MAKING FALL WREATHS

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With your clippers, divide the vines into seven foot sections, Picking off bark and scraggly tendrils (the curlicues). I keep the good tendrils on the vine for a great woodsy look. Vines should be soaked overnight to insure flexibility in winding.

I have an old bathtub outdoors and soak my vines in rainwater. You can also use an old washtub, bending vines in a circle to fit. A good rainy day will soak vines lying on the ground.

Moss, Fungi, and Wasp's Nests

Sphagnum, lichen, and bun moss are just a few of the varieties available to pick—all offer different textures and shades of green. Some will come right up off the ground in sheets. Stream banks and forest floors are especially abundant with moss.

Larger fungi (called "punk" by some) are easily spotted growing on trees and old stumps at eye level; smaller pieces grow underneath fallen trees. The smaller ones can be gently picked or cut off. These come in various colors and stripes and add contrast and texture to a wreath.

I gather old, vacant wasp's nests in February and March from the rafters of our barn. (Spray first with a mild insect repellent if it makes you feel bet ter.) The honeycomb adds something unexpected to a wreath.

Flowers and Weeds

Goldenrod should be picked just as it turns yellow if you want the color bright. Pick Queen Anne's lace in full bloom or dried in the fall.

Yarrow, teasels, and grasses may be picked in different stages in varying shades. Hydrangeas should be picked after they change color and become slightly dry. Daisies and thistles should be picked in full bloom and then dried in silica gel.

Cut flowers and weeds at the base of the plant (take gloves for teasels and thistles). Daisies and Queen Anne's lace can be plucked off the stem for wreath use.

Find acorns, pinecones, and nuts on the forest floor and on the roads in the fall; save and dry peach, apricot, and plum seeds at home. Drying your foraged treasures thoroughly is very important to your final product. Drying kills any bugs or insects and preserves your material so it will last.

Hang Drying

Hang drying of naturals can be done as easily as hammering in a couple of nails, tying up a small rope line, or by using a wooden laundry rack. I use pipe cleaners to wrap around the end of the flower bunch I'm hanging and then secure it to the line or rack. Pipe cleaners work well since your flowers will shrink as they dry, and the cleaners can be easily adjusted. After blooms have thoroughly dried, store them in boxes if you don't plan to use them right away or set the bunches upright in coffee cans or large vases, Whether the flowers are in the process of drying or just in storage, make sure the room is dry, airy, and where things won't be touched or moved.

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