Autumn Wreaths from Foraged Ontario Materials

What makes Ontario foraging practical for wreath-making

The province sits across three forest regions — the boreal shield in the north, the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence mixed forest through the Muskokas and Ottawa Valley, and the Carolinian zone in the southwest. Each produces different leaf shapes, bark textures, and seed forms through September and October.

Sugar and red maple are the most widely distributed deciduous trees in southern Ontario. Their leaves press flat, hold colour reasonably well when dried under weight for a week, and provide the layered, overlapping surface that makes a wreath readable at a distance. Ironwood (Ostrya virginiana) produces small hop-like seed clusters that dry to a tan paper texture — useful for filling gaps between larger elements.

Materials list

What to forage

30–50 sugar maple leaves in peak colour (mid-October in southern Ontario)
15–20 eastern white pine cones or jack pine cones, both scales intact
3–4 strips of loose birch bark from fallen branches (not live trees)
A handful of ironwood seed clusters or similar papery seed heads
Dried bittersweet vine or grape vine for the base form (optional)

From the hardware store

One 14-inch wire wreath frame (available at RONA, Home Depot Canada, or Michaels)
22-gauge floral wire or 20-gauge galvanised wire — approximately 10 metres
Natural jute twine, 2–3 mm diameter
Hot glue gun and glue sticks (low-temp for leaves; high-temp for pinecones)
Matte acrylic sealant spray for outdoor durability (Rust-Oleum or similar)

Note on birch bark

Only collect bark from branches that have already fallen. Peeling bark from a standing birch tree damages the waterproofing layer the tree needs. Fallen branches after a storm are the cleanest source — the bark comes away in manageable strips and is already partially dried.

Preparing the foraged materials

Pressing and drying leaves

Place freshly collected leaves between two sheets of newspaper. Stack three to four layers, then place a flat weight — a cutting board with a pot on top works — over the pile. Leave for five to seven days in a dry room. Ontario's September indoors typically provides 40–50% relative humidity, which is adequate. Leaves pressed at higher humidity can turn brown and become brittle within weeks.

If pressing is not practical, leaves can be air-dried by hanging small bundles stem-up in a shaded spot for two weeks. They will curl somewhat, which adds dimension to the finished wreath.

Preparing pinecones

Fresh pinecones collected from the ground contain sap and may host insects. Bake them on a parchment-lined sheet at 120°C (250°F) for 30 minutes. This opens the scales, kills any insects, and hardens the resin. Allow them to cool fully before use. Eastern white pine cones, which are 10–15 cm long, work well as anchor pieces at the top and bottom of the frame. Smaller jack pine cones fill the sides.

Cleaning birch bark

Birch bark strips collected from fallen branches are often damp and carry soil. Wipe the outer surface with a dry cloth. If the strip is still pliable, bend it gently to test — it should flex without cracking. Strips that crack when bent are too dry and will not wrap around a curved frame. Wrap cracked strips in a damp cloth for two hours to restore some pliability before use.

Assembling the wreath

Wrapping the wire frame

Start by wrapping the wire frame in jute twine. This gives the frame surface texture that leaves and bark can grip, and it fills the visual gaps between elements. Wind the twine tightly in single-layer spirals around each ring of the frame, securing the starting and ending lengths with a half-hitch knot. A 14-inch, four-ring frame takes approximately 20 metres of 2–3 mm twine.

Attaching the structural elements

Position the larger pinecones first. Use 22-gauge wire to make a wrap around the lowest scales of each cone, leaving two 10 cm tails. Thread these tails through the frame and twist them tight on the back. Place the largest cones at the bottom third of the wreath — this anchors the visual weight and prevents the wreath from looking top-heavy when hung.

Birch bark strips wrap naturally around the frame and can be secured at each end with a single loop of floral wire. Two or three strips distributed around the ring add a light-coloured break between the darker leaf mass.

Layering the leaves

Working in groups of three to five leaves, slide the stem ends under the twine wrapping, fanning the leaves outward. Each group should overlap the previous by roughly one-third. Press-dried leaves lie flat and uniform; air-dried leaves add variation in angle. Mix both for a more natural result.

Use a small dab of hot glue on the underside of each leaf group where it meets the frame. This prevents the leaves from shifting in moving air. A low-temperature glue gun is preferable here — high-temp glue can scorch thin leaves.

Filling gaps with seed clusters

Ironwood clusters and similar seed heads fill the small voids between leaves and cones effectively. Apply hot glue to the base of each cluster and press it into position. Allow 30 seconds before releasing. Smaller maple samaras (the winged seeds) can also be tucked in to add movement when the wreath is hung near a doorway.

Sealing for outdoor use

Take the assembled wreath outdoors or to a well-ventilated garage. Hold the matte acrylic spray at 30 cm and apply two light coats, letting each dry for 20 minutes. This seals the leaves against early frost and light rain. The wreath will not survive prolonged exposure to heavy Ontario autumn rain without reapplication each season, but it handles typical covered-porch conditions well.

Displaying and storing

A standard over-door hook (available at Canadian Tire in the seasonal section) holds wreaths up to 45 cm diameter without wall damage. For interior use, a simple loop of jute attached to the top of the frame and hung from a nail works well.

At the end of the season, store the wreath in a cardboard box slightly larger than the wreath itself, with a sheet of tissue paper laid between the wreath surface and the box lid to prevent the leaves from compressing. A cool, dry basement or unheated garage shelf is adequate — avoid plastic bags, which trap moisture and cause mould on natural materials.

Regional variation

In Quebec, butternut and bitternut hickory shells add darker brown tones that maple leaves lack. In British Columbia, Douglas fir cones and arbutus bark offer equivalents to Ontario's eastern white pine and birch. The assembly process remains identical; only the palette changes.