How to Buy an Indoor Dried Wreath as a Gift

Whether you're sending it through the mail or presenting it to your hostess for the holidays, a dried wreath is a wonderful gift for a wide variety of people. Dried wreaths have gotten amazingly creative these days. No longer made just of flowers, they now incorporate pinecones, berries, preserved fruits, chili peppers, herbs, garlic, birdseed, cinnamon sticks, wheat and corn.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Dried Wreath

1. Look to a variety of sources for dried wreaths. Holiday mail-order catalogs are loaded with a wide variety of quality wreaths. Also check holiday art fairs and craft stands, as well as florists and gift shops.

2. Seek out quality. Lift the wreath up and look at the back to see how sturdily the materials are secured. The wreath should be neat, even and durable-looking. Shake the wreath gently to see if it sheds dried petals or other materials. Colors should be vivid and rich. Materials should be whole and never broken or shattered.

3. Buy a wreath made of natural materials. These are considered the most desirable, with silk and plastic look-alikes lowering the value and quality considerably.

4. Expect to pay $40 or more for a well-made wreath.

Tips & Warnings

• Dried wreaths are easily damaged in gift boxes by jostling. Pack it securely by surrounding it with plastic packing peanuts or unbuttered, unsalted, unflavored popcorn.
• Some wreath materials can be highly toxic to children and pets. If this is a concern, avoid bittersweet and most other berries, which tend to fall off easily and have tempting bright colors.

on 11/22/2005 Add more dried flowers (your own or purchased) to rejuvenate an old dried-flower wreath. Coordinate the colors with what's left and you can have a nice new look.