help needed

My sister is dying to make one of those "living wreaths" with succulents. anyone know how to do this? can ya direct me to detailed inst. or info?

Thanks
Tina

Tina I make 20 of them each year for the Huntington Garden, I have taught several workshops, the hardest part is getting a pre-formed wreath, doing it yourself if a mess and expensive. Get your wreath, I uses a peat moss per-formed, I then put this in the water until the whole wreath is damp throughout. Just set it in a pan of water, then turn it over so it is evenly damp, if you get it too wet let it dry out or press out the water. Now at any time you don't follow what I'm trying to write email me, and I'll try to reword the sentense. Now get out your tools, you will need pencils, or chop sticks. Scissors, tweezers long. A turn table is nice to work on but you can turn a pot up side down that will work as well, I also use a plastic watering tray to set my wreath in so not to put cuts in any lower than necessary.
Cut your material the day before or even three days before so they heal over. I like plants like Sedum, Crassula, Echeveria, I don't like wreath rings over 10" due to the fact that they get too heavy, it is nice to use as many colors as you can. I like to use Crassula ovata, good colors, for the inside filler material which I set in first, you will need 18 cuts of this. Make sure the stems are not larger than a pencil, leave at least 1" stems to poke in, you willl need to take off the lower bigger leaves. Echevieria, must have smalll heads, and small stems. Sedums I live the orange S. nussbaumerianum v. orange color. I also like S. 'Christmas Cheer'
I use a lost of Crassula pruinosa.

After putting in the center low pieces of C.ovata, 'Crosby's Compacta' Then start the outside row, I think you will need at least 27 cuts of this. I then put in 8 Echevieria, say pink tone, I then start the bottom outer row aftwe this is done, I start using fillers, you may want to clump 5 pieces together to show the color off better, you may want them to form a spirel around the wreath, this is where you can shine, it is your turn to be creative. You may want to have hanging down on one side Sedum Burrito, I also use a lot of Senecio, Serpens, the one with the short blue leaves, not the long leaf variety, it is a slow grower that is why I like this plant.
I may use a bright green Sedum or yellow. Fill in the top inbetween the Echevieria so full you can't see the base of the wreath form. (Sedum
'Christmas Cheer' Now I'm going to stop and see if you are following me before I say any more. Please ask questions. I am going to be responding to my son who lives in Japan for the next 1/2 hr. Norma

When it is sunny outside, lay your wreath down flat. on top of a nursery flat so the water can drain, and water once a week, and fertilize, trim anything off that doesn't look right to you, You may want to replace some duds, and add twigs of color perhaps some delaspera, or tricodema that have flowers on at the time. I also like
'Drunkard Dream' to fill in. It has a orange yellow flower in May. It is also good for a side plant as it can hang down nicely. elospera cooperi is nice to add, it has pink flowers. Now go to it, be creative, remember to use just plants that love the sun don't mix shade plants in with this bunch. Use color, and if you don't like what you created, pull it all out except the bottom base plants and start over. Norma

Lord Norma!! This sounds like a CHORE!! What is the degree of difficulity here? and bless your heart for donating these things like you do!! I'm gonna print your inst out for my sister but this chick ain't gonna attempt it!!

Thanks you so very much for the time you put into these inst. YOU ARE APPRECIATED

Tina

The degree of difficulty is getting your supplies, plants, tools, wreath before you start. You will need approx. 150 cuts for the project. Start growing the plants now to be snipped off. Remember the stems must not be larger than a pencil. I love to use long 10" tweezers to poke the pieces down with, Pencils can make the holes the long tweezer places the stems into the holes. I'm sorry for all those misspelled names, that is the hardest part. If need be I will go over then again. I had eye surgery last Saturday and I'm still not in focus. Be sure to write if I didn't make myself perfectly clear. It's a fun project and doesn't need to be done all at once. It takes me 45 min. it may take you one and half hours the first one.
I do not poke down any roots, I cut all the heads off the plants fresh and lay them down on a tray to get a lot of air to dry.
Tricodiadema, I think that is the correct spelling for that one, it will have purple flowers. Crassula ovata v.agentea, = Crosby's compacta this has small round leaves that turn red on the edges. Crassula pubescens, lacy, dainty greay leaves, I use three stems per clump, to fill in. I don't like a formal wreath, but you may. Echevieria parayguensis 'Gray Ghost' or the pink sister one. Any Sedeveria, especially the red small headed variety. Best of luck, remember this is fun, not hard work. Norma

Norma, Do you happen to have any pics of these?

