Those of you who grow any clematis plants know that their seed heads are distinctly interesting. Freaky, even. Depending on the variety they can be tiny little stars or very large and alien looking sructures.  Those of the weedier species look like old men’s beards , a common name given to clematis virginiana because of the likeness. I wandered around a few days ago to take some photos of a few of those that are currently on vines in the garden. Top to bottom they are c. alba luxurians, c.hexapetala, c.texensis ‘gravetye Beauty’, c. Etoille Violette’, Gravetye Beauty again, c.’Pope John Paul II’, c ‘Pagoda’, c. ‘Polish Spirit’ and c. tanquitica ‘Bill McKenzie’

While  taking the pictures, I remembered that I had seen a photo in an English Gardening magazine in which the seed heads had been made in to a wreath and I promptly decided to make myself one!

I started by collecting a whole bowl full of seed heads from outside making sure to cut a long enough stem on each so it could stay in the wreath without any glue,

Next step:  I took a wire wreath form  and covered it with chicken wire ( ps wear gloves doing this part because OUCH!)

Next step: Moss was wired over  the the form  and then all it took was gently inserting the seed heads in through the moss into the wire and VIOLIA! done. 

It really is very sweet and is now hanging on the mantel. Over the next week or two the seed heads will “fuzz up ” which is something they would do on the vines, but much much later in the season. Once cut , they start to fuzz faster. Then the whole thing will look much different, but still really cool.