Autumn Equinox Gathering. A Foraged Wreath

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Autumn Equinox Gathering. A wreath for the front door

There’s a nip in the air as the autumn equinox opens the garden gate and a new season enters. Apples are falling from the trees, crying out to be juiced, dried and turned into crumbles. A bucket of green tomatoes sits in the kitchen waiting to be made into chutney, and the last of the blackberries are winking in the sun. It’s a time for gathering, for bringing in what is ripe and ready and for laying down the stores for winter. I also like to look at what is over in the garden, at the seed heads and plants that can be dried and brought indoors to decorate the house. It’s been a busy few days looking after grandchildren and juicing apples and today I fancied doing something creative, just for me. I thought an autumn equinox wreath to decorate the front door might be a fun thing to make, so took myself off around the garden, secateurs in hand to clip a few bits and bobs.

Poppy seed heads

Beneath the blackberries that grow along the garage wall, poppy heads sway in the breeze and teasels reach for the sky. The goldfinches have had their fill of the teasel seeds and it is now time to gather in those architectural seed heads before autumn’s storms batter them to the ground. Before taking them inside to dry, shake poppy seeds from the dried heads on the ground where you want them to flower next year, and you’ll be rewarded with poppies galore. What glorious forms these two have.

Autumn Equinox Gathering. Honesty seed heads

Jostling for a place amongst the dock leaves and nettles the honesty has also gone to seed. Don’t be fooled by the murky brown casings – there’s silver treasure inside!

Honesty seed heads

A quick rub, front and back, and the casings disappear. Again, scatter the seeds where you will then bring the silver inside before the winds of autumn shred it. I just love honesty in decorations. I used it last year to make wings for Christmas angels.

Another plant that romps away in our garden is old man’s beard. We thought it was a fancy clematis when we spotted it on Jim Morrison’s grave in the Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris and pocketed some seeds. However, he breaks on through to the other side whenever given the chance and spills over fences and gateways. Dried, it looks as tousled and as wonderful as the singer himself. Before we dry fennel seeds to make tea or add to our apple and fennel chutney, I’ve lifted a few seed heads and have added all the above in this late summer wreath that is now hanging on the front door.

• Fennel Tea and Apple and Fennel Chutney

Autumn Equinox Wreath

It’s easy to make and uses the same method as making a Christmas wreath. Gather small bunches of whatever you are using: in my case, a seeded flowerhead from old man’s beard, a fennel seed head, a sprig of honesty, a nigella and poppy seed head, and tie to a wreath form using this florist’s wire. You can make your own wreath form by tying willow in a circle and binding or buy one from your local florist, or online. If you can, make your own, I found one in Hobbycraft for a fiver, made from grapevines, but it was made in China! I don’t know how your ethics sit with that and the transport costs involved. It doesn’t have to be willow: a few pliable twigs are all you need. There are plenty of YouTube tutorials for making your own. Try this one from Tuckshop Flowers:

• How to make a willow wreath base

I’m also mindful of collecting the seed heads, grasses and plants that will be dried to make decorations for Yule or Christmas, whatever you call the festive season. I’ll be talking more about having an eco-Christmas as the seasons draw on, and yes, I hear you: it’s too early to be thinking about Christmas, but in a way it isn’t. Sustainable living is so often about preparing, looking ahead, and laying the groundwork for what is to come. Today it is about gathering and drying so we can make decorations that don’t cost the earth in both monetary and environmental terms.

Foraged Christmas Star

I made this star a couple of years back, using pampas grass, teasels, honesty, and seed heads stuck very simply into a dry oasis suspended on a garden cane and with a few white led lights strung through. It really was very simple, but very effective. Last year I made angels from fir cones and hung them from red dogwood stems, but I think I’ll revert to the star this year and so am off around the garden to see what can be gleaned. I’ll write up a step-to-step guide for making this Christmas star a bit later on, but let’s dry what we need first. I’ve hung the teasels, nigella seed heads, honesty and poppy heads upside down from the rafters in the garden shed to dry. Anywhere warm and dry will do.

Teasels and honesty hung to dry

We planted hops years ago and never got around to using them to flavour beer. They are rampant! Dried, however, and strewn above the fireplace, with a few white lights woven in, they will look wonderful. They are currently drying in the airing cupboard. Be prepared for plant life to temporarily take over the drying areas of your house!

So there we have it, a beautiful wreath for the front door to mark the Autumn Equinox and dried seed heads and hops gathered to decorate the house at yuletide. Time to light the fire and find my knitting! I have thoroughly enjoyed sharing my Autumn Equinox wreath and this moment of mindfulness with you. As we gather early autumn’s offerings, let us have a moment of reflection, and be grateful for the bounty and beauty of Mother Nature as one season passes, and another arrives. Do share your wreath-making or gathering with us on the usual social media channels – we’d love to see what you make.

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You might enjoy some of the writing and ideas in other sections of this website, as we look towards leading more sustainable lives by growing our own food and creating dishes in line with seasonal eating, or head to our handy ‘Month by Month’ guides to find out what we have been doing here at Bridge Cottage as the months go by:

• Sustainable Living
• The Bridge Cottage Garden
• The Bridge Cottage Kitchen
• Foraging – Food for Free

Many thanks for reading.

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