17 Wreath Making Supplies We Actually Reach For

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The first time I tried to make a wreath, I stood in the craft store aisle for twenty minutes googling “what supplies do I need to make wreaths” on my phone. I bought a grapevine base, one bundle of faux greenery, and a spool of ribbon. I got home, realized I had no floral wire, no wire cutters, and no glue gun, and drove back for round two. Then round three.

Stock these wreath making supplies once and you’ll never make that three-trip run again: a good form, some floral wire, a pair of snips, a hot glue gun, a box of faux picks, and a spool of wired ribbon. Everything else is a variation on those six essentials, and once you have them on a shelf, you can build a fall wreath in an evening and a Christmas one the next weekend. If you’re brand new to the craft, our beginner’s guide to making a wreath walks through the actual assembly, step by step.

A quick note on timing: wire forms and paddle wire sell out fast October through December, and the 2026 trend forecasts have been pushing toward chunkier ribbons, matte muted picks, and mixed-texture natural bases (grapevine plus dried grass plus faux magnolia), so if that’s the direction you want, order early. This list is the exact kit we reach for on every wreath, plus the fresh-only extras we grab when we’re making a real evergreen one in December.

Start with a good base

1. An 18-inch grapevine wreath form

Colonial mudroom at soft late-morning light with three bare 18-inch grapevine wreath forms stacked at slight angles on a solid oak bench beside a folded natural linen apron

If you buy one thing off this list, make it this. The grapevine base is the workhorse of wreath making. It hides a lot of assembly sins, the branches give you a hundred places to tuck wire and stems, and it looks intentional even when it’s mostly bare. We reach for an 18-inch grapevine wreath form like this one for a standard front door, and size up to 22 or 24 inches if you have a taller door with a lot of glass around it.

Buy two if you’re planning a fall wreath and a Christmas one. It saves you a shipping wait during peak crafting weeks.

2. A wire wreath frame in 12 to 14 inches

Craftsman workshop at soft midday light with four 12-inch concentric-ring wire wreath frames leaning against a wood-paneled wall on a reclaimed oak workbench beside a small crate of natural burlap ribbon

Wire frames are the base you want when you’re building something structured, especially deco-mesh wreaths, ornament wreaths, and the fluffy ribbon wreaths that need spokes to loop through. A 12-inch is a good size for a wall or window, a 14-inch reads as a proper front-door piece, and they stack flat in a craft bin. Look for one with four or five concentric rings, which gives you way more attachment points than a single-ring hoop.

3. A foam ring for the delicate stuff

Cape Cod craft nook at warm morning light with a 14-inch white foam wreath ring partially wrapped in burlap ribbon, three floral U-pins inserted, and a small bundle of dried lavender resting beside it

Foam rings, sometimes called Styrofoam wreath forms, are the base of choice when you’re pinning small delicate items right into the form: dried lavender, boxwood clippings, mini pinecones, floral pins with beading. Wrap the foam in ribbon or burlap first so nothing shows through, then pin away. It’s a whole different technique from tucking picks into grapevine, and it’s the one you want for the dainty rustic look.

For a full breakdown of which base to reach for on which project, our wreath forms and frames guide compares grapevine, wire, foam, and straw side by side.

The wire, glue, and cutters that hold it all together

4. 22-gauge floral paddle wire

Country farmhouse craft table at soft late-afternoon light with an upright spool of green 22-gauge floral paddle wire beside trimmed wire clippings and one bundle of green faux boxwood picks bound with wire

Floral wire is what actually holds the wreath together. You’ll use it to attach picks to a grapevine form, secure ribbon tails, hold a bow in place, and bind bundles of greenery before you tuck them in. We keep a spool of 22-gauge green floral paddle wire on the craft shelf and rarely run out mid-project.

The green coating is the reason we buy this specific color. Silver or bare wire flashes through in photos, and Pinterest is unforgiving that way.

