November 22, 2022, 4:44 am | Read time: 3 minutes
An all-green Advent wreath can quickly become boring. Try mixing plants from your own garden with the classic needle greenery. Gardener Svenja Schwedtke has a few ideas.
The Advent wreath can be made from branches of many garden plants—not just the classic conifers. “We also like to use herbs such as rosemary, thyme, or lavender and branches from the red dogwood (Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’),” says gardener Svenja Schwedtke from Bornhöved. “Also, the fuzzy buds of magnolias and larch branches with cones add variety to the wreath.”
What from the Garden is Suitable for the Advent Wreath
Anything that can last a while without water is generally suitable for Advent wreaths, says the gardener and owner of a home accessories store. This includes the currently popular eucalyptus for decorations. “The fragrant, silvery-gray branches add attractive accents to the green wreath.” Alternatives are the slender leaves of the olive tree, rose branches with hips, or the twisted shoots of the corkscrew hazel.
Mixing Yellow-Green and Blue-Green
The yellow-green arborvitae (Thuja) and the blue-green false cypress (Chamaecyparis) also bring color gradations to the wreath. “Their branches are very flat and soft, making them easy to work with. Used in moderation, they do the Advent wreath good.” The yew (Taxus) adds dark green accents.
“In principle, you can use almost anything you find in the garden that’s evergreen in winter, including mahonia or cherry laurel,” says Schwedtke. However, she advises against using boxwood for indoor decorations because it has a somewhat strong smell. And juniper is too prickly to work with.
Schwedtke is also not very enthusiastic about using spruce (Picea) from the garden for wreath-making: “A spruce branch is very prickly, you don’t want to work with it, and it quickly loses its needles in the warmth.” The same goes for a typical Christmas green: holly. “As the name suggests, working with holly branches is no fun.”
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Classics are Nordmann and Noble Fir
The classic wreaths and branches for self-binding from the store are usually made from Nordmann or noble fir greenery. For good reason: “This greenery lasts a very long time, even in a warm living room. And it has to, because from the first Advent to Christmas Eve, it’s ideally five weeks.”
You can easily distinguish the two: The Nordmann fir has rich dark green and straight needles, while the noble fir has silvery-gray and slightly curved needles. “Both noble and Nordmann firs are relatively soft and pleasant to work with, and the needles don’t prick.”
Also interesting: 6 Tips to Keep the Advent Wreath Fresh Longer
Shell Cypress Conceals Binding Errors
Schwedtke also recommends the eastern white pine (Pinus strobus, also known as Weymouth pine) for very large wreaths. The long soft needles look good in them. In smaller wreaths, short-needled types like mountain pines (Pinus mugo varieties) work well. Important to know: Pine resin is sticky and makes your fingers sticky when binding.
A final tip from Svenja Schwedtke: “Shell cypresses (Chamaecyparis obtusa ‘Nana Gracilis’) are especially good for filling. They can perfectly conceal any irregularities in the Advent wreath.”
with material from dpa