Rustic Rosehip Wreaths

Last week I went home to Nova Scotia to check on my Dad. It's been a month since my Mom passed away and I needed to reassure myself that he was adjusting to life on his own. My parents were married for just over sixty years, and after so much time together, the loss must weigh heavily on Dad.

At ninety-three, Dad will tell you that his memory "isn't so good", but truth be told, he's still pretty sharp. Over short distances, he gets around with the help of a walker. For longer hikes, he's a speed demon in a motorized wheelchair. On our walks together, he usually left me in the dust!

Opposite Dad's apartment at the Berkeley (an assisted living residence for seniors), there is a lake with a gravel path that skirts the shoreline. In the area closest to the road, I discovered a large number of wild roses. How these roses came to grow amongst the wildflowers and grasses I could not tell you. They seem to have self-seeded themselves around the shoreline quite happily. 

While roses have a reputation for being fussy plants, the abundance of these shrubs suggests that some roses are quite capable of withstanding whatever nature throws their way. No gardener fertilizes or waters them. No one wraps them up to protect them in the winter and yet they flourish. They're quite content to make their own way in the world, thank you very much.

What I found particularly remarkable about these wild roses was the proliferation of colorful hips. 

I have not had the pleasure of seeing them in bloom, but I imagine that the majority of these roses are single flowers that are pale pink in color. Mixed in among the single roses were other shrubs where the big, round hips suggest larger, double flowers. This second type of wild rose had glossy, reddish-brown leaves that were quite magical when mixed in with all the other autumnal hues.

I couldn't resist gathering some hips to bring indoors.

Even if there are only a few rosehips in your garden, it's nice to bring them indoors for the holidays. Arranged in little vintage bottles, they look quite festive.

A few stems of red hips can also look pretty in a jug with some foraged evergreens.

Rosehips can even add a small flourish to a holiday gift.

Rosa glauca (medium pink)

Rosehips are actually edible. When roses are pollinated small fruits are formed that carry the seeds. Most hips are round, but they can have an elongated shape as well. Like oranges, rosehips are high in vitamin C and can be used to make tea, jams, jellies and syrups.

If you don't have roses at the moment, but would like to be able to gather hips of your own, look for roses with single or semi-double flowers that have an open cup-like shape that encourages pollinators to visit. Many-petaled roses like hybrid teas make it hard for bees and other pollinating insects to reach the flower's centre. 

Stop deadheading your roses in late-summer allowing the blossoms to fade naturally and produce hips.

In my garden, a John Cabot rose is a thorny warrior that produces orangy-red hips.

Roses that are known for producing hips

Landscape and Shrub Roses 

Bonica (medium pink)

Carefree Beauty (pink)

Meidiland Species: Alba, Coral, Fire, Magic, Mystic, Pink, Red

Carefree Delight (pink)

Rugosa Roses

Hansa (deep pink)

Jens Munk (medium pink)

Hybrid Musks

Ballerina (pale pink apple blossom type roses)

Buff Beauty (pinky-apricot)

Felicia (pink)

Sally Homes (white)

David Austin Roses

Constance Spry (light pink)

John Clare (deep pink)

Shropshire Lass (light pink)

The Generous Gardener (soft pink)

Penelope (white)

Other Roses

Bourbon Queen (pink blend)

John Cabot (medium pink)

Rosa glauca (medium pink)

Rosa mundi (pink blend)

Rosa rugosa

Rosa rugosa alba (white)

Rosa woodsii (medium pink)

With the bundles of rosehips I gathered by the lake, I decided to make a few holiday wreaths to bring home with me. The starting point for the first one was a simple grapevine wreath.

Often you will see it recommended to use hot glue or wire to make wreaths. For me, that's a bit of overkill. I like to reuse my grapevine wreaths, so I always keep my working method very basic. That way, when the wreath gets dusty or I simply get bored with it and want to make something new, it's easy to dismantle and repurpose. 

If you prefer to make sure the wreath is absolutely rock solid, simply fasten some paddle wire to the back of your grapevine wreath and wrap the rosehips with the wire as you go.

Working in a single direction, I inserted the longest stems of rosehips into the outside edge of the grapevine wreath. If you push the rosehip stems in at a low angle, they should catch in the grapevines.

After I had gone around the circumference once, I went back a second and third time adding more rosehip stems each time. The look of this wreath is loose and pretty rustic, so it is hard to go too far wrong.

I was happy with the final project, but I wasn't done playing just yet. 