5. A dedicated pair of floral wire cutters

Georgian dining room converted to craft space in cool north light with spring-loaded flush-cut floral wire cutters on white marble beside a length of green floral wire and three cleanly cut faux stem tips

Do not use your kitchen scissors. Do not use your regular scissors. Buy the cutters. A spring-loaded pair of flush-cut floral snips like these BOENFU wire cutters will cut faux stems, floral wire, zip ties, and pip-berry pick stems without dulling, and the spring means your hand doesn’t cramp after the fourth wreath. A cheap pair is fine for the first year; a decent pair is worth it if you’re making more than a wreath or two a season.

6. A mini dual-temp hot glue gun

Victorian butler's pantry at warm late-afternoon light with a mini dual-temp hot glue gun on a silicone mat beside three glue sticks and a small cluster of red pip berry picks

Hot glue is the difference between a wreath that survives a season and a wreath that sheds picks the first windy day. We use a mini dual-temp glue gun like this Gorilla kit because the smaller nozzle gets into the tight spots between grapevine loops, and the low-temp setting means you’re not melting foam or scorching ribbon. Keep it on a heat-safe mat, unplug it between sessions, and stock the matching sticks in bulk.

Faux picks and greenery worth stocking

7. An assorted faux greenery stems box

Mid-century modern craft room at warm late-morning light with an open cardboard box of mixed faux greenery stems on a walnut credenza and three loose eucalyptus and fern stems laid beside it

Instead of buying a stem here and a stem there at the craft store markup, order an assortment box once and pull from it all year. A 60-plus-piece mixed greenery box covers eucalyptus, olive branches, ranunculus filler, and a few pops of accent color, which is enough variety for three or four full wreaths and endless smaller projects. Look for a set that includes at least three textures (say, olive, eucalyptus, and a soft fern) so your finished wreath doesn’t read as one-note.

If you’re hosting a wreath-making workshop, this is also how you feed a table of six people without buying twenty separate bundles. The math works.

8. Red berry sprays and pip berries

English cottage kitchen at soft autumn light with three bundles of red pip berry sprays stems-up in a tall clear mason jar and two loose burgundy berry stems in a small ceramic dish

Nothing signals “holiday” faster than a pop of red berry, and nothing signals “generic dollar store wreath” faster than the wrong shade of red berry. Look for pip berries in muted brick-red or burgundy for fall, glossy red for winter, and cream or blush for early spring. Store them upright in a tall vase or bin so the stems don’t kink.

9. Signature seasonal picks

Southern cottage kitchen at golden-hour light with three mini rust velvet pumpkin picks, a small bundle of faux magnolia leaves, and two matte cedar-blue satin ornament picks scattered on a warm oak farmhouse table

These are the swap-in-swap-out pieces: mini velvet pumpkins in September, magnolia leaves for the whole cool season, satin ornament balls in December, tulip stems in April. This is also where the 2026 wreath trends live, so a few muted-tone matte pumpkins and cedar-blue ornaments will keep your wreaths from reading last-season. See our grapevine wreath ideas for how seasonal picks change the whole feel of the same base.

Ribbon and bow-making supplies

10. 2.5-inch wired velvet ribbon

Greek Revival library at warm afternoon light with a large spool of 2.5-inch wired red velvet ribbon unrolling in a soft loop on a walnut writing desk, three feet of ribbon draped across showing the plush pile

Wired ribbon is the one you want for bows. The wire edge holds the loop shape, the fabric doesn’t wilt in humidity, and 2.5-inch is the sweet spot for wreath-scale bows (skinnier reads chintzy, wider takes over the wreath). Red velvet is the perennial, but keep a spool of natural linen or muted plaid on the shelf for fall too.

Skip anything paper-backed. It looks fine in the store and disappointing on the door.

