I love to make home decor from gathered materials.  There are so many reasons that I enjoy this process.  During the gathering phase you get to be outdoors, exploring the world.  What will you see while you’re walking that country field or forest road?  An eagle soaring above or a deer jumping out of the brush. The fresh air and the beauty of the world around you is so energizing.  And you end up with material to make lovely things like this wild rosehip wreath.

Rosehips are the seed pod of the rose.  It starts as such a beautiful and sweet smelling flower.  Then the flower dies leaving behind the rosehip to form.  It takes time for it to swell and finally to turn red.  The color of the rosehip continues to darken as the cooler autumn temperatures develop.  These rosehips are wonderful packages that also contain nutrients.  So they not only can be used in craft projects such as my wreath but they actually supply a high level of Vitamin C and phytonutrients when consumed.  You can use them to make tea, jam, jelly and a number of other foods.  For eating it is best to wait until after the first frost to harvest them.

Today I’m gathering enough to make a lovely wreath.  Other ways to use the wild rosehips could be adding them to your dried bouquets, incorporating them into autumn displays, using them as package gift toppers and adding them to your potpourri mix.  Remember when gathering wild materials be sure to only gather from areas that are safe and legal.

Supplies…

• gloves
• cutters
• 9-10 inch single wire wreath form or make your own with moldable wire (or a coat hanger in a pinch)
• floral paddle wire (22 gauge)
• about 80-100 wild rosehip sprays
• ribbon

Making the wreath form is simple.  Just start by forming a 1 inch loop to use for hanging.  Then form a 10 inch circle.  Weave a second and third layer around the first circle to give strength to the wreath.  Cut the wire and twist in place.

How to Make a Wild Rosehip Wreath…

Step 1:  Gather your rosehips

Go on a nice autumn walk and gather your rosehips.  Clip the rosehip branches long to start (about 3-5 inches).  I used approximately 80 rosehip sprays.  Most of them had 3 rosehips per branch.  Be sure to wear gloves when gathering rosehips.  A long sleeve shirt is also valuable to protect your arms.  That’s all you need from you outdoor walk.  Enjoy your walk and the time you spend outdoors.

Step 2:  Prepare the rosehips

Once you get home, spread the rosehips out on a work surface such as craft paper or a cut up paper bag.  Remove most of the leaves from each branch.  You can leave some greenery right up by the rosehip heads if you like, but otherwise trim off everything else and cut the stem to about 3 inches.

Step 3:  Attach the rosehips

Starting at the top of your wire form, twist the floral wire paddle onto your wreath form.  Lay a Rosehip branch along the edge of the wreath form and wrap the stem on with the floral wire.  Loop the wire at least two times close to the top of the Rosehips. Tuck another Rosehip bundle on top of the first one and loop the paddle wire around that rosehip.  As you wrap the paddle wire you will include the stem from the first rosehip.  We just keep successively adding more rosehips to the wreath.  Try to cover up the floral wire with each successive rosehip.  Trim stems to about 2 inches as you attach each rosehip.

Continue all the way around your wreath, tucking the rosehips close together to give fullness. Continue adding the rosehips in the same direction as you go.  When you get to the top of the wreath tuck the stems into the original rosehip and wire it on.  Cut your wire and carefully loop it around the metal form into your wreath.  Tie on a ribbon and hang your wonderful autumn wreath.

Note:  You can also use garden rosehips for this craft but you might need to make the wreath smaller in size unless you have abundant stems.

The rosehips will start to dry over time and will no longer be pliable.  So don’t wait too long to make your wreath after picking them.  Once you hang the wreath, the rosehips will continue to dry.  As the rosehips dry out they might start to fade, however they continue to retain their beauty for a long time.  I’ve had wreaths hanging outdoors that lasted for several years.

A wild rosehip wreath is so easy to make and such a beautiful addition to your autumn decor.  So next weekend take a walk in the woods or country fields and gather enough wild rosehips to make a wreath for yourself.

Related:  Tips for Gathering Natural Materials for Your Autumn Decor