How to make a lavender heart door wreath

Lavender is traditionally a staple of cottage gardens, and is a wonderful addition to any wreath. Often used in aromatherapy, the fragrance is said to promote calm and well being, and is used as a treatment for insomnia, stress, anxiety and even mild pain, such as menstrual cramps and headaches.

The lavender plant as we know dates back 2500 years to India, the Middle East and the Mediterranean. Used for medicine, perfume and cooking in classical times, the plant was widely used throughout the Roman Empire. In fact the word “lavender” comes from the Latin “lavare”, meaning “to wash”;  Roman soldiers used to travel with lavender scented for its antibacterial properties, and Pliny the Elder extolled its virtues in easing a variety of medical disorders.

It does seem that every time you open a newspaper or magazine these days the emphasis is on sleep, whether it is how much we should be getting, or why we are not getting enough. Create one of these wonderful lavender door wreaths using either fresh or dried flowers and hang above your bed, then inhale that fabulous scent to soothe you to dreamy oblivion. Fresh flowers will dry out in a couple of weeks, but the arrangement should last for years; refresh the scent with a couple of drops of essential oil every few weeks when necessary.

All the stems are cut to the same length and made into little bundles using florist’s tape; the bundles are then spaced out and tied onto a base. Fresh lavender is quite pliable and forgiving so you can make smaller wreaths, candle garlands and even napkin rings; however make sure that when you wire the stems on to any base you pull the reel quite tightly, as they will shrink considerably as they dry out. The advantage of dried lavender is that it is available all year round, but it is slightly more liable to break at the stalk, so is not so well suited to the tiniest of projects.

Incidentally, once you have picked or purchased your lavender, don’t put it in water. It has evolved in hot dry conditions and will survive very nicely for a few days in a cool place until you need it. I had a lovely forty-eight hours where my fridge was filled with six huge bunches, and released a wonderfully calming scent whenever I opened the door; my vintage mature cheddar had a slightly floral note that I wasn’t expecting but the lavender was in top condition when I retrieved it.

The lavender heart featured is a quite a sizeable arrangement and measures about 50 x 50cms when completed. It requires a good quantity of lavender, so if you are making a smaller one you will obviously require less; 150 stems should cover a 25cm heart very nicely. Whilst working on this project I wired the bundles not just to the top, but also to the inside and the outside of the form as I worked round it. This resulted in a much fuller looking shape.

Materials

Lavender, roughly 800 stems, or 4 bunches if purchased from a lavender farm. 

Pliable twigs (honeysuckle works well)

30cm of 30mm wide ribbon, if you would like to finish it with a bow

Scissors

Floristry reel wire

Floristry tape

50 cm garden wire (I used a mild steel wire as it is quite easy to bend)

Wire cutters

Flat nosed pliers

Method

1. First of all, make your base. Taking one end of the garden wire, form a ring that is roughly 40cms in diameter, then weave the ends in and out to strengthen the circle. Use a little tape to cover over the ends of the wire to ensure you don’t catch yourself on the ends.
2. Bend the circle into a heart shape, ensuring the taped ends are one on long side of the heart; this will make it easier to shape. Using flat nosed pliers, make a point at the bottom of the circle, and then pulling the opposing side of the ring towards it, pinch again to give a defined shape.
3. I always think it is a good idea to add the hanging loop at this stage, rather than wait until the end of the project and wonder how you are going to hang it! Cut a 20cm inch length of wire, and fold in half. Twist the ends together and then wrap these around the top indent of the heart a couple of times, pinching it together with flat nosed pliers so it is secure.
4. Take your foraged twigs and attach them around the heart to form a sturdy base. Start at the bottom of the heart, and, holding them tightly against the wire form, wrap round with the reel wire, adding in more twigs when necessary.
5. Organise your lavender into bundles. Take 20 stems of lavender and, using the floristry tape, tie them into a little bunch, ensuring all the heads are roughly together. Trim the stems with the secateurs so the bunch is about 15cms long. Repeat, until you have 41 bundles. TIP; if you haven’t used floristry tape before, it is crepe paper covered in a think layer of wax which becomes sticky as you stretch it and warm it with your hands!
6. Split the bundles in to two piles of 20 (setting the last one aside for later), and roughly lay them round your heart form, to give you an idea of how closely you will need to space them.
7. Tie the reel wire on to the form, at the bottom point of the heart.
8. Take one of the bundles, lay it on top of the left hand side of the heart, pointing downwards, so the blooms are just covering the bottom of the heart. Wire in place, starting just underneath the flowerheads, giving it a few wraps around the stems to secure it in place. 
9. Add more bunches and continue to wire them around the ring until you reach the centre of the heart, ensuring that the flowerheads cover up the stalks on the previous bundle. 
10. Begin wiring the right hand side of the form, again making sure the bundles are pointing downwards.
11. When you reach the “V” at the top of the heart, tie off the wire, and cut the stalks from the last bundle off, flush with the metal form.
12. When both sides are covered to your satisfaction (you might want to tuck the odd sprig in here and there to fatten it up a bit) take the last bundle and wire in place with the buds pointing upwards to cover the “V” shape section of the heart. The lavender will contract as it dried so make sure you pull the wire nice and tight. Snip off the stalks to leave neat ends. 
13. Tie the ribbon over the base of the hanging loop, letting the tails drape down to cover any joins.
14. You may find for the first couple of days your wreath will shed some of the buds, but that will soon stop as the loose ones all drop. If they continue to drop, I find a quick blast with some fragrance-free hair spray does the trick instantly. 

Project taken from Wreath Making for All Occasions by Becci Coombes, available here!