If you’re cutting your plants back this month, don’t chuck the clippings straight in the compost bin – there’s a creative way you can make them last longer.
British television presenter David Domoney is actually in favour of keeping those clippings rather than throwing them away. That’s because you can make a wreath out of them using a compost bin lid, or similar – and with autumn and winter on the way, it’s the perfect time to get started.
Luckily, there are plenty of plants to cut back in August, so you’ll probably have a lot of material to work with. Here’s what David said in one of his latest Instagram reels.
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You probably wouldn’t expect to start making a DIY living Christmas wreath in August, but it doesn’t have to be strictly seasonal – you can make a natural wreath for any season (and autumn is on the horizon!).
All of that greenery you’re trimming away while you’re pruning your plants in August can provide an ideal framework for that wreath. And the surprise aide? A compost bin lid.
‘At the moment, when you’re pruning things like wisteria, or even thornless roses and many other plants, they’re at their most pliable,’ David says in his Instagram reel. ‘Take their leaves off, run them along the inside of a lid – it doesn’t have to be a compost lid, anything similar – group them together, tie them up, and it’s a framework for a wreath.’
From those simple steps alone, you’ll have an all-natural, one-of-a-kind wreath that you simply leave inside the lid to take shape before removing and decorating with other plants. You’ll just need some string like this Draper garden twine from Amazon to hold the stems in place.
‘The result is a homemade wreath framework ready to decorate for autumn, then reinvent for Christmas,’ David said in the caption.
If you want to add flowers or other natural decorations to your wreath, you’ll need a reel of green florist wire, like this reel from Amazon.
‘For anything heavy or bulky, like pinecones or chunky dried orange slices, hot glue is an amateur move,’ says Mark Dwelly, head gardener at Audley Stanbridge Earls. ‘Use florist wire. Twist it securely around the base of the pinecone or thread it through the orange slice. Then, poke the wire ends through the back of the wreath and twist them tightly to secure. This ensures nothing falls off in a gust of wind.’
If it’s too soon to be thinking about Christmas wreaths, you could look at summery decorations like dried flowers instead. You can buy a herb and flower drying rack for £16.99 from B&Q.
What you’ll need
Besides your compost (or even dustbin) lid and your prunings, you’ll only need a couple of things to make a wreath this August.
tenn well
Green Floral Wire With Cutter
100 metres of florist wire with a handy cutter attached to the reel.
Green garden twine blends in with the wreath foliage.
Dibor
Cast Iron Garden Twine Dispenser With Scissors
Or, invest in a beautiful garden twine dispenser that comes with scissors.
So, you can use a compost bin lid, or even a dustbin lid, as a mould for a wreath – and all you need are your prunings! It’s a win-win.
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