ament or natural-coloured. twine. | : Step back from the wreath

occasionally and check the :» shape,

balance and coverage from different angles. The back of the wreath will be flat but boti sides and the front’ have to be filly covered, bushy and uniform. Traditional background material for wreaths can be short-needled Mugo pine, - mature, bushy Douglas fir or. western red cedar. Cedar...” boughs tend to be’fiat and you will need many more

> Sprigs of greenery to give the .

wreath a full took. Some of the yew, cypress and junipers can also be used but are hard: er to work with. Colorado blue spruce makes an‘excel

’ lent wreath but, unfortunat

iy, is not readily available::::

Mariegated conifers look bes’ -whea used on a dark doo

Nariegated accent plants and berms that look good on

“wreaths are goldheart ivy,’ -- Hlacagmus; Silver Queen:

Euonymus, holly and: cotoneaster. If you want more