Fall is my favorite time of the year in Northern California. This is usually much more like summer for us as being on the ocean makes for foggy summer months. September warmth gives way to brisk breezes, signaling that it's officially time to get my old fisherman sweaters out, pull out the tea and hot cocoa, and watch my favorite family movies, murder mysteries, and sappy romances as I plan my thanksgiving and holiday menus.
Sunflowers are a staple during the fall here in the San Francisco Bay Area, where You Pick Sunflower Fields make a lovely transition from summer into the pumpkin season. By the time pumpkins come around, you can visit both of the Sunflower Fields and ask if they have flowers that have died in the field.
Materials Needed for Dried Sunflower Wreath
Harvest Your Own Sunflowers if you can't harvest your own, you can buy some in next link
Twine I like this roll because it comes with cute tags so you can write the date of harvest on your drying bundles
How to Harvest Sunflowers for Seed Collection & Decor
(Pssst. It's different than for cut flowers)
I like to find medium to small heads full of seed, and add the odd large and very small to the mix if I find them. My most favorite to design with are the black oil variety. They grow about shoulder height, and if you allow all the thousands of tiny flowers on their faces to get pollinated and bloom, as they dry, you can brush off the tiny flowers from the face (see photo below) to reveal the dreamy textural face bursting with black sunflower seeds.
Choose mature flower heads.
Of course you should grab a bucket full of the fresh sunnies to grace your vases at home, but for crafting, be sure to pass on those golden beauties and look for the spent blooms. They are easy to identify!
Notice in the field pictured on the right that all the flower heads are facing down, most have lost their yellow petals, and the faces are full of dark tiny flowers. These flowers are a crafters gold!
Choose small to medium sized heads for wreath making.
If they are too large, they can be difficult to secure to the wreath form. If you have a hankering for the large heads, you can make them into bird feeders, or hang them individually or in groups to your front door instead of messing with a wreath. The ideal wreath making size is no larger than the size of your hand.
Dry your harvested flowers.
Be sure not to skip this step if you want a long lasting wreath. You can of course apply these same techniques to fresh sunflowers, just be prepared to replace the wreath in a week or two when the fresh blooms begin to wilt.
Prep your dried sunflowers
Trim the stems off the dried flowers, leaving 1.5 - 2 inches of stem left for wiring to wreath form
Bind moss to the wreath form
take fistfuls of dried moss and use the bind wire to fasten it to the wreath frame.
Design your wreath
You can use just one color, or mix and match the dried heads to create depth and texture to your wreath.
You might note that the center of the white head is dark. This is due to under developed seeds, or more likely, to harvesting before all the flowers were pollinated and open enough to create seeds. I love the look, however these often don't dry as well as the fully mature heads, making the wreath much shorter lived. But- like fresh flowers- some things are just worth the extra effort to replace when they look less gorgeous.
Fasten your sunflowers to the wreath frame
You can use floral wire to wrap the stem of flower and fasten it to the frame with the loose wire, or you can bend the wire in half and use the pointed ends to pierce through the center of the sunflower face, push the two end of the wire through the face and back of flower head, and use the loose end wire to fasted flower to the wreath.
I like to wire my flowers one at a time, and then play with the layout. A variety of shapes and sizes add visual interest and complexity. Once your layout is set, wire flowers to the wreath, add in small dried flowers to hide any visible wire or undesirable gaps. Make a large bow with your ribbon, and fasten to the wreath with floral wire. Throw that wreath hook on your door, and hang your gorgeous fall wreath that will be perfect for August through Thanksgiving!
I hope you are inspired by this tutorial. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to reach out. I would adore seeing your creations and hearing about your successes and challenges if you give this a shot.
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With Love & Dirt,
Dawn
😍 Love this! Thanks for the info. Can't wait to try it!