How to Make a Hops Wreath for Fall

When the fall season starts creeping in, I feel the urge to decorate my home for the fall. Making a fall harvest wreath is one of the easiest ways to bring the season inside. It’s even better when that homemade wreath is easy to make, uses free and inexpensive materials, and can be put together in less than 30 minutes. If you are wondering how I did all of that with this year’s autumn wreath, let me show you how to make a hops wreath for fall.

Hop bells grow on soft, pliable vines. You can wrap these vines around a grapevine or straw wreath. Secure them with little pieces of wire if necessary. That’s it. Nothing else is necessary, anyone can do it. Making this fall hops wreath is that simple, really.

This hops wreath is perfect for your fall decorating. It will only take you 30 minutes and you might find most of the materials for free.

You might be wondering what this hops thing is? It is one of the main ingredients of beer. Go figure, I don’t drink beer, but I love those little green bells on the vines (they are called hop cones). Hop is a beast to have in your garden. It has enormous growing powers. It easily covers huge trellis, trees, or fences in half a season. When I spotted some hop growing in a nearby wooded area, I had no qualms about cutting some down. That stuff cannot be eradicated that easily.

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Hops vines are perfect for making a wreath but they can also be used to make garlands to drape over cabinets or hung above a fireplace. Hops dry in and can be used for a long time in your decor. You just have to make sure your hops decorations are left undisturbed. When the hops dry in, they shed easily when touched. So once dried do not touch them.

How do you preserve hops for decorations

Hop bells are harvested in late August. When you pick them when the vines are fresh, they are supple and easy to bend and twist. They are also surprisingly lightweight, so they are very easy to handle. To preserve hops for decorations, you have to put them in place right away and leave them in situ to dry out. Don’t procrastinate on making your hops wreath after you have cut the hop vines for your decoration. Use them in your project right away; leave your wreath or garland to dry out naturally, and it will last for a long time.

Hops vines will dry naturally and without effort. Once dried, they can shed a bit, so make sure to put them in a place where they won’t be disturbed. Keep them away from moisture or disturbance; your dried hops can last for at least a year, probably even longer.

Because dried hops are very fragile, a DIY hops wreath would not be my first choice for a fall wreath for your front door. But a hops wreath is awesome for some indoor fall decoration.

Related Reading: How to Make a Dried Lavender Wreath for Fall.

No beer without hops, but no, your living room will not start to smell like a brewery when you bring these vines inside. When it was still very fresh, this wreath did have a bit of an earthy smell. I liked it; brings in fall, just like that first fresh smell of a real Christmas tree. The hops wreath has been hanging for a few weeks now. It is still looking fresh, but I can see the hop cones starting to dry out a little. It will get yellower, but it dries in quite nicely. 

How to Make a Hops Wreath

Making a hops wreath is easy. There were only a few steps involved in making mine.

Step 1. Gather materials

You will need:

• plenty of (fresh) hops vines,

• grapevine wreath form,

• wire
• wire clippers

Step 2. Attach the hops to the wreath form

I simply twisted most of the hops vines around my grapevine wreath base. When the vines and the hop bells were not following the circle close enough, I used itty bitty pieces of wire to attach them closer to the wreath form.

Step 3. Hand in place and leave to dry

I hang my DIY hops wreath on an old door in my living room. It is out of the way and won’t be disturbed while it dries in. Remember to preserve your hops decoration. You should touch it as little as possible and let it air dry naturally.

That’s it! There are no more steps in making a hops wreath for fall. Easy enough, right?!

I think the fresh, green color of the hop greenery is just beautiful. But a dried hops wreath is pretty too. It will turn into all shades of beige, greige, and brown. Perfect for fall and Thanksgiving seasonal decorating.

Yeah! I just love fall. It is the season of abundance. I’ll even still love it when the rains move in, the sky turns grey, and the wind pulls all those colorful leaves from the trees. Once the weather turns, it will draw me inside, and my fall nesting will get into overdrive. But for now, I am enjoying every bit of good weather outside I can get while enjoying my first piece of fall decorating inside. 

And maybe there will be some more wreaths thrown into that mix. I have a thing for fall decorating, you know. I did a lot of it in the past. My favorite fall wreath ever is the one in my romantic fall mantel display, and I am still in love with this over-the-top fall centerpiece on my garden table.

So how about you, is your home all decked out with pumpkins? Fall decorating going on in full force, or are you still enjoying those wonderful late summer days as well? Or maybe you are getting in the spring mood down under?