Gardeners' Christmas pleasure: Christmas wreaths from "garden waste"

It was such a lovely weekend here in the Cotswolds.  Bright and crisply cold.  The Genus garden received a little bit of tidying up attention.  Whilst raking up the leaves I had a sudden inspiration that I should use some of the fir cones and acorn cups in the messy pile for something creative.  So, a couple of garden waste inspired Christmas wreaths were born!  I used some polystyrene packaging material to cut a “polo” shaped disc, onto which I used PVA glue to paste on all the cones and cups.  I’m going to use this wreath as a table centre (look below for a picture of the result).

Having caught the wreath making bug, I then rummaged around in the compost pile for clippings taken from the bottom of the weeping holly tree in the Genus woodland garden last week.  I rescued these (no kitchen waste on top of them yet luckily!!), and put together another wreath using a frame made out of a bent coat hanger which, with the addition of some cheap baubles bought in the corner shop, and held on with florists wire, made a really lovely present for a friend.

“Where’s there’s muck there’s brass” they say ….. but equally true perhaps "Where there’s garden waste there’s something beautiful waiting for a gardener's transforming hand"!