DIY Rosemary Wreath



Rosemary Ball After Pruning

Today's adventure is a fun one.  I had to prune back a rosemary bush in my garden, so I decided to use the trimmed sprigs to make a fragrant and beautiful wreath, instead of just throwing them away.

First, you need to collect a few simple items.  A grocery bag full (or nearly full) of rosemary branches is a good place to start.  These should be 6 to 8 inches long for the most part.  You can use shorter

All You Need to Make the Wreath

ones when you are filling in, though.  You will also need some 22 gauge floral wire and a scissors to cut it.  It is a good idea to use paddle wire so you can cut off the lengths of wire you need.

You need to be sure to use VERY fresh cut rosemary for this project to work.  I cut it off and went directly inside to get to work on the wreath.  If the rosemary has been sitting out or even in water for more than an hour, it will start to dry slightly and will lose its flexibility.  This flexibility is absolutely necessary or you won't be able to bend the rosemary into the wreath shape.



First Few Sprigs Bound Together

First, start by binding a few strips of the rosemary together.  Take three sticks of the rosemary and a piece of wire that is about 18 inches long.  Wrap some of the wire around the bottom half inch of the rosemary to start your base.  Make sure it is very tight, because the rosemary will shrink as it dries once it is in the wreath form.  Take another three pieces and lay those on top of the other three, but about two inches from the tips of the first three.  Bind these with the wire.  Take three more pieces and do the same thing, two inches or so down from the tips of the second bunch.


Next Sprig Laid on top of First Bunch

Continue doing this, while at the same time bending the rosemary slightly each time you bind more on.  How long to make the chain?  It just depends on how much rosemary you have and how big a wreath you want.  I usually end up with a wreath about 12 inches in diameter when I am finished.  At this point, though, your wreath may look much smaller than that because it is so skinny and flimsy.



Finished Flimsy Wreath Base

Once the wreath is the size you want, bind the final pieces together to the original ones you started with.  You should now have your base form, even though it may not yet be a perfect circle.  It will probably look a little "squashy" shaped right now.  Don't worry, you will fix that in a minute.  The wire should be completely visible at this stage and it should look just kind of floppy and like I said before, flimsy.

So the next step will be to bulk it all up.  Start with at least three more pieces of the rosemary, and lay them over your original three pieces.  Bind these onto your base with the wire.  You don't need to bind these bunches quite as tightly as the first base circle, but it should still be pretty tight or it won't hold together.  Do the same process as above, but this time you are just trying to basically make your base thicker and more substantial.  When you have gone around the entire circle again, you should have a nice full base that is fairly solid and holds its circular shape.  

Now comes the fun part.  At this point, you still have a lot of visible wire and even though the wreath

Ready for "Plumping Up"--Wreath is Round,
but Wires Still Visible

holds its shape better, it is still not finished.  From here on out, you will basically be stuffing stems of rosemary under the wire wraps to cover up several other places where the wire wraps around the base.  Use long pieces and short pieces and stuff them in all around the base.  

When you finish this process, your wreath should be in an actual round shape.  The end fullness of the wreath is up to you, but ideally the sides should be about three inches or more across.  The thicker the sides, the longer your wreath will last.   Continue stuffing in more and more stems until your wreath is the size, thickness, and shape you want.  You should be able to pull slightly on the wreath without it falling apart.  It should also feel fairly heavy because of all the rosemary you have put in it.  You should not be able to see any of the wire when you finish.



Finished Rosemary Wreath

You can add a ribbon, or a bow, or if you want, stuff in some flowers around the wreath.  You can wire their stems into the wire that is still visible on the back of the wreath.  Or, as I prefer, just hang it up without any additional decoration.  The natural wreath by itself is so beautiful, I just don't care to detract from that.  However, as it dries, if I haven't tied the wire tight enough, I will add some embellishment then, even if it is just wrapping the wreath with some raffia, just to make it last a little longer.  The scent doesn't stop, no matter what.

This is a very simple herbal project that is easy and quick to make.  I have been making them for years and I just love to have them hanging around my kitchen as well as the rest of the house.  You can also keep it fresh by putting it in a bag in the refrigerator for a day or two, so that you can give it to a friend, if you'd like.  Rosemary represents purification, protection and mental powers so it is a wonderful gift to give to someone for their own home.  Or just keep it to boost your own spirits, like I did!

When the wreath is all dried out--give it about a week or maybe two to dry, depending on the humidity in your area--you still have all the rosemary to use in cooking!  Make sure it is dry before you take the wreath apart and strip the leaves from the branches, or it will mold in the jar.  The wreath will start to drop its leaves once it is dry.  This wreath yielded an absolutely FULL pint of dried rosemary leaves in a Mason Jar.  Mark the jar with a label showing the name of the herb (Rosemary) and the date to ensure freshness in use.  (Use within a year to ensure freshness.) 

Give this project a try and let me know how it turns out!

Peace and love always,



Finished Rosemary Wreath

Photo Credit:  All photos by Angela Fox-Thompson