In full bloom | part 4 spring

Floral projects for spring

How to make floral accessories, flower crowns, buttonholes, bracelets with spring flowers

Published in Country Living, March 2019

Words and styling by Bea Andrews / Photography by Eva Nemeth

With winter rolling into spring the pace of change is quickening and the garden awakens from its slumber. The hedgerows erupt in swathes of blossom and the air is full of scent. As we welcome back the warmer and longer days, the arrival of spring sees the emergence of spring bulbs taking centre stage. Celebrating this glorious season with small floral projects and involving children in these creative sessions will add a special touch to any spring festival, family party or Easter celebration.

Simple floral accessories for children and grown ups

Although flowers are mostly worn at weddings nowadays, they used to be popular fashion accessories in the past. A tradition we could revive and incorporate into our seasonal celebrations. A few simple blooms wired into a circlet worn as a hair piece or tied with a ribbon around the wrist, as well as a little buttonhole posy are the easiest ways of wearing flowers. Gathering ingredients is as easy on a family walk as picking spring blooms from your garden or selecting a few long lasting stems from your local florist.

Choosing ingredients

The star ingredient in these projects is the humble grape hyacinth (Muscari). Their bulbs (mainly M. armeniacum) are readily available to plant in the autumn, will flower from early spring and make long lasting cut flowers. I grow a variety called Valerie Finnis, with an exquisite powder blue shade and fantastic scent. Its smaller form is perfect for making posies and wired designs. The name grape hyacinth comes from the round flowers being tightly packed together like tiny bunches of grapes creating a shape that resembles of hyacinths. Unlike many bulbs, Muscari set plentiful seed, which germinates and grows rapidly if undisturbed, therefore naturalise easily.

Muscari (grape hyacinths)

Flowers and tools

Wallflower (Erysimum cheiri Sunset Apricot)

Added to this I also used blackthorn blossom (Prunus spinosa), wallflower (Erysimum cheiri ‘Sunset Apricot’), Spiraea and rice flower blossom, double white Persian buttercup (Ranunculus), small spray roses, rosemary and Pittosporum sprigs.

Cutting blackthorn blossom

Sloe (blackthorn) blossom

Making a floral bracelet (wrist corsage)

For the bracelet, cut a piece of florist binding wire, long enough to go around your wrist. Cut all plant ingredients to 5 cm pieces, make a small hook at each end of the wire, cover it with stem tape and start adding and taping stems along the whole length. Attach ribbons at each end.

1. Make a hook at the end of the binding wire

2. Cover the wire hook with waxed tape

3. Attach the cut foliage with the waxed tape

4. Add and secure a wallflower piece

5. Carry on adding and taping other flowers and foliages

6. Add a variety of flowers to your wrist corsage

7. Use a few larger blooms like roses

8. Decide on the length of your bracelet

9. Tie ribbons at the end hooks when it's done

Making a flower crown

Using the same technique for the crown, tape flowers and foliages along the wire. I made a short half moon shape head piece, but try a longer length for a full flower crown. Attach wire or ribbon to the end hooks to make a circlet.

1. Fill and tape the flowers to the length of your crown

2. Cut the wire to required length

3. Make a hook at the finishing end to attach ribbon or wire

4. Half floral circlet secured with thin wire

Blackthorn or sloe blossom on glass jars

Make a spring buttonhole with children at Easter

Making a floral buttonhole

We used 8cm sprigs each of Pittosporum, blackthorn blossom and grape hyacinth for this. Simply make a tiny posy and tie with rustic twine.

1. Collect flowers and foliage for your buttonhole

2. Cut the stems short and tie with twine

3. Wear your buttonhole at spring festivals

Making a Muscari necklace

Cut a piece of wire long enough to go around the neck of a soft toy. Cut the stems of the grape hyacinths very short and prepare some small leathery leaves, we used round leaves of Eucalyptus cinerea. Thread them on the wire, alternating the flowers and leaves. Secure the necklace by twisting the wire ends together or by attaching ribbons as before.

1. Cut the flowers and leaves very short, thread onto wire

2. Secure wire ends at the back, or attach ribbons

3. Your eucalyptus-muscari necklace is ready to wear

Using different flowers and foliages

In the spring there are many different types of flowers and foliages growing in the garden or in our woods and fields. Making sure they are not protected species, you can try and forage for hedgerow findings - anything will do as long as they are not too soft and tender leaves or delicate blooms. The flowers and foliages I chose are all strong, sturdy textures that will last for quite sometime without water. Similar things, such as hyacinth blooms, fruit blossom, especially Japanese quince (Chaenomeles) blossom are really excellent for floral craft. Any strong evergreen foliage (box, rosemary, thyme) and leaves will make a great foliage to work with. If you can’t get hold of florist wires and waxed tape, you can substitute with garden wire, as thin as you can get, and thin ribbons that have a more rough, not too silky texture.