Evergreen Wreath Freshness Care

A fresh-cut evergreen wreath usually stays green for four to six weeks outdoors in cool shade, and closer to two or three weeks indoors, when you start with fresh greens, give it a drink before you hang it, keep it out of sun and heat, and slow moisture loss with an anti-desiccant spray applied outside. Most wreaths that turn brown early were hung on a sunny door behind glass or next to a heat source, not made from bad greens.

A wreath is a ring of cut branches with no roots and no water supply. Everything you do comes down to two jobs: keep water in the needles and keep heat off them. Cool, humid, shaded air does most of the work for you. Warm, dry, sunny spots pull moisture out fast.

How to tell a wreath is fresh

1. Bend a needle. Fresh fir and pine needles bend without snapping. Brittle needles that break cleanly mean the greens have already dried.
2. Give it a gentle shake. A few loose needles are normal. A shower of them is not.
3. Check the color and smell. Look for deep green with no gray or brown tips, and a clear resin scent.
4. Look at the cut ends on the back. Sticky, pale ends were cut recently. Dark, dry ends were not.

Which greens hold up best? Balsam, Fraser, and noble fir keep their needles well. Cedar, juniper, and white pine are also reliable. Spruce looks great but tends to shed sooner indoors. Magnolia and boxwood leaves last a long time, and eucalyptus dries gracefully. Berries such as holly drop faster in warm rooms. For vase greens and garlands, see eucalyptus bundles and fresh greenery care.

Give it a drink before you hang it

Fresh wreaths have often traveled for days. If yours is made only of greens on a wire or straw frame, lay it flat in a tub or sink of cool water for a few hours, or overnight, so the stems and needles rehydrate. Lift it out, let it drip dry on a towel, then hang it. Skip the soak if the wreath already has lights, battery packs, pine cones glued on, or ribbon that could stain. For those, mist the greens well instead.

Where to hang it

• Shade is the best spot. A north or east facing door keeps a wreath fresh far longer than a south or west door in full afternoon sun.
• Watch out for storm doors. A wreath trapped between a sunny glass storm door and the main door can cook in a few days, because the space heats up like a small greenhouse. Hang it on the outside of the storm door, or pick a shaded spot.
• Indoors, keep it away from heat. Fireplaces, wood stoves, radiators, heat vents, and the top of a television all dry greens quickly.
• Use a padded over-the-door hanger or a sturdy hook instead of a nail through the door. Tie the wreath on with wire or twine so wind cannot knock it down.

Keep moisture in

Mist the greens every two or three days if the wreath hangs indoors or in a dry, windy spot outdoors. Spray the back and front lightly, and keep water off lights and cords.

An anti-desiccant spray forms a thin, flexible coating on needles and leaves that slows water loss. Use it outside on a day above about 40°F, let it dry fully before you bring anything indoors, and read the label first. Some products can leave spots on berries, glossy leaves, or eucalyptus, so test a small area. It works best on fresh greens; it cannot revive greens that are already dry.

If you make your own wreath from shrubs in your yard, cut pieces from the back and inside of the plant with clean, sharp bypass pruners so the shape still looks full, and take only a small share of any one shrub. Condition cut stems in a bucket of water overnight before you wire them. See cleaning and sharpening garden tools for keeping pruners in good shape.

Lights and fire safety

Dry evergreens burn easily. Use battery-powered LED lights, which run cool, instead of older incandescent mini lights. Never place a wreath near candles, a fireplace opening, or a space heater. Check indoor wreaths often, and take them down once needles turn brittle. Outdoors, use only lights rated for outdoor use.

When it is done

A wreath is past its best when needles fall at a light touch, the green turns dull or gray, and the scent fades. Pull off ribbon, wire, picks, and lights, then compost the greens or tuck the branches over a perennial bed as light winter mulch. Metal frames can be saved and reused. For more cut-branch ideas, see branch and berry arrangements, and for living greens in containers, see holly and evergreen window boxes and evergreen urns for porches.

Safety notes

Wear gloves when you work with holly, juniper, and spruce, since the leaves and needles prick, and fir and pine sap is sticky and can irritate sensitive skin. Rubbing alcohol cleans sap off pruner blades. Keep pruners closed and stored away from children, and use a sturdy step stool, not a chair, when you hang a wreath above a door.

Pet notes

Several common wreath materials can make pets sick. The ASPCA notes that holly and mistletoe can cause stomach upset, and mistletoe can cause more serious problems if a pet eats enough. The ASPCA lists boxwood as toxic to dogs and cats. Pine and fir needles are generally only mildly irritating, but chewed needles can upset the stomach, and swallowed wire, ribbon, or picks can cause a blockage. Hang wreaths above pet reach and pick up fallen berries and needles. If a pet chews on a wreath and seems unwell, call your veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435. See what to do if a dog eats a plant and what to do if a cat eats a plant.

Bottom line

Start with fresh, flexible greens, soak or mist them, hang the wreath in shade away from heat and sunny glass, and coat it with an anti-desiccant outdoors. That simple routine keeps most fresh wreaths green for a month or more outdoors.

Related reading

• Eucalyptus bundles and fresh greenery care
• Holly and evergreen window boxes
• Branch and berry arrangements
• Bypass pruning shears for the garden
• Living greens table centerpieces

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