Keep Your Christmas Wreath Fresh Through the Holidays with 9 Simple Tips

Fresh wreaths make beautiful and fragrant holiday decor, but they only last so long before they wilt and discolor. Whether you display wreaths indoors or outdoors, the climate around your home plays a major role in how fast the cut plant material in a wreath dries out. Ensure your fresh Christmas wreath lasts the entire holiday season with these tips on providing the right air temperature, light, and moisture levels.

Related: Spruce Up Your Home for the Holidays With These 11 Christmas Wreaths

1. Use Fresh Greenery

Ensure that you have the freshest greenery for your wreath by harvesting a few fresh branches from your backyard evergreen trees or bushes. Don’t worry—a small amount of careful pruning won't harm your plants. You can also use trimmed branches from the bottom of your live Christmas tree.

If you don’t have access to your own greenery, the next best thing is to buy it from garden centers, florist shops, and Christmas tree lots. Look for fresh branches that have a strong fragrance and pliable needles. Juniper and pine will have a more noticeable scent than spruce, fir, or yew. Remember: If you shake greenery and dry, brittle needles fall, don’t choose those branches to make your wreath.

2. Soak Your Wreath

Before hanging your new wreath, give it a moisture boost by soaking it in a bathtub or sink for 24 hours. It’s important to submerge all of the needles, stems, and branches in room-temperature water to keep your wreath fresh throughout the holiday season. Once you’ve removed the wreath from the water and allowed the excess water to drain, you can decorate and hang it away from heat sources.

3. Mist Daily

To maintain your wreath’s vibrance and beauty, use a spray bottle filled with water to mist your wreath’s foliage twice a day. For the best moisture absorption, mist greenery stems on the backside of your wreath.

4. Hydrate and Cover at Night

Before bed at night, mist your fresh indoor and outdoor wreaths and cover them with a plastic trash bag. This night-time routine helps to contain your greenery’s moisture so it won’t dry out quickly from windy outdoor conditions or warm indoor air. In the morning, uncover your wreaths to enjoy their natural beauty.

5. Display Your Wreath Outdoors in Cold Weather

Cooler outdoor temperatures will help your wreath last six to eight weeks outdoors. Comparatively, wreaths placed in warm and dry outdoor conditions usually last four to five weeks. The cold air keeps the greenery stiff and reduces moisture loss. Snowy conditions, natural rainfall, and high humidity also provide extra moisture to help extend the life of your holiday wreaths. 

6. Keep Indoor Temperatures Cool

If you’re planning on keeping your live wreath indoors, it’s likely to last just a few weeks due to the warmer conditions of its surroundings. Indoor air during the winter is both warm and dry—the opposite of an evergreen’s natural environment. To extend the life of your live indoor wreath, hang it in a cool room away from fireplaces and heat vents.

7. Avoid Direct Sunlight

Direct sunlight can cause live wreaths to dry quickly and turn brown rapidly. When choosing a location to hang your wreath outdoors, consider placing it in a sheltered location, such as a covered porch entrance that provides some shade. When hanging your wreath indoors, place it on a wall, door, or mirror away from large windows.

8. Apply an Anti-Desiccant Spray

Protect your live greenery from losing moisture with an anti-desiccant spray such as Wilt-Pruf. This protective coating, available online and at garden centers, helps seal in moisture and dries clear on your wreath’s needles. However, the product is sticky, so avoid spraying it near windows.

9. Use LED String Lights

If you plan on decorating your wreath with lights, choose LED string lights. Not only do LED lights consume less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs, but they are also much cooler and less likely to wilt your greenery. By not exposing your live greenery to unnecessary heat, you're helping maintain your wreath’s freshness.

Related: The 8 Best Christmas Lights to Decorate Indoors and Out

Read the original article on Better Homes & Gardens