11. Deco mesh in the color story you’re building

Coastal beach cottage crafting corner at bright late-morning coastal light with a 10-yard roll of pale cream deco mesh partially unrolled on a whitewashed reclaimed pine table, three feet spilling across in soft folds

Deco mesh is a whole style choice, not a supply for every wreath. If you love the fluffy carnival-style wreaths with layered mesh puffs and coordinating ribbon streamers, buy a 10-yard roll in your main color plus a coordinating 6-inch accent roll. If you’re building the more minimalist natural-base look, you can skip mesh entirely. There’s no in-between.

The small stuff that finishes a wreath

12. Floral U-pins

Contemporary loft workspace at cool overcast midday light with two small terracotta dishes on a gray concrete table holding green 2-inch floral U-pins and three dried preserved rosebuds, beside a partially assembled white foam wreath

U-pins are the fastest way to attach anything to a foam base. Buy a bulk pack of 1.75 to 2-inch pins in floral green so they disappear into the moss or greenery. A bag of 150 lasts through a year of wreath-making and dried-flower projects.

13. Green zip ties

Dutch Colonial pantry at warm late-afternoon side light with a shallow cream ceramic dish of green 4-inch zip ties on a stained oak counter beside one large gold satin ornament ball

Not glamorous, but the fix you’ll reach for surprisingly often. Zip ties are what you use when a heavy accent (a large ornament, a metal monogram, a chunky pinecone) needs a mechanical grip the wire alone can’t give. Green disappears; black doesn’t; the mini four-inch length is the one you actually use.

14. Chenille stems in green or brown

Southwestern adobe kitchen at warm afternoon light with a small clear glass jar of green chenille stem pipe cleaners standing upright on a mesquite-wood table beside three loose ones bent into small hooks

The humble pipe cleaner is still the best tool for attaching pre-wired picks to a wire frame. Fold in half, feed through the frame, twist. Done in three seconds. Keep a bag of 100 in your craft bin and you’ll reach for them constantly.

Fresh-only supplies for real evergreen wreaths

15. Bypass pruners or floral snips

Tudor Revival kitchen at cool morning side light with red-handled bypass pruners open on a dark soapstone counter beside three freshly cut fresh cedar branch tips and a few fallen needles

If you’re making a real cedar, boxwood, or fresh Fraser fir wreath, you need a clean cut on woody stems. A pair of bypass pruners handles thicker branches; smaller floral snips work for the fine tips. Don’t ask a faux-stem cutter to do this job, it’ll dull in one session.

16. A floral spray bottle for hydration

New England saltbox kitchen at cool late-morning light with a clear-plastic fine-mist spray bottle on a soapstone countertop beside a small fresh cedar-and-boxwood wreath resting flat with light dew on the greenery

Fresh wreaths hold their color for a week to three weeks longer if you mist the back of the wreath every few days with plain water (or a light anti-transpirant spray, if you want to push it further). A cheap fine-mist bottle is all you need, and it’s the one supply that turns a fresh wreath from a five-day showpiece into a full-holiday one.

Storage that pays off in January

17. A padded wreath storage bag

Spanish Revival craft storage room at warm early-evening light with a 30-inch padded green wreath storage bag hanging on a black iron hook against a white plaster wall, zipper partially open showing a red-berry Christmas wreath inside

The reason wreaths look tired by year three isn’t the wreath, it’s the shoebox you crammed it into. A padded 30-inch wreath storage bag hangs on a garage hook, keeps the shape intact, and lets you actually reuse a wreath for four or five seasons instead of tossing it every year. Buy one per wreath you plan to store, and label the outside so you’re not opening every bag looking for the fall one in October.

If you keep these seventeen supplies within arm’s reach, the leap from “I want to try making a wreath” to “I have three seasonal ones stacked in the garage” gets short. And once your bin is stocked, the fun part starts: pick a season, pull a base off the shelf, and go. Our DIY Christmas wreath ideas are a good place to start if you want a project that uses almost every supply on this list. If you build a wreath from this kit, we’d love to know which supply surprised you as the one you use most. For extra design inspiration once your kit is stocked, HGTV has a year-of-DIY-wreaths gallery with a wreath for every month.