Next, I made a heart-shaped wreath. This time I kept the stems of my rosehips shorter for a fuller look (the working method, however, was the same).

Have I said how much I love making wreaths? My final version included some faux evergreen sprigs.

I like these faux-evergreen picks are from Michaels because they look so real. For this project, I used four stems in total. I trimmed the evergreen sprigs leaving just a couple of inches of stem. Then I wrapped some paddle wire around the wreath and twisted it closed at the back to secure the evergreen sprigs into position.

Unlike the other two wreaths, where I worked in one single direction, I began this final version on the lower left and worked in an arc that ran in opposite directions. Where the two sets of evergreen sprigs met, I tied a gingham bow. The final step was to add my rosehips.

I am pleased with how they all turned out. What about you? Do you have a favourite?

The days spent with my Dad passed quickly. It was hard to give him a hug and say goodbye. 

"Your visit was the best Christmas present you could have given me," he told me. That made my day and broke my heart all at the same time.

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Simple and Inexpensive Upgrades for your Holiday Gifts

Over the holidays there seem to be so many occasions for a little "thank you" or a gift of appreciation. And when it comes to this type of holiday gift, as the saying goes, it's the thought that counts. You don't have to spend a ton of money. A little creativity shows the recipient you care enough to have invested some thought and time into your gift.

With that in mind, I have a few ideas to help you stretch your holiday shopping dollars.

A few simple upgrades can transform a humble plant into something special.

A grocery store Kalanchoe is rather unimpressive in its plastic sleeve. Throw out the sleeve, add in a bow and a rustic basket from the Dollar Store and you quickly have a nice looking gift.

 If you have a distance to travel, wrap it up in a sheet of cellophane and then add the bow last. Even with the upgrade, this gift is still under $15.

This is the same rustic basket with a pot of Paperwhites. These fragrant white flowers have a tendency to flop, so I like to add some dogwood branches to give them a bit of support (just be careful to avoid the bulbs when you push the dogwood into the pot).

I created some pinecone picks by hot glueing pinecones to some wooden shish kebab skewers from the Dollar Store. To fill out the arrangement I added a pine and spruce branches into the soil of the plant pot. The damp earth will keep the evergreen branches fresh for as long as the flowers last.

The final flourish was a bow. Cost of the various items for this project: Paperwhites $6.99, Dogwood $0, Evergreen branches $0, Skewers for the Pinecones $1, Bow $1. The total cost is just under $10.

I lucked out on the rustic basket and found one at the Dollar Store that had a builtin plastic liner. If all you can find is a plain basket, don't worry, it can easily be adapted to suit your purposes. 

Take the plastic sleeve off your plant and cut it down to size to fit into the basket. Tuck it into the basket and add the potted plant. I used some wooden snowflakes to decorate the basket and added a red bow for a final touch. Here's how it all added up: snowflakes $1, basket $3, bow $1, plant $8.99.

The plastic sleeves they put on plants are usually a little tacky. Switch it up for a metal bucket and this inexpensive Lemon Cypress looks so much more festive!

This white tin with a lace edge is from Ikea ($3.99). You may not have time to run to Ikea, but metal tins are often available wherever you purchase plants. You can also find metal tins at the Dollar Store.

Altogether this little Christmas tree with the improved packaging was still well under $15.

As well as getting creative with the pot, why not take a fresh approach to select a plant. Nothing adds to flavour to holiday cooking like fresh herbs. A pot of herbs would make a thoughtful hostess gift. 

Here I took two pots of rosemary that I found in the produce aisle at the grocery store and planted them together in a pretty blue pot with a crackle finish (from Walmart for under $10). A white bow added the final touch.

It would be a nice touch to include in your gift card a handwritten or printed recipe that makes use of the herb your giving as a gift (here's a link to Ina Garten's recipe for Rosemary Roast Potatoes). The total cost of this present is under $20.

A holiday gift need not be floral. Flowers are always fleeting. Sometimes it is nice to choose a gift that will hold up over time. A low light plant like a fern can look nice sitting on a desk, at a bedside or even at a nurse's station.

Here I took two small ferns and planted them into a pot for the Dollar Store. A metal dragonfly and a bow dress up the gift.

Here's a green plant with more of a classic holiday feel.

I switched out the plastic sleeve for a ceramic pot, added a few faux berries and a bow. It looks so much nicer, don't you think?

A heartfelt gift with a personal touch always means the most.

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