I have always loved the look of a fresh boxwood wreath, but until now I found them to be quite expensive and a little hard to find. They still aren't as popular as a traditional evergreen wreath. Although, they would honestly be easy enough to make if you have large boxwood bushes in your yard that you don't mind trimming a little for the sake of a fabulous wreath.
In any case, our boxwoods are still quite small, and can't spare any cuttings just yet. Not to fear though, Trader Joe's has come through once again! While we were out this weekend doing a little grocery shopping, I spied the most fabulous fresh boxwood wreaths for sale there for only $9.99! They were big (22 inches) and quite full. I quickly snapped one up and brought it home.
And here she is in all her glory! I made the jaunty bow and affixed it to the wreath, and centered the whole thing over our door knocker (another fine Nashville flea market score from a couple years ago). Somehow, the door knocker peaking out reminds me of the passage from A Christmas Carol when Scrooge sees his late partner Marley in his door knocker the night he is visited by the Ghosts of Christmas. Ooooh, what's not to love!
Now, pretty as it may be, it is a live wreath and therefore, requires a few simple tricks to keep it looking tip top through the Christmas season.
1. Any kind of live wreath, boxwood or otherwise, will always do better outside than inside. The dry heat from inside your house will dry it out faster. However, if you choose to display your wreath inside, then you may want to set it outside overnight each night to expose it to the cooler and moister outdoor air.
2. Live wreaths also last longer if you spritz them with water from time to time. It doesn't have to be daily, but treat it as you would any other house plant and be sure not to forget about it when it's time to do your other waterings.
3. Finally, as your wreath starts to dry out, (they can last up to 2 months or longer with the proper care) lay it flat until it completely dries. When it is completely dried out, you can spray paint it for future use. The realist in me says that spraypainting it green would look pretty unnatural, but I am planning to spray ours a soft metallic gold once we are at the end of our season. It's certainly worth a try, and might just make my $10 investment last even longer!
Here's to a festive and beautiful Christmas season! Happy decorating!
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Thank you...Love Nashville!
ReplyDeleteDid you spray paint your boxwood wreath? How did it turn out?
ReplyDeleteThanks for checking back in on this wreath! No, I had every good intention of spraying it gold when the season was over, but alas, you know what often happens with good intentions. Would love to try again this year though. :)
ReplyDeleteI can’t believe I’m just seeing this now, a day after I purchased the same wreath from Trader Joe’s! It’s totally beautiful! I’m debating going back for more & hanging one on each window of the house. My concerns are re-salvaging them for future use in the years to come & also debating hanging outside vs inside. I did read your comments on care but am debating aesthetically how it would look. Any thoughts on whether this would be a good investment or not? Of course I could just go to a craft store & buy fake ones but this one was just too beautiful to pass up.
ReplyDeleteYou can preserve your boxwood wreath. There are a lot of instructions online. The borax/cornstarch one looks great. That's what I'm doing with mine after Christmas, so I may use it forever!!
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