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Foraging at Easter: make a wreath and other home decorations

Helen Keating

Content manager, botanist and tree lover

Welcome in spring and brighten your home with these easy ideas for foraged Easter decorations, from egg-dyeing to eye-catching centrepieces.

Forage sustainably

Whatever you pick, follow our responsible foraging guidelines.

What to look for

Take your secateurs, an ID guide and basket or bag for your precious pickings.

How to make an easy Easter wreath

Not just for winter, this spring wreath will freshen up your front door. It's super quick and easy to make using wild, natural foraged plants.

Credit: Helen Keating / WTML

Credit: Helen Keating / WTML

Credit: Helen Keating / WTML

Did you know?

Sprays of pussy willow were frequently used to decorate churches at Eastertide.

What you'll need

  • Florist wire or garden twine.
  • A rounded object, like an upturned plant pot, to act as a circular guide for your wreath shape.
  • Branches that are flexible like willow or hazel.
  • Stems of twining plants like honeysuckle or clematis.
  • Blossom, catkins and fresh, green foliage to add volume.
  • Easter adornments like hanging wooden eggs, chicks and bunnies.
  • Ribbon (pastels or vibrant pinks and turquoise work well).

Steps

  1. Create the basic frame for your wreath by bending branches around your upturned plant pot and secure with wire or string.
  2. Weave twining stems around the frame, wrapping around to keep secure and attach with wire or string.
  3. Tuck short stems of blossom or catkin around your wreath.
  4. Add finishing touches by hanging your eggs or other ornaments onto your wreath.
  5. Tie ribbon to the top and tie to make a loop so you can hang your wreath inside or out.

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Easter egg dyes from natural foraged plants

A favourite Easter craft with a difference. Try making dyes with wild foraged plants and see what colours you can come up with.

Naturally foraged plants like gorse flowers and nettle leaves can produce surprisingly vivid colours.

Credit: Helen Keating / WTML

There aren't many brightly coloured flowers available around Eastertime but look out for gorse which flowers between January and June.

Credit: Helen Keating / WTML

Place flowers in a saucepan with twice as much water as plant material and simmer for an hour.

Credit: Helen Keating / WTML

White eggs pick up the dye much better than brown.

Credit: Helen Keating / WTML

Nettles produce an olive-green dye.

Credit: Helen Keating / WTML

Soak boiled eggs in dye, ideally for 24 hours.

Credit: Helen Keating / WTML

Add prints to your eggs

Lay flowers or leaves over the shell and wrap the entire egg tightly in muslin or nylon tights. Secure firmly before submerging eggs in the dye.

What you'll need

  • Plant material: a couple of handfuls of bright coloured petals and leaves. There's not much available at this time of year but look out for gorse flowers, nettle leaves, dandelions (or use kitchen vegetables and garden plants if you prefer not to forage you'll get more colour options with e.g. beetroot).
  • Hard-boiled eggs, preferably white and cooled to room temperature.
  • White vinegar.
  • Water.

Steps

  1. Chop up your plant material and place in a saucepan. Cover with twice as much water to plant material.
  2. Add 2 tablespoons white vinegar.
  3. Bring to the boil and simmer for 1 hour.
  4. Remove from heat and strain the liquid into a glass bowl.
  5. Place hard-boiled eggs into each dye and leave overnight or for 24 hours in the fridge.
  6. Remove eggs with a slotted spoon and place on kitchen paper to dry.

Spring centrepiece

Branches make the perfect frame to hang little Easter decorations and fairy lights for a spring-like centrepiece or table decoration.

Arrange branches and twigs in a vase and decorate with your favourite Easter ornaments.

Credit: Helen Keating / WTML

Hang pastel-coloured eggs to the branches.

Credit: Helen Keating / WTML

A vase of decorated twigs makes the perfect spring centerpiece or sideboard display.

Credit: Helen Keating / WTML

Did you know?

Ostereierbaum is a centuries-old German tradition of decorating the branches of trees and bushes with eggs at Easter.

What you'll need

  • Tall branches, especially ones that have budding leaves or catkins like birch, willow or hazel.
  • Vase.
  • Decorations: make hanging ornaments using pine cones but for a spring-like feel, use hanging eggs and other Easter decorations. Fairly lights also look lovely.

Steps

  1. Snip your branches as short or tall as you'd like them and arrange them in a vase of water. 
  2. Hang decorations on the branches and add fairy light lights.

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