How to Care for and Store a Dried Flower Wreath

One of the lovely things about a dried flower wreath is that, unlike a fresh foliage wreath, it doesn't have to come down at the end of the season.

Look after it carefully and a dried wreath can last for years. Or, if you'd rather treat yours as something seasonal - bringing it out for autumn or Christmas and then saying goodbye to it afterwards - that's absolutely fine too.

Whichever camp you're in, there are a few simple things you can do to keep your dried flower wreath looking its best.

Where should you hang a dried flower wreath?

The best place for a dried flower wreath is indoors, somewhere dry and away from direct sunlight.

You can hang one on a front door, but ideally it needs to be a sheltered one. Being exposed to the British weather obviously isn't going to do dried flowers any favours, so a wreath kept outside won't last as long as one displayed indoors.

If you've hung yours on the front door and particularly wet weather is forecast, bring it inside until the rain has passed.

You'll also want to avoid particularly humid rooms such as bathrooms.

Although, if you DO decorate your entire house for autumn and winter and therefore require a wreath in the bathroom, you are my kind of person. Let's be friends.

Keep your wreath away from direct sunlight

Just as sunlight gradually fades fabrics, photographs and furniture, it will also fade dried flowers.

This doesn't mean your wreath needs to live in a dark corner. Just avoid hanging it somewhere that receives strong, direct sunlight for hours every day if you'd like to preserve its colours for as long as possible.

Some fading over time is completely normal - these are real flowers, after all.

What should you do if a dried flower wreath gets wet?

Act quickly.

Damp is one of the biggest enemies of dried flowers because, if moisture remains trapped amongst the flowers and grasses, mould can begin to develop.

If your wreath does accidentally get wet, bring it indoors straight away and put it somewhere warm, dry and well ventilated.

The important thing is to allow the moisture to escape and get the wreath thoroughly dry again as quickly as possible.

And don't panic because it got caught in one rain shower. Getting it dry again promptly is what matters.

How do you clean a dried flower wreath?

If you're planning to keep your wreath for several years, it will inevitably gather a little dust.

Don't wipe the flowers or try to clean them with water. Instead, very gently go over the wreath with a feather duster.

You can also use a hairdryer on its lowest, coolest setting to gently blow dust away. Don't hold it too close to the wreath - dried flowers and grasses become more delicate with age and you don't want to blast half of your wreath across the room.

Which brings me to another important point...

Always pick your wreath up by the willow base

Dried flowers are naturally more brittle than fresh ones, so try not to pick your wreath up by its flowers, grasses or seedheads.

Instead, put your hands underneath and hold it by the woven willow base.

A little shedding is completely normal, particularly with some of the more delicate grasses and seedheads. Your wreath isn't damaged because the occasional tiny piece falls off.

How long does a dried flower wreath last?

Potentially, years.

If your wreath is kept indoors, dry and out of strong sunlight, there's no reason you can't bring it out again next autumn or winter.

It won't remain completely unchanged, though.

Colours will gradually soften and fade. Some grasses may become more delicate. You might lose the occasional seed or tiny dried flower.

Personally, I think that's part of having something made from natural materials.

These aren't plastic decorations designed to remain identical forever. They're flowers, grasses and seedheads that grew outside on my flower plot here in Bradford on Avon. They've been cut, dried and woven into something that preserves them long beyond their original growing season.

They're allowed to age.

How to store your dried wreath until next year

If you'd like to bring your wreath out year after year, you can store it in the cardboard box it came in.

Make sure the wreath is completely dry before packing it away and keep the box somewhere dry and protected until you're ready for it again.

Basically, think about wherever you normally keep your Christmas decorations. If it's somewhere dry and safe enough for those, it's probably a good starting point for your wreath too.

Just avoid anywhere particularly damp.

Then next autumn or winter, carefully lift it out by its willow base, give it a very gentle dust if it needs one, and it's ready to hang again.

Or simply enjoy it for one season

There is absolutely no rule saying you have to keep your dried wreath forever.

You might prefer to treat it in exactly the same way you would a fresh Christmas wreath: something beautiful and seasonal that comes into your home for a few weeks or months and then returns to the earth afterwards.

And that's one of the reasons I've chosen to make my wreaths the way I have.

My dried wreaths are made using natural dried flowers, grasses and seedheads, arranged onto willow bases that I weave myself. At the end of their life, the natural materials can be composted or put into your garden waste rather than sitting in a cupboard for the next twenty years because you feel guilty about throwing them away.

So you can carefully pack yours away and bring it out again next year.

Or you can enjoy it enormously for one season, compost it when you're finished and choose something completely different next year.

Both are perfectly good ways to love a wreath.

My seasonal dried flower wreaths are handmade here in Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire, using flowers, grasses and seedheads I've grown and dried throughout the year.