DIY Christmas Wreath Using Ball Moss
I love Christmas decorations and have collected a lot of them over the years! You probably have too! Decorating for Christmas is a lovely way to enhance your enjoyment of the season, as well as to welcome guests to your home! The way evergreen garlands and evergreen wreaths make our homes look, speak of tradition and romance! But other materials -from pink tinsel to feathers- tell different stories! A special wreath starts the āWelcomeā right at the from door! For something a little different this year, why not make a Christmas wreath using ball moss!
Randy and I got married in 1978! Yesā¦almost 50 years ago! That year his mom made a beautiful Christmas wreath! Luckily for me, since I admired it so much, she suggested that we make another!
It was beautiful wreath and we used it for decades! Our house had a front porch, and during the holiday season the wreath hung outside on our front door where it was protected. In the off-season, it was stored, hanging on a clothes hanger and covered with a garbage bag and then hung in the garage. It held up very well.
When it eventually started to look ratty, and because I had SO many other things, (I thought Iād never miss it), I discarded it. However, this year as I made decorations with our grandson, I started reminiscing about that wreath and Randyās mom. I decided to try to make another wreath like the one she and I had made together.
Ball Moss
What is it?
Ball moss is a small gray plant that can be found growing on live oaks and other trees. It is closely related to Spanish moss, that trailing beauty found in the southeast. The scientific name of ball moss is Tillandsia recurvata. Although it is called āball moss,ā it is not a moss at all, but an air plant or āepiphyteā in the bromeliad family. Other epiphytes include some bromeliads, orchids, and ferns.
Unlike mistletoe, which is a parasite, ball moss takes no nutrients from the tree on which it grows. When you do see it on branches that look sick, itās because the interior branches of the tree are themselves suffering from a lack of sunlight, so they die. Because ball moss likes low intensity light and humid conditions, the interior of trees, especially live oaks, is the preferred environment for these interesting little plants. If you need proof that ball moss isnāt a parasite, you can also find it growing on telephone and fence lines! Crazy!
Another surprise is that ball moss also blooms! Imagine my puzzlement when I saw ācottonā on my ball moss one day! When I pulled a bit off, it reminded me of milkweed or dandelion fluff.
Ball Moss Bloom
Where to Find it
In our quest to make a ball moss wreath, we needed ball moss! Itās everywhere, right? Nope! I suddenly realized I had always taken it for granted. It was all over the place where we grew up! Honestly, I just remembered it being in or underneath live oak trees, which is not the most common tree where we are now! So, I looked on the internet to see if itās sold online. It is: one seller wanted $6 for one plant! š³
I contacted a friend in our Master Naturalists group who has been in area much longer than we have. He suggested that we go to a local city park where he had seen some. Sure enough, we found some just where he had said: on some sickly-looking crape myrtles: the moss didnāt look too good either. (After some consideration and research, I think itās because those crape myrtles are in too much shade, having been overshadowed by a ‘larger tree. It has also been very dry here for a while.)
Not the ball moss of my memories, at all, but itās what we found! We gathered it up and brought it home. After we got the moss home, we put it in the freezer for a few of hours to kill off any unwanted insects. (We have a spare, rarely used freezer.)
I have to tell you that in the process of making this wreath, I ran into a brick wall. I started this project after a bout of nostalgia. I realized I was trying to RECREATE the wreath I had made with my mother-in-law and that I had had for so many years! I couldnāt find the same kind of decorations we had used before: the artificial cardinals were the wrong size; where are the pine cone flowers and interesting dried natural decorations we could easily find at the craft stores so many years ago? Even the moss didnāt look the same! Sigh!
What I needed was to use my own imagination, instead of remaking what she and I had made so many years ago: and what SHE had used HER imagination to do! (In fairness to us, SHE was an artist!) I needed to CREATE. We decided to flock the wreath for a snowy look. (And because the ball moss wasnāt as pale a gray as I remembered my old one was.)
The Process
Materials Needed
- Hot Glue Gun and hot glue
- Small wire
- Wire Cutters
- Ball Moss or other base covering you wish to use
- Decorations of your choice, cardinals, pine cones, deer antlers, etc.
- Wire Coat hanger
- Flocking if you choose (we found some at a big box lumber store)
- Plastic picnic table cloth to contain the mess!(you can just shake it out outside when done)
Pick a large work space. We started outside, but ended up finishing inside (it rained). Inside, we covered a table with a plastic cover. Working methodically, Randy and our grandson (who is 9) finished hot gluing the moss to a grapevine form. Let your creativity guide you as to the look and use plenty of hot glue so that the moss will be attached securely.
Next, we attached a clothes hanger to the wreath, hung it in a tree and sprayed flocking on it. We went back and sprayed more later, but took it inside the barn as it had become very windy. After the flocking dried, we replaced the hanger with some wire to hang it for display. Be sure to look at the front of the wreath to orient where you want the top to be.
In my quest to find the same kind of cardinals and other things I used to have (which I didnāt find), I collected a lot of different kinds of ribbon and various Christmas ornaments and greenery to try to find something that might satisfy my feelings of nostalgia. After several tries, I hit upon a look we liked for THIS wreath. The decorations were attached using various methods. For the antlers, we used wire bent into the shape of a hairpin then pushed it thru to the back of the wreath and twisted it tight. We pinned the bow on but then decided to hot glue it also as well as all the other items. The berries were just pushed into the moss. Use your judgement as to how best attach any items you use.
Itās not the same, by any means, as the one I made with Randyās mom. It does however, remind us of her! And it reminds us of the Texas Hill Country where she had lived with its white tail deer, cardinals, live oaks and cedar trees, and BALL MOSS!
You may not have ball moss in your area. What do you have in your neck of the woods? Traditional evergreens are fragrant and lovely! Non-traditional evergreens are fun too! A friend showed me a wreath today on which she had used yaupon holly that sported red berries, and mistletoe for the greenery. She had collected the grapevine herself to make the wreath base and then used bits and pieces as accents that she had collected in her travels. Maybe you have something that calls to mind a time or friend or loved one from the past? Or maybe you could use something that sparks joy in a new and different way? Perhaps something that just tickles your funny bone!
Like making another flower arrangement or garden, making another wreath can be special if you just let go! Get creative and have enjoy!
Happy Gardening,
Julie