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November 7, 2014

My Boxwood Wreath Experiment

I love preserved boxwood wreaths and I have a few around the house that I have purchased at HomeGoods.  I give them a spritz of water every so often and they still look great.  Recently, I purchased a small one at Target, but the $20 price tag felt high to me, especially since I would like to use them in many places in my home for the holidays.  So, logically, my next step was to do a quick search on Pinterest (how did I ever get anything done before Pinterest?!) and found that many people have made their own boxwood wreaths in a variety of ways.
Boxwood wreath made with clippings from a boxwood shrub-www.goldenboysandme.com
There wasn't much mention of specifically how long they will last.  So I decided to experiment with some of my own.  Really, I had nothing to lose.  Our boxwoods needed a haircut and I had some grapevine wreaths in the basement leftover from other projects.  I posted this picture on Instagram before I started, and many had the same question, how long will they last?
Boxwood clippings on red chair with plank wall-www.goldenboysandme.com

I clipped a variety of sizes of clippings because I wasn't sure what would work best.  Here are the boxwoods before I started.  If nothing else, our boxwoods look a whole lot neater now:)
Untrimmed boxwoods with fall foliage in NJ-www.goldenboysandme.com
I had two different sized wreaths and I used longer clippings for the larger, and shorter for the smaller.  
DIY boxwood wreath tutorial using grapevine wreath-www.goldenboysandme.com
I simply placed the stems into the grapevine using no glue, moving around the wreath clockwise with all stems pointing in the same direction.  They stay in place very easily.  I didn't want to use glue because this way I can just replace any branches that dry or turn brown.  And also I can re-use the wreaths.  If I find they last a few weeks, I will probably make them a bit fuller next time around.
DIY boxwood wreath tutorial using grapevine wreath-www.goldenboysandme.com
I placed the smaller wreaths on a couple of shelves and I love the touch of green they add.
DIY small boxwood wreath on bookshelf with basket, bowling pins and Nate Berkus tray-www.goldenboysandme.com

DIY small boxwood wreath with wooden candle holders-www.goldenboysandme.com
I placed one of the medium sized wreaths on the window in our family room.
DIY boxwood wreath on window-www.goldenboysandme.com

DIY boxwood wreath on window-www.goldenboysandme.com
And one on the french door in the family room.  I should make 2 more since there are 2 doors and 2 windows :)
DIY boxwood wreath on french door with plank wall behind-www.goldenboysandme.com
Just for comparison, the wreath in the picture below is the preserved boxwood I purchased at Target.
Target Smith and Hawken small preserved boxwood wreath on plank wall-www.goldenboysandme.com
I will keep you posted about how they hold up!  Fingers crossed, they make it until Christmas.  Have you ever made a boxwood wreath?  I would love to hear about how long yours lasted :)

22 comments :

  1. I love boxwood and have several bushes that need trimming. I love how yours turned out. I may do that with the wreaths I have outside for the winter season. Have a wonderful weekend- xo Diana

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    1. Hi Diana,

      Your idea to make the wreaths for outside is perfect. They will probably last longer out there because they won’t get as dried out as they do in the house. Hmmm…now you have me thinking!

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  2. Such a great idea...we have several boxwoods in my front yard that could use a trim! A year or two ago I put some boxwoods in some white pitchers around Christmas time. I had to keep plenty of water in them but I think they lasted awhile. Just keep spritzing them and you should be ok!
    Shelley

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    1. Thanks, Shelley. I figured it was worth a shot since I had nothing to lose. It was so easy to make the wreaths and the boxwoods got trimmed too :)

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  3. These are so pretty! Wish I had some boxwood bushes! I'd love having some fresh! But I did find a big preserved boxwood wreath at the thrift store this week for $3! I couldn't believe it! You can also preserve your own with glycerine...there are tutorials on Pinterest, just in case they don't last as long as you want!

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    1. Thanks, Linda! Wow, what a find with that $3 preserved boxwood wreath!! Good for you :) I did see the tutorials for preserving your own boxwoods. Maybe I will give that a try too.

      Have a great weekend!
      Courtney

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  4. I think they are beautiful......I cant wait to see how it goes. We don't have any boxwoods.....or I would try too

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  5. So darling ,& I ADORE the ribbons you used!! Lovely & perfect for the holidays ;)

    Paige.Rose
    www.TheQuaintSanctuary.blogspot.com

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    1. Thanks Paige! I already used all the ribbon I bought for Christmas decorations. Back to the craft store for me!! Have a great weekend, friend :)

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  6. Even if they don't last forever, they are so cute right now!

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  7. Courtney,
    This is so great wow to have the boxwood bushes and be able to make your own. So cool. I am doing boxwood wreaths this year and this is a great idea.
    Kris

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    1. Thanks Kris. I hope they last! So far so good. I love boxwoods!! Can’t wait to see what you do with them this year. Have a great weekend!

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  8. I am wanting to try this. There are several recipes online for preserving boxwood branches with glycerine. Could you post a pic of the larger wreaths from the front? I'd like to see how full you can get them. Thanks.

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    1. Hi Karen. I added another picture to the bottom of the post. The larger wreaths are on my windows. You can get them as full as you want by adding additional boxwood clippings. The grapevine wreaths make it easy to do that.

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  9. Courtney, they are so pretty. I admire boxwood wreaths and have gotten a couple small ones from Decor Steals. They are pretty pricey for the larger sizes so guess I'll have to plant some boxwood..Happy Weekend..Judy

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    1. Judy, I have seen the boxwood wreaths on Decor Steals too and loved them! They are pricey pretty much everywhere I have seen them. Hoping mine last..so far so good. I will let you know how they do. Hope you are having a great weekend!!

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  10. They came out great! I would love to make one of those to put on my gate outside for the winter.

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    1. I think they will be perfect for your outside gate, Jeanette! They are holding up very well inside and outside they should hold up even better. I think I may make a couple for outside too.

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  11. These look great. I don't have boxwood bushes but we have tons of white pine trees. I've always wanted to hang four fresh pine wreaths on the windows on the front of the house but they are so pricey. I might try this with pine. Thanks for the inspiration.

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    1. Hi Rebecca,

      Thank you! Pine sounds like a perfect option. Hope it goes well :)

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