Tie & decorate the Advent wreath

Advent in SalzburgerLand

Soon it will be that time again and the contemplative Advent season will shorten the waiting for the Christ Child. What is simply part of it - in addition to the Christmas bakeries and the first Christmas carols on the radio, that the house or apartment is festively decorated inside and out. At the florists, flower shops and farmers" markets you will find festive Christmas arrangements and beautiful Advent wreaths ready-made or to decorate yourself. There are no limits to the imagination and there are endless variants - from down-to-earth traditional to glittering kitsch, everything is possible!

Personally, I like wreaths made of dried flowers just as much as those made of moss and it can also be an elongated arrangement instead of a wreath. But there can only be one Advent wreath in the house and I have tied it myself for years and traditionally decorated it with red-colored candles and natural materials I collected myself, such as cones, rose hips and nuts. Well, a little bit of decorative kitsch, such as mini packs and small bells, are also included and should not be missing, especially for the children.

Do you tie the Advent wreath yourself, or do you buy the wreath (half) finished?

No matter which variant you prefer - today I have the right tip for everyone to make or buy an Advent wreath! At the beginning I will show you how you can easily tie an Advent wreath yourself and what you need for it. Then I introduce you to Helga Tiefenbacher, who has a large selection of Advent wreaths and decorative materials in her Blumenwerk in Puch in Puch next to the parish church, directly at the Kirchenwirt and gave me some tips about the perfect Advent wreath for you on my last visit.

Tie the Advent wreath yourself: This is how it works!

First you have to get the respective material that you want to use for your Advent wreath. Since I live on a farm with a flower garden and own a forest, I will certainly find it easier to procure the natural materials. Whereby you don"t just go into the forest and cut around a fir tree, but get together with neighbors every year and it is not a matter of course to get moon-hewn "Taxn" every year.

Tie material to the Advent wreath:

• Twigs from the fir tree and thuja bush, ivy ... Tip: When buying or collecting the twigs, make sure that the needles do not fall off!
• Wreath of straw (or make it yourself from lianas and moss)
• Green wire (thickness as required)
• 4 candles (suitable size for the wreath)
• Wire rods or candle saucers
• Decoration material: dried orange and apple slices, nuts, kl. Christmas balls, bells, cinnamon sticks, parcels

Tinker tools for the Advent wreath:

Hot glue gun, wire cutters, secateurs, scissors and combination pliers

Instructions for tying the wreath:

1. Pinch large fir branches and bushes with the secateurs. As 10 to 15 cm tall as you prefer.
2. Attach the winding wire to the straw wreath and test whether you prefer to wind to the left or to the right.
3. Now put the twigs on the wreath in tufts and wrap the wire one after the other until you are back at the beginning.
4. Tightly knot the wire together at the end
5. Put the 4 candles in the wreath with the plate or with the thick wire
6. Decorate the Advent wreath as you like: meshes, stars, cones, dried orange slices, cinnamon sticks, etc.

My 6 tips for the perfect Advent wreath:

1. if you want to hang up the wreath, you have to tie the Büscherl around it. If the wreath is on a plate, the bottom doesn"t necessarily have to be covered.
2. Make sure to lay the Büscherl one after the other and evenly in a curve so that one side does not become thicker than the other.
3. If you are tying a mixed wreath, make sure that you alternate the materials regularly and divide up the "important" parts, such as the red rose hip, precisely beforehand so that you do not forget them. Otherwise insert it afterwards or fix it with the hot glue gun.
4. Always pull the wire vigorously with feeling so that the wreath does not open in the end.
5. Before you put the candles on the candle plate or on the wire in the wreath, heat the tip with the lighter so that the wax can melt when you put it on. Otherwise the candles could break apart.
6. When decorating, remember "less is often more".

If you have any questions about tying the Advent wreath, just leave me a comment or send me an Email. Otherwise, have fun tinkering with the Advent wreath and if you have children, don"t forget to include them. It will probably take a little longer, but the joy of lighting a candle in Advent is even greater! And if you don"t enjoy handicrafts, generally don"t have the time or you just want to get a (half) finished Advent wreath, stop by the Blumenwerk Helga in Puch you will be thrilled! Even in front of the shop you will certainly get into the Christmas mood and in the shop you will get everything you need for a festive Advent season - including Advent wreaths to decorate yourself or ready-made.

Advent wreaths, festive arrangements and Christmas decorations

Directly at the Kirchenwirt, diagonally across from the parish church and the Pucher parish office, you will find everything your decorative heart desires at Helga Tiefenbacher"s flower factory. Bouquets of flowers, arrangements and now everything you can need in Advent, in keeping with the season. Poinsettias, snow roses, amaryllis, Barbara branches before December 4th and much more! Of course there are also Advent wreaths in different variations.

In addition to the classic green twig wreath, Helga recommends "taking an Advent wreath without fir branches. Try a wreath made of moss and dried flowers. They not only hold up very well, they also don"t needles". But if you prefer a traditional wreath and you have problems with the "needling" every year, here ...

4 durability tips from Helga for the Advent wreath made from fir branches:

1. used fresh pointing - best cut 3 days before the eleventh full moon
2. cools the wreath overnight
3. best outside where the humidity is higher
4. regularly spray the wreath with a little water

If you order, (almost) anything is possible in Advent!

At Helga you can get Advent wreaths from the Nordmann fir from Pongau, which have very soft needles, hold well and hardly dry out. If you order, Advent wreaths from the Wiestaler fir, which is cut 3-5 days before the full moon, can be tied for you - purely from fir branches or, if you wish, mixed with z. B. Schradler, rose hip, tuje, eucalyptus branches and juniper. The best thing to do is just drop by Helga in the store and choose the colors of the candles and other decorative elements. Of course, you can also get the wreaths to decorate yourself and buy saucers, Christmas decorations, candles etc.

Helga is a passionate florist and has opened her "Blumenwerk Helga" in Puch since 2016. She lovingly takes care of all your customers" flower requests, offers selected and seasonal goods with a lot of love and attaches great importance to personal advice on site. Whether cut flowers, decorative items, wreaths of all kinds or potted plants, at Helga you are sure to find the right one for you and your loved one. Just have a look at Blumenwerk Helga and get advice or just call Helga if you have any questions on Tel. 06245 84008!

Advent greetings from Puch near Salzburg

And which Advent wreath will you choose this year? Self-tied and decorated or bought ready-made? If you post pictures or videos of your Advent wreaths online, then link us with @visitpuch on Instagram or with PuchbeiHallein on Facebook. On these social media channels you will also get regular and current information from Puch and the surrounding area.

Finally, with my Advent wreath from last year, I wish you all a nice Advent season and lots of fun with the pre-Christmas decorations and handicrafts. Enjoy the "contemplative" time with your families and don"t forget to support the regional businesses with your Christmas shopping. And if it should be a voucher, how about a PuchSCHEIN!

This way to the Helga flower factory in Puch: