How to Make A Living Wreath For Spring with Pansies

I am a big fan of wreathes and love to display them on my front door. Many times you see floral wreaths that are made with fake flowers. They are adorable but I wanted to try making a living wreath using real pansies.

I bought the wreath base from the garden supply website, kinsmangarden.com, $24. They offer the wreathes in three different sizes. I choose the medium base for my door. A smaller version might be sweet on a gate or hung next to your door. The kit includes an inner liner but you will need to buy moss and potting soil too.

I started my wreath two weeks ago. Shown above is how it looks today. It’s the beginning of the growing season in New England (it’s only late April) so I imagine it will grow in much more. I tend to put too many plants in pots and not allow them room to grow. This is my first time with this project but I tried to be mindful that it will probably be covered with larger plants by June.

Below are step-by-step photos on how I created my wreath. I realized I did make mistake. After placing the larger liner and soil in the base I should have added a top liner cover before planting my pansies. View Kinsmans correct instructions here.

You cut into the liner to make room for the flowers. I didn’t do that. I just planted the pansies directly into soil and added moss around the plants and wreath. I am sure both ways work but maybe the extra liner keeps them moister and more secure?

By July, I assume my pansies might be struggling. I tend to have a hard time keeping them going once the heat of the summer sets in. I can easily pull out the pansies and reuse the base for a different flower. I am excited to experiment and see the different variations I can come up with as the seasons change.

Currently the wreath is on my back door leading to my someday garden. The door is waiting to be painting. I think once I have color on the door the wreath will really pop.

Here is the base, flowers, and the top of the base in the upper left corner.

I soaked the liner in water and laid inside the base. I then added a layer of potting soil.

I separated the pansies from the packs and placed around the ring. I placed them next to each other but did not squish them. I wanted to leave room to grow.

Secure the top ring over the base. This clips onto the base and helps to hold everything inside the base.

Take the moss and wrap around the base covering all the dirt. I wrapped it around the outside too but found I didn’t feel like I needed it in the middle. The liner is there and holds the materials inside. (I forgot to add the top base until I was half way around wreath, it was freezing out and I was working fast)

I soaked it with water and let sit on the table for about 4 days.

This is the wreath after two weeks of growth.

Make sure to check how moist the soil is every few days. It rained last night but the door is protected and the wreath hardly got wet. I just brought inside because it’s so cold and windy today.

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A tip I learned while the wreath has started to grow more and to pull back the moss a little. I hope this encourages the plant to grow out more and really fill in the wreath.