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
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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
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