AUTUMN WREATHS

I think I may have told you about my obsession with Bittersweet. It all started when my kids were toddlers and I wanted just a few sprigs for seasonal decor a la Country Living. But the berries are poisonous, so I had to wait, rather impatiently, until they were either old enough or smart enough not to eat them. Easier said than done and since my boys are 4 year apart it made for a long wait. Alas, they are 24 and 28 this month and since neither live at home I am free to scavenge it wherever and whenever I see fit. It is now against the law to sell the plant in Massachusetts because it has become so invasive, and many of the places it grows best are just a bit dangerous, ie: the sides of major highways or medians on divided highways. The leaves start to loose some color by the end of August so I can see where it is good pickin' is going to be. I usually start to cut the end of September, but last weekend I was at HomeGoods and in the back of the parking lot I spied some potential pickins. It was absolutely THE BEST, thickly vined around each other and heavily berried. I tried to convince myself to let it stay until it ripened a bit further, but like all addictions it was not to be denied. So, looking both ways in case I should be spotted cutting a parasitic plant from a guard rail, I snatched my trusty clippers and started cutting. Below is the result.
I came home and was so excited I didn't even bother to strip the leaves, which is a rather tedious chore. I just twisted it into a circle, added a couple of wires to keep it together and hung it from this peg. Now, here is the thing, the berries are still inside their little husks, but as soon as they get some direct sun or heat they will "pop". This usually happens in the back seat of my car!


By Sunday night they had almost all popped and I had stripped most of the leaves off. I like to leave a few for the organic feel of it. Note it isn't really round and that is just the way I like them, kinda free form. Now the problem is...where to hang it. It is not really big enough for my front door and I don't usually hang them inside as they are messy, what with more husks falling when you walk by. So, not very practical, but I have to make them. Anyone know of a 12 Step Program??

Today my friend Jane ( she of Southern California fame) mentioned on Blissfully Domestic that she was going to hang the grapevine wreath I made for her 25 years ago. Yes, she is practical and sentimental. When these wreaths first became popular, once again in Country Living ( *the* magazine of the early 80s), you couldn't just buy them, so my Ex-husband and I gathered grapevines on the side of the road, soaked them to make them more pliable and made a couple of wreaths for gifts. I must be smarter now because I make them with very little time or effort. It is very helpful to cut the vines while they are still alive.

Grapevine growing in the rear part of my yard known as "The Woods". I kept it on the ground this year. Much easier to harvest if it is not growing up a tree, lol.
Cut the vines as long as you can. Leave the tendrils and cut off the leaves. Makes me think I should use them to serve cheese or something. Leave them on the ground to rot!
Bring the stripped vines to the table to work on them
Find something round or another set of hands.
Grab all the vines at once and twist into a circle. Add wire to hold the circle in place. These vines were long enough to go around again. I wired it top and bottom. Now go back
and weave any shorter vines in. Use the tendrils to "lock" pieces together if possible, the tendrils are so cool.
This is what it looks like now. I will let it dry for a few days and then remove the wire at the bottom. After it is dry you can weave other vines into it. I have used Honeysuckle vines or even Morning Glory Vines. I bet squash vines would work too. I love how the different vines are different thicknesses, textures and dimensions. I love my wreaths to be very organic in feel with a lot of depth. Okay, I know you can go to Michael's and buy one for $2.99, but I get tremendous enjoyment out of doing this in the sunny fall weather.

Later,