How to Make a Living Square Ivy Wreath

Fill a bucket 1/2 to 3/4 full of water, and then insert a sheet of green moss into it. Hold the moss under the water until no air bubbles emerge. Remove the moss and squeeze it out gently. Lay the moss open on a towel to protect the underlying surface.

Lay a square wire wreath frame in the center of the moss.

Empty the bucket of water. Add 6 cups of soilless plant mix, which is available at home improvement centers, to the bucket. Mix in 1/8 teaspoon of the polymer gel crystals, also called water absorbing crystals.

Add 1 cup of water to the bucket and mix the contents up until they are damp throughout. If needed, add more water a little at a time until all of the mix feels moist.

Scoop up a handful of the soil and insert it inside the square frame until it rises half way up. Add more soil around the entire bottom perimeter of the frame.

Remove small ivy sprigs from their pots, and loosen the root balls gently with your fingers. Insert the roots into the wreath frame so they rest on top of the soil. Space each sprig approximately 2 to 3 inches apart.

Add more soil around the roots of the ivy until there are no spaces and you fill the inside of the frame.

Pull the moss sections up through the center and then wrap the exterior ones over from the outside until they meet. Secure the pieces using floral pins to hold them firm. When you wrap, bring the moss pieces up in between the ivy, not over them. Poke small holes in the moss every 4 to 5 inches using the tip of a knife to allow new ivy shoots to emerge later.

Wrap the entire wreath structure with 22-gauge floral wire using a spiral pattern to hold it tight. Space each wrap of the wire only 2 to 3 inches apart and then cut the remainder off using scissors. Twist the ends of the wire around one of the support wires on the frame.