The Garden Club of the Back Bay’s wreath project is one of two fundraising activities we plan each year, the other being our early summer Twilight Garden Party.  The net proceeds from wreath week are used to plant, prune, and care for the street trees of the Back Bay.  Therefore, since we wish to maximize our profits, we encourage walk in orders for wreaths with bows, or just plain wreaths.  Unfortunately, we cannot sell fully decorated wreaths during wreath week – these must be ordered in advance.  Our time at the Church is limited, and the number of fully decorated wreath orders we accept is also limited.  Many who come by are so impressed by our output that they want to buy a decorated wreath on the spot, and are disappointed.  We put names on our mailing list and those who are interested will receive an order form next fall.  If anyone reading this post wishes to be put on the mailing list, simply email info@bostonflora.com with your name and address.  The wreath below, a fantasy of copper and gold, received much attention from members and customers this year, and probably will be a much requested “look” next season.

We’ll take a one day hiatus from our breakdown of The Garden Club of the Back Bay’s holiday wreath project to wish you all a Merry Christmas.  The cheerful wreath below was delivered to a customer who asked for a bright red bow, lotus pods, and cardinals.  She received exactly what she asked for.

The Garden Club of the Back Bay’s wreath week isn’t all about decorating and delivering – we also eat well.  Early on we decided never to lose the services of a loyal volunteer because he or she needed to have lunch.  We begin each morning with coffee and tea, and a variety of muffins, scones, and coffee cakes.  Clementines and cider are available as well.  Lunch is catered in each day from a different provider, so no one is bored, and there are always vegetarian options.  Seltzers, sodas, chips (need that salt!) and snacks are plentiful.  Afternoon brings tea and cookies.  One loyal member who winters in Nevada sends homemade biscotti in a variety of flavors.  This year we even had some leftover Halloween candy bars.  No one admitted to wanting them, but they were all gone by the end of the week.  We also bring in paper goods, band aids, tissues, and Crisco for cleaning hands (rub hands stained with pine tar and sap well with the Crisco, wash with soap, and you’re good to go.)  As evening progresses, we dive back into the sandwiches or pizza, to keep up our energy levels, since our days are long.  Below is a wreath with an artichoke accent, one we dried rather than ate.

We make beautiful bows for the Garden Club of the Back Bay holiday wreaths.  We don’t skimp on the quality of ribbon, either.  All our ribbon is, at a minimum, 2 1/2 inches wide, sometimes wider, and is wired on the edges.  The cost of each roll varies, and we do try to buy on sale, often at the end of the season, but in order to keep our customers happy and our decorators intrigued, we purchase a variety of colors and patterns.  Sometimes, on the roll, our members wonder what we were thinking when we bought the ribbon.  Black and gold?  Buffalo checks?  Purple?  Polka dots?  Yet, once made up, these ribbons sparkle with life.  To see them being made, visit :  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Od4RWBu6sw.     Below is a close up of one of this year’s new patterns, a sparkly red brocade over a bronze/green background.  Unfortunately, we can’t guarantee any specific design from year to year, since often the manufacturers don’t keep the same stock in production.  We do promise that all the bows will be beautiful.