There's no better way to welcome guests to your home than a colorful basket of spring flowers. Accent your front door or garden gate with a fresh bouquet of blooms in an elegant wreath basket made from twigs and tied with a bit of copper wire.

Materials:

• (1) bundle of 24 - 36 inch long twigs
• (1) 1/4" plywood board for pattern
• (10) 3 1/4" long nails with heads for pattern
• copper wire
• sheet moss
• green garbage bag
• 4" pots of spring flowers and forced spring bulbs

Circle of Nails	Wrapping the Frame	Cross Bar for the Pocket
Making the Pocket	Lattice Back	Planting the Pocket

Directions:
Select the Twigs
I like to use willow or birch twigs because they are very flexible and cutting them this time of year is ideal because they haven't leafed out. I cut them so that they are about 2 to 3 feet long.

Create a Pattern
A good size for the basket is about 20 inches tall by 14 inches wide. This fits well on an average sized door. With this in mind I cut a piece of plywood that is slightly larger than the projected basket size. Next I simply hammer my flat head nails part way into the board in an oval pattern, leaving about 3 inches of the nail sticking up around which I will wrap my twigs.

Wrap the Twigs
Now I am ready to wrap the twigs around the pattern. I use bundles of twigs rather than single stems. The stems are so flexible they will easily follow the contour of the nails. When I've wrapped enough twigs to fill the height of the nails (about 2 1/2 inches) I twist some copper wire around the wreath in various places to hold it together. I like to use copper wire because it will tarnish to a nice dull brown.

Add a Pocket for Planting
Once the wreath is complete, I twist a few larger twigs together and attach them with more copper wire on either side of the wreath to create an arc across the front. The arc should bow out about 8 inches from the back board. This is the beginning of the pocket for the plants. To finish the pocket I attach one end of a twig to the lower curve of the wreath, bend it over the lip of the pocket and then attach the other end further down the curve. I repeat this step 3 or 4 times. This creates overlapping arches across the front of the pocket, creating an illusion of enclosure.

Create a Back
To create a back to the basket I gently remove the wreath from my pattern of nails and then crisscross stems back and forth in a lattice pattern attaching them with wire at either side of the wreath.

Line the Pocket
Now I pad the front of the pocket with sheet moss. It will hide the plastic lining that I am going to add as well as finish out the look. You can find sheet moss anywhere they sell florist supplies. I am generous with the moss but remember to save room for the flowers. Next I line the basket with some plastic. I just use part of a garbage bag. This will hold the soil and plants in place and keep water from dripping down my front door.

Selecting Plants
Now it is just a matter of arranging the plants. I like to use forced spring flowering bulbs and cool season annuals because they can take the chilly outdoor temperatures. In my basket I will plant pale yellow tulips that I picked up at the supermarket with lavender and cream violas, snapdragons, and variegated English ivy.

Arranging the Flowers
When I plant my flowers I take them out of the pots, so that I can fit more into the space. I place the tulips in the back for height and then add the snapdragons to fill in. The violas are shorter in stature so they will go towards the front and as a finishing touch I drop in a few ivies to cascade down the face of the basket. Next I fill the pocket with potting soil, tamping lightly around the plants, and water in well. Now all that remains is to find the perfect location to hang my spring door basket.