Floral crowns are always popular at weddings, carnivals and festivals and great fun to make during a hen or children’s party. One of our most popular local florists, Jan Chew, showed us just how easy it is to make your own with lovely flowers from our garden.
- Decide on the mood, be it romantic, colourful or zany.
- Select the foliage and flowers at least two hours and preferably the day before needed so they can have a good drink in a bucket of cold water. Pick plenty as you don’t want to be hunting around for more when making the floral crown.
- Cut the stems on the diagonal to have maximum exposure to the water and woody stems should be smashed with a hammer against a wooden board to make it easier for them to absorb the water.
- Before starting make sure you have the correct equipment. You will need:
- Florists’ wire
- Florists’ stretchy stem tap
- Narrow coloured ribbon
- Scissors
- Take two lengths of the florists’ wire to fit a head and bind securely together with the stem tape. Wind the stem tape around all of the wire so it will be comfortable on the head.
- Cut the flowers and foliage to length, removing any dead leaves, stray stems and buds and, if using roses, the prickles from the stems.
- Lay out the flowers in your chosen design, thinking about colour and size with the larger blooms at the front of the floral crown. We had chosen pale pink and raspberry streaked peonies, pink star flowers, white flox, and lavender stems.
- Starting at one end of the wire tightly secure each stem with the ribbon, placing different flowers and foliage in your own preferred design. We placed the gorgeously blowsy peonies at the centre to make a focal point for the crown.
- When all the wire has been covered with the flowers, twist the end of the wire together, bind with the ribbon and, if wished, tie a bow.
- Enjoy trying on your floral crown and then, if needed for a later occasion, store in a cool dark place.
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