How to Keep Your Wreaths & Garlands Fresh | Balsam Hill (2024)

FAQs

How do you keep garland foliage fresh? ›

Keep Away From Heat

Keep fresh wreaths and garlands green by choosing your display areas well. Avoid putting them close to heat vents, large windows, or in direct sunlight. If you're hanging them outdoors, pick a shaded area like a covered porch or patio to shield it from the sun.

There are several leading anti-transpirant preservative sprays, including Wilt-Pruf Anti-Transpirant Plant Protection Spray. We've had people tell us about their success with them, but we recommend misting with water for a more natural and chemical free method.

Fresh wreaths last between three and eight weeks, depending on the storage conditions. Refrigerated or outdoors in the cold, your wreath will last the longest. Indoors or outdoors in warm weather, your wreath will last the shortest.

Keeping Your Evergreens Moist

Once your fresh evergreens are on display, keep a mister on hand to spritz them every few days to keep them as happy as possible. If you can, keeping the ends in water and changing out that water frequently will also help maintain your evergreens' freshness.

Preserve a Christmas wreath - To make the wreath last longer, grab your can of hair spray and spritz it all your fresh wreath. The hair spray traps the moisture in the needles.

Anti-desiccant spray is a special wax for plants. It coats the needles, stems and leaves of your wreath branches.

Wrap each strand around a piece of rigid cardboard to prevent tangling. Then, place the individually wrapped strings inside a durable Ziploc or plastic bag to protect them from getting scratched. Avoid storing multiple garlands in a single container as this could cause tangles and damage.

What can I add to fresh garland? ›

To bulk up the garland and make it more interesting, you can layer in more delicate fresh greenery such as eucalyptus, holly, magnolia leaves, or olive branches. To add color, you can finish off the garland with Christmas ornaments, ribbon, bows, or floral picks.

Tip 1: Soak Your Garland or Wreath Before Hanging

Essentially, give your greenery a long, cold bath. Put the garland in the tub and fill with enough water to cover the greens. Let soak for 12-24 hours.

If you're short on time, but want an easy and beautiful natural greenery table garland, this is the easiest way to achieve that look. One note: Depending on the type of greenery you use, the leaves may wilt, so this garland should be laid out no more than 4-6 hours before your event. What is this?

Answer: The foliage used in the wedding garland should last a full day. Direct sun exposure will cause it to dry more quickly. If it is outdoors in the cool shade and not too warm it will often look fresh for a couple days. Much like flowers, without a water source greens will wilt and dry.

Wrap them in newspaper, tissue paper, plastic bags, bubble wrap, styrofoam, or anything else you have on hand that will keep them dry and protected. Even if they're not new Christmas decorations, you can ensure you'll have them for longer by keeping them dry and clean.

You should consider the tone of green, the size of the leaves and fullness of the garland to help narrow down your choice. Some favorite types of greenery for a garland include eucalyptus, willow leaf, rose banksia vine and rose leaf garlands. Each of these is a gorgeous choice and can help create your wedding vibe.