I don't have one, I did a wreath for a garden magazine and they never even bothered to send me a picture. Next time I'll sign a contract. That wreath took 4 hours of my time, because I had to stop and explain it to them, the names of plants why I doing such and such, and we corresponded for a week, before she got it right. I had the boss at the Huntington proof read everything before it went out with the Huntington's name, they were not to show my picture but they did anyway. Each wreath that I make is different. Its boring to do two the same. The Huntington sells them for $45.00 I wouldn't let them charge more. Its really a no brainer, but take a little patience to get the feel. I used to use hair pins or florest pins to hold the plants in, now I don't need to do that, I do finish it off with a big red florist ribbon at the top. Have your sister work with the wreath flat down. Besure to tell her to get a 10 clear platic pot water catcher. This way she can use the wreath for a table decoration. Being Jewish I make mine blue/gold/silver, and add dreidles, and gold candy gilt. Mine was not a wreath, but rectangle and held 8 white candles for Hanukkah. 7 bags of gold wrapped gilt. and 7 wooden dreidles, one for each grandchild. Make an Easter one, and add mini chicks and bunnies, use pastel colors and not Christmas.
Thanksgiving I would change the colors, adding harvest tones of gold and orange. Just have fun, this is very easy.

Norma

Just have her put the big rosettes on the top, I use 8 of these, then I fill in from there, if you look at a picture, you will stiffle creativity. That is the reason I don't give children coloring books. they are only good to get their hand eye coordination working by coloring between in the lines without going over. Now you know why my mother had trouble with me. I do my own thing.

There is a way to make a wreath from scratch, now that is difficult and time consuming. Messy, and a torch to join wire is needed to make a two tier wire fram .I would use a double row of wire at least the size of hanger wire joined in a circle. You need a lot of peat moss and some plastic that is used to hold bags of grapefruit. Tubing mesh, which you wrap 3" round of moss, then fishing line or thin wire to hold it all together, and 4 hands to help. You join this mesh filled with the peat moss by rolling the plastic mesh around the moss and pin as you go. (The peat moss should be damp) together, finish with thin wire wrapped around, you join the ends with florists pins. This is not easy and is hard to get the hang of it, really a class is needed for making the form from scratch. When I get ready for a class I order premade 50-100 at a time for the Huntington Gardens. Good luck with the project if questions are needed be sure to send me a note. I don't mind getting letters or helping. This is the way I learned as well, and it gives me practice writing. Norma

Since it is the season and someone was asking about these in another forum, thought I would bump the thread

HGTV has a pretty easy to follow instruction.....

http://www.hgtv.com/hgtv/gardening/article/0,,HGTV_3546_1382615,00.html

Thats my wreath in there, and my picture, they were not supposed to use. When I made it the first time several years ago, it took several hours, now I can make them in 45 minutes. I have given workshops on these, it's fun, I do programs for groups, and they are wild. Lots of fun, it takes a lot of material to work them up the way I do them. Each of you will have a different style, but I don't like any part of the wreath showing when they are hung up. I like to use the smaller form it is great for a candle, just put the candle in the middle, a 10" glass pyrex that is used for pies is great for the bottom, or get a 10" plastic water tray and set the form in before you start to work. This is a guide that tells you how far you need to go down with the cuts.
You have my permission to run off my instructions. This is not a secret, there is only one way to make them, no one showed me how, and any of you will do just fine. I was working in front of a camera which I had never done before, so I was a little intiminated to say the least. Norma

How totally cool Norma! Our very own celeb! Gorgeous wreath too!

Karen :~D