The Gathering Garden Magazine
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The Welcome Mat Isn't the Whole Welcome
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A new mat is usually the first thing people buy when a front door feels underwhelming, and it's rarely the thing that actually fixes it. A mat sits... -
The No-Wreath Front Door: Why Wheat Swags Are Replacing the Circle
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The wreath has owned the front door for two centuries. A looser, asymmetrical wheat swag is quietly taking some of that territory, and it comes from an older tradition than the wreath itself. -
Door Swags and Garlands: The Elegant Alternative to a Wreath
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A wreath isn't the only way to dress a door. The teardrop-shaped swag is an older, more flexible form — and it works places a ring of flowers never could.
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The Apple Wreath's American Roots: From Colonial Orchards to the Front Door
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Long before it was a Pinterest staple, the apple was doing quiet symbolic work at the American front door. The surprisingly layered history behind the apple wreath, and how to style one today.
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Boxwood Doesn't Do Christmas: The Case for Wearing Green Year-Round
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Boxwood has been a garden design staple for over 4,000 years — long before it became shorthand for Christmas wreaths. Here's why it deserves a year-round spot on your door.
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Peace, Victory, and a Front Door: The Ancient History of the Olive Wreath
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Before it was a doorway accent, the olive wreath crowned Olympic champions and symbolized peace across the ancient Mediterranean. Here's its 3,000-year story.
