Bare Necessities

Initial Tips

• Choose a large vase, especially if the branches are very long, so the arrangement will be proportional.

• Work with hard foam to secure the branches. Do not use the aqua foam that is made to get wet.

• Cover the mechanics of your arrangement with moss and rocks for a natural, finished look.

• To create a textured look, gather branches covered with moss. If you don’t have those in your area of the country, you can buy lichen moss at the craft store and glue it onto your branches. Blow the finished arrangement with a hair dryer for a few seconds to melt the glue strings.

Branch Wreath

Materials:

branches
florist wire
brown floral tape
needle-nose pliers
pencil

Optional Materials:

live flowers
floral water tubes

Steps:

1. Collect branches that are about eight inches long and lay them in a circle with the ends overlapping (see photo at right). Look for dry branches or some that still have sap in them.

2. Cover florist wire with brown floral tape to camouflage it, then use the wire to secure the branches.

3. Wrap a section twice and then use needle-nose pliers to twist the ends of the wire together. Don’t snip the excess, but wrap it around a pencil so that it looks like a corkscrew and becomes part of the arrangement.

4. You can add live flowers to the branch arrangement by using floral water tubes.

Materials:

fresh pussy willow branches (so that the branches are pliable)
florist wire
brown floral tape
hair spray

Steps:

1. Take a long branch and curve the tip back in on itself so that it makes large loops. Secure that end with floral wire that has been covered with brown floral tape, as in the project above.

2. Arrange the loops in a large vase.

3. Spray the pussy willow with hair spray to keep it from shedding.

4. If you add water to the vase, the willow will sprout.

Materials:

birch branches (either natural or store-bought)
paddle wire
dry floral foam (the hard kind)
stones and/or moss

Steps:

1. Gather birch branches or buy from a craft store (where it may be painted).

2. Soak the branches in water to they separate easily without breaking limbs.

3. Gather four to five branches together and secure them at the base with paddle wire to form the "tree." Insert the branches into a container prepared with the foam.

4. Cover the surface with stones or moss to hide the foam.