I have never thought about making a Christmas wreath, ever. I have an artificial one. I think I got it at Target at a post-holiday sale a few years ago. It looks pretty awful. When Fairview Garden Center offered me a spot in their very popular wreath making seminar as part of our Weeds to Wow Family Garden Project. I was like, “Yes! But, I might be totally terrible at it. I will have no idea what I’m doing.”

Turns out, I am not totally terrible at it and I LOVED doing it! Seriously! Fairview’s seminars fill up fast so I was psyched to have a spot at the table. Anna led the class in one of Fairview’s beautiful greenhouses. She explained the plethora of plants that work for wreath making. For holiday wreaths we used a Fraser Fir base because, hello! It smells like Christmas. Fraser Firs make Christmas. Am I right?

Fairview offered many different plants to make a holiday wreath including holly, pine cones, sugar cane, juniper etc. Those are the main plants I used.

I learned that you start with a wire wreath base. The ones that Fairview gave us are more pliable than others. Anna said we would be able to wrap plant pieces better.

She explained how you make small bundles and wrap one with each wire, moving around the wreath. She emphasized moving in the same direction all the way around. Don’t skip a wire, or you’ll have a bare spot in your wreath.

I alternated a bundle with holly and a bundle with sugar cane to create a pattern. We used clippers to trim plants. The first bundle I made was too long. I said, “I want a big wreath, though.” Anna mentioned that was fine, but pieces that are too long can fall out. She was right. I trimmed up my bundles. If you want to add something after wrapping a bundle, use some craft wire to add additional decoration.

I LOVE how it turned out. I think with practice I could make all sorts of wreaths. Seriously. My mind was spinning with the idea of magnolia leaf wreaths etc.

If you want to participate in a wreath seminar or any class offered by Fairview, check them out! Can’t make a wreath seminar? Buy one of their beautiful hand-crafted holiday wreaths. They had more types and colors of poinsettias than I have ever seen.

If you want to see expert hands make a gorgeous professional wreath, check out this video of Fairview’s Jo Ann Dewar. She’s been making custom handmade wreaths for 30 years. Amazing!

     We’re so excited and honored to start our first project with Fairview Garden Center. They asked us to be part of their inaugural “Weeds To Wow” Family Garden Project. You can follow along with us as Fairview helps make our yard look amazing because seriously, we know nothing about having a big yard and we kill plants with lack of knowledge and neglect. We’ll be doing a project each month starting now and going into next summer. Check back here for updates. Or click “The Yard” on the menu bar. I promise dirt and shenanigans resulting in a fine looking yard.

For our first autumn project, Fairview suggested we plant fall container gardens for our front stoop. I buy mums and pumpkins each year because nothing says “fall ya’ll!” like a pumpkin and a mum. Fairview gave us mums and pumpkins for Charlotte and Henry. Now autumn can happen!

The gorgeous planters add a lot more to your front porch for the season. These were so simple, even our family could plant them. That is saying a lot. I’ll take you step-by-step and show you everything you need for this. It’s perfect for families because kids can help with this type of gardening.

Here’s a list of what you need:

1. A Planter or Pot- Fairview had a huge selection of colors and varieties. This one in neutral tan looks nice with our green house. Make sure there are holes for proper drainage. I have drowned plants making this mistake before.
2. Proper Potting Soil- We used Fafard Ultra Container Mix. It turns out, different soils work better in different types of gardens. Who knew? I didn’t.
3. Plant Food- I have never added proper fertilizer or plant food before. Fairview recommended Osmocote Plus Indoor/Outdoor.
4. Gloves and a Shovel- These are adorable ones for kids. Fairview has a whole section for the kiddos. Charlotte loved her ducky gardening gloves.
5. More Plant Food- Fairview recommended Jack’s Classic Blossom Booster to keep everything nice and pretty through autumn.

In each container we included a variety of plants and flowers. Shamefully, I couldn’t really remember the difference between annuals and perennials. Sorry, 7th grade science teacher! Here’s what Fairview recommended for our fall planter after filling it with soil:

1. Acorus- Acorus is a perennial grass. We planted it first in the back center of the pot.
2. Snapdragons- Snapdragons are evergreen annuals for fall/winter that will rebloom in spring. We planted 3 or 4 of them behind the Acorus because they will grow tall.
3. Cool Wave Pansies- These are annuals that remain evergreen in the winter. I think everyone knows what pansies are. I was not aware of the Cool Wave variety that are great for containers because they grow more vine-like and can cascade down the side of the container. Very cool indeed!
4. Ivy- Ivy is a perennial trailing plant. I wanted mine sort of on the edges of the pot to grow over.

We filled it in with more soil and added the Osmocote. As a child I used to have this irrational fear that fertilizer would make me grow really huge. I think it was the scare tactic my parents used to keep us off the lawn after it had been fertilized. Charlotte rocked her gloves just in case. She’s already growing too fast.

Side note. Gardening gloves are great for opening jars. They give you good grip. See, I’m learning so much from this project already!

Then we watered them thoroughly and allowed them to drain. In a week we will begin fertilizing with Jack’s Blossom Booster when we water and then add it every 2-3 weeks after that.

Here is the before and after. What do you think? What are you doing in your yard this fall? We’ll take your suggestions! If you need help in your yard and you live in the Raleigh, NC area. Check out Fairview! Even if you live elsewhere, check out their blog for tips and how-to’s. They can even recommend nurseries in your area!