CURATED BY CAS

Making a flower/flora crown is a beautiful way to connect with Mother Nature—a vibrant, resilient, ever-changing force that you are a part of. To be kind to her, these crowns use natural materials only so they are completely compostable.

Learn how to make a flora crown with multidisciplinary artist, Belle Formica.

Instagram: @__re.belle

Website: www.artbybelle.net

YOU WILL NEED

• Foliage & flowers, with long bendy stems
• Secateurs or scissors
• A bag to collect your cuttings in
• Twine or string made of compostable materials e.g. cotton, hemp or jute

You don’t need to spend a lot (or any money) to make a beautiful flora crown—see what you can find in your garden and local area.

For the base of your crown, you’ll need enough greenery to twist together & wrap around your head. It’s best to collect more than you think you’ll need.

Flexible foliage is ideal, rather than stems that snap when you bend them. Belle uses baby sage for the base of her crowns as she has an abundance growing. Some other nice examples are cuttings from jasmine vines; eucalyptus, olive, peppercorn & acacia trees. Take your time examining flora available to you and enjoy the process.

You’ll also need flora for decorating your crown e.g. daisies, dandelions, lavender, rosemary, whatever you like! Avoid anything with sharp stems, prickles, thorns and anything toxic! If you aren’t sure, don’t pick it. Be mindful and make sure not to pick flora that is home to a bug 🙂

Ideally, gather your materials as close to making the crown as possible. Store delicate flowers (e.g. daisies) in water or the fridge if you won’t be using them immediately, to keep fresh

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Prepare your materials and workspace. 

Organise your workspace by separating your flora into different types. As you do so, chop off and set aside any bits for composting—maybe you come across diseased leaves, sharp stems or spider webs!

2. Create the base of your crown 

Braid together flora with longer and more flexible stems. Use a couple of pieces of flora in each section, or many—depending on how bushy you would like your crown! It’s best to use stronger flora for your base, and save the smaller, more delicate flowers for decoration. Use twine or string to secure the stems. Keep braiding flora together until you have a length that will fit around your head. 

Once your base is long enough to wrap around your head, secure the ends together with twine or string. 

3. Decorate your crown

Now that you have your flora crown base, you can decorate it! Add bulkier flora first and finish with smaller, more delicate flora. Wrap the flowers around other flora in your crown base, and use twine or string to secure if needed.

4. Wear your crown!

Ta-daah! You can prolong the life of your crown by spraying with water and storing in the fridge.