8th May 2020 | By Cara Nicholls
May is such a magical time of year. The songbirds are at their most vocal and the bees and butterflies are most active as they go about their days pollinating all the nectar that is now so readily available. I adore Butterflies and always think it's such a blessing if I get one fly close by or land on me for even the shortest of moments. We've had some really pretty Common Blue Butterfly's in our garden. They seem to group and land on our Blue Ceanothus, then all fly off together and it's as if the blooms are taking off for a merry little dance!
On my daily walks, there are vibrant shades of green as far as the eye can see and so many beautiful wild flowers growing in abundance. My favourites are the wafts of frothy Cow Parsley that have suddenly appeared in their masses along our Sussex country lanes.
They stand tall against the back drop of highly scented Hawthorn, also known as May Tree. Hawthorn is the symbol of fertility and traditionally has associations with May Day. It's blossoms mark the point at which spring turns to summer and it is also my Celtic birth tree! I've always had a very close affinity with Hawthorn for many reasons, but mostly for its potent heart medicine.
Reflecting the abundance of white flowers growing on the fertile earth is May's full moon which is aptly known as the Flower Moon or Mother Moon. I see every full moon as a sacred time to really celebrate all that we are and to acknowledge anything that is filling us up with an abundance of goodness. So May's Flower Moon is definitely an ideal time to give thanks and celebrate Mother Nature and all that she delights us with.
And what better way to celebrate, than to wear a Fairy Princess or May Queen crown made of flowers?!
Now, usually I am lucky enough to have a choice of blooms at my fingertips via the flower markets or my flower farmer friends. This year however, as with everything, we are having to make do with what we already have available to us (and what a jolly good way of being it is turning out to be!).
So, I started by looking in the hedgerow and around my garden for flowers and foliage with woody stems and small pretty blossoms that would last well in a flower crown. I choose Spiraea, Ceanothus, Hawthorne, Hebe and the last of the Forget-Me-Nots which are not at all woody, but have grown pretty tough stems as their season's gone on.
Once I had my Trug full of my chosen blossoms, I set about preparing them for my flower crown by cutting the stems fairly short and removing all the lower leaves. I then grouped several of the stems together and fixed them with florist tape (string or wire would also work).
Once I had a good selection of little flower clusters , I created a base for them to go on using wire wrapped in florist tape. It's a good idea to bend the ends of the wire to create a little loop so that you can later thread ribbon through to fasten your crown.
I then added each little cluster of flowers to the wire. Add each cluster one at a time, making progress down the full length of the wire as you go. You will end up with a long straight pretty garland of flowers that is crying out to be bent to fit the shape of your head and become a beautiful flower crown!
All that's left to do, is add a pretty ribbon of your choice. My favourite will always be either natural twine or plant dyed raw silk ribbon (I have a weakness for long flowing lengths of scrumptious silk ribbon!).
And there you have it, a simple Flower Crown made with love from foraged flowers and foliages. Perfectly suitable for a budding Fairy Princess or May Queen... Or my Son Bodhi!
I wish you all the sweetest month of May. Wear your flower crown with pride and dont forget to tag #wildjoyfulwhispers so I can see! Also, you might like to follow along with Garden Day this Sunday the 10th of May. They are encouraging people to down their garden tools, don a flower crown and spend time celebrating their gardens. Everyone is invited from balcony and indoor gardeners to flower border fanatics and lawn devotees. Check it out at https://www.gardenday.co.uk
Big love & full flower moon blessings to you all
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