Wreath making a hit in Austin

Published 8:08 am Monday, November 29, 2010

The Christmas wreath is as intricate to the season as any other iconic image of Christmas, right up there with the Christmas tree, presents and mistletoe.

Georgia Brenden, an employee with Berg's Nursery helps Pam Hines tie her bow during a wreath-making seminar at Berg's Saturday afternoon. --Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com

Nurseries around the United States will be offering wreaths, complete with decorative patterns and various sizes, but to make your own is a personal experience.

But be ready. There is an art to it and, thanks to Berg’s Nursery and the Community Learning Center, there is a place where people can now learn to make their own custom wreaths.

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An hour-long seminar was given Saturday afternoon through the combined efforts of Berg’s and the CLC at Berg’s, giving those who signed up points on how to make ribbons and add their own creative touches.

“We’ll talk about wreaths in general,” owner Randy Berg said. “Everybody will have the opportunity to decorate. We’ll help them individually to tie bows and then attach them to the wreaths.”

The CLC has worked off and on with Berg’s for a number of years, but this year now marks the third consecutive seminar.

“We’ve done some separately,” Berg said. “But it’s much more powerful to team up with community education.”

Randy Berg, of Berg's Nursery, shows students from the Community Learning Center examples of the different kinds of wreaths available during a seminar Saturday at Berg's Nursery. - Eric Johnson/photodesk@austindailyherald.com

Teri Wermager, CLC coordinator, agrees and can attest to the popularity.

“It’s a great class,” she said, noting how it works with the very tradition of Christmas itself. “It can be a family tradition. It’s a good family event.”

In the past, the CLC has worked with Berg’s on a number of other seminars, but this one seems to be towards the top.

“We’ve done seminars on landscaping, planting, pruning, but this class is really well attended,” Berg said.