Feel-Good Tips: How to Make A Flower Crown
We all know the feel-good benefits of gardening and gardens and perhaps, never more so than now. It's said that gardeners and florists are among the happiest among us. Bring on the gardener in all of us! We feel happier, more rested, more connected when we spend time in nature tending to our plants (or simply smelling the roses).
That's why we love the idea behind Garden Day this Sunday May 10th If you haven't heard about it already, we think you will too. More about Garden day later. But first, Heathcote & Ivory beauty editor, Emma got down to making a flower crown in the week, to see how easy (or tricky) it might be. Amazing what you can come up with, with an old hair band, a reel of tape, a few ribbons and a handful of foraged flowers from the garden. So, here goes.
How to make a flower crown
What you will need: Scissors Tape (florists, masking tape or Sellotape) easily bendable wire rigid hair band ribbon fresh flowers and foliage for the flowers and foliage, use whatever you can find. The jasmine bush in Emma's shady, city garden is in bud and about to flower. She also has Silver Bush (Convolvulus cneorum) with its long silvery stems and white flowers just in bloom. A few little daisies may work for the crown. There may also be the last, few pink camellias to pop in, too. If you don't have flowers, supermarket flowers if you can get to one, will give you a brilliant colourful crown.
1) Prepare your foliage and flowers
Cut your flower stems leaving a few centimetres below each bloom and removing any leaves. Lay in front of you in groups of three or four. Cut your foliage in the same way Emma took a few fern leaves, hosta leaves and a swathe of jasmine with its naturally long winding stems.
2) Make three small bunches or posies
First cut three lengths of wire (Emma used a bendy copper wire) to about five inches long. Then take three or four flowers, a piece or two of foliage and a length of wire between fingers and thumb. Start to wrap with tape, starting at the top under the bloom and working to the end.
3) Attach posies to your hairband to make the crown
Starting from one end, hold the stems of each flower posy against the hair band. Then wrap with tape to secure to the band (see below). Continue all the way round with the posies following the same direction. Snip any excess stem and wire.
4) Ease flowers into position along band
As you attach each posy, gently bend and ease into your chosen position. Use extra wire to hold in place if you need to.
5) Add ribbon
To finish, use lengths of ribbon to hide the wrapping tape and tie into bows. The more the merrier.
6) Ta-dah! Your DIY flower crown
Fit for your inner flower queen, or your trusty dog.
So, back to Garden Day. Happening this Sunday. Households across the country are encouraged to put down our tools and enjoy our green spaces. Whether you have a window sill filled with pots, a balcony or a fully-fledged garden, this is a day for you. This year, Garden Day has created a virtual garden gathering, with a programme of online events. It kicks off at eleven with Arthur Cole and his team - he is head gardener at The Newt, a beautiful hotel in the Somerset hills. Author, Sophie Dahl has garden tales to tell at 11.30, florist Simon Lycett does a flower crown masterclass at midday. And at 12.30, wellbeing expert Liz Earle teams up with Julie Collins of the British Academy of Floral Art to make flower crowns for kids.
Discover more about Garden Day including flower crown demos, on the website. Follow on Instagram: @gardendayuk and on Facebook: @GardenDayUK. Oh, and we almost forgot. Discover more about our In The Garden beauty collection designed to pamper your hands after a day in the garden. Have a great Bank Holiday weekend from us all at Heathcote & Ivory. Happy Garden Day!
