Island Life Magazine Ltd December 2007/January 2008 | Page 66

life GARDENING Wreathed in expectation Gardener Belinda StewartMoonlight takes time out to bring the garden indoors Being in the garden is the way we gardeners relax, and in the frantic run-up to Christmas everyone needs a moment or two to slow down. What I like to do is invite a group of friends over, settle them down with a glass of mulled wine and a CD of Christmas carols, and have a Christmas wreath-making afternoon. You just bring the garden indoors. For me Christmas begins when I pick the last of the apples, cut them up and dry them in a slow oven. Lemons and oranges (from the greengrocer, I don’t have a greenhouse) are treated similarly, and the fragrance of slowly drying citrus fruits is one of the most festive. You will have asked your friends to have a good root around their gardens for greenery: the more variety the better. And while the mulled wine is heating up, nip out with a basket and pair of scissors and collect bits of ivy, or any waxy-leafed plant – or cut some leylandii branches if you have them. You can add the branches you’ve taken off the bottom of your Christmas tree, too. Then take a moment to breath in that wonderful winter woody aroma. While everyone’s getting ready, soak all the foliage in water. Hand round the wine, and it’s time to get started. You can start with a couple of wire coat hangers, and make one into an inner circle of about 20cm diameter, and the other into an outer circle of about 24cm. Fill the gap 66 between them with florists’ moss and then, using florists’ wire, which is particularly bendable, wrap the resulting ring, pulling the wire tight to hold the moss in place. Once both sides are coated with moss, add a hook of wire or a ribbon for suspending the finished wreath. You might prefer to buy an oasis ring, which will keep added flowers fresher for longer, but which may lack the rustic charm of a wire base. Either way, if the wreath is hung on an outside door it will look good for longer. Now comes the fun bit. Stuff bits of ivy through the moss and wire. Weave it around, or use short pieces to blend with Island Life - www.isleofwight.net