How to Make a Flower Crown: Fresh, Dried or Paper

The garden party starts at three, the flowers are sitting in a bucket by the back door, and someone has asked whether there is time to make crowns for the bridesmaids. There is. A flower crown is one of the quickest floral crafts there is, because it does not need any special skill: just a base that fits, small bundles of stems and the patience to tape them on one at a time. Once you have made one, the second takes half as long.

What you need

• Florist's wire in a medium gauge for the base, stiff enough to hold a circle but easy to bend by hand.
• Floral tape, the stretchy, slightly waxy kind that sticks to itself when pulled. Green blends in; brown suits dried flowers.
• Thin binding wire for heavier blooms that need extra hold.
• Flowers and foliage, cut into short pieces with a few centimetres of stem.
• Ribbon for tying the back, if you want an adjustable crown.
• Sharp scissors or snips, and a separate pair of wire cutters.

Choosing flowers that last the day

A crown spends hours out of water, warmed by the head underneath it, so the choice of flowers decides how it looks by evening. Sturdy, small-headed blooms do best. Waxflower, spray roses, gypsophila, statice, chamomile-style daisies, lavender and hypericum berries tend to cope well. Eucalyptus, olive, rosemary and ivy make good leafy bases that rarely wilt quickly. Large, soft-petalled flowers such as peonies and open garden roses look gorgeous for an hour and then droop. Hydrangea and sweet peas are lovely but thirsty.

Dried and preserved flowers avoid the problem altogether. Grasses, strawflowers, dried lavender and bunny tails keep their shape for months, which makes them a good choice for a keepsake or for anyone with hay fever. Paper flowers go further still: they never fade, and the folded blooms described in the guide on making tissue paper flowers for a party table can be scaled down to crown size with smaller squares.

Making the crown, step by step

1. Measure the head. Wrap a tape measure or a piece of string around the head where the crown will sit, usually across the forehead or slightly higher, and add a few centimetres for overlap. For a ribbon-tied crown, make the wire a little shorter and leave room for the bow.
2. Form the base. Bend the wire into a circle, twist the ends around each other and cover the whole ring with floral tape, stretching it as you go so it grips. For a ribbon version, bend small loops at each end instead of joining them.
3. Prepare small bunches. Group two or three short pieces together, for example a sprig of foliage, one main flower and a filler, and wrap the stems with tape. Make all the bunches before you start attaching them; it is quicker and helps you balance colours.
4. Attach the first bunch. Lay it against the base with the flower heads pointing in the direction you will work, and wrap tape tightly around the stems and the wire together.
5. Overlap as you go. Place each new bunch so its flowers cover the taped stems of the one before. Keep the heads pointing the same way, and turn the ring as you work.
6. Finish the gap. When you reach the start, tuck the last stems under the first flowers and tape them in. Tie ribbon to the loops if you made an open crown.
7. Check from every side. Hold it up or try it on, and fill any bald patches with a single sprig taped in place.

Full ring or half crown?

Keeping fresh flowers looking good

Condition the flowers the night before: cut the stems at an angle and stand them in cool water somewhere shaded. Make the crown as late as practical on the day, then mist it lightly with water, wrap it loosely in damp paper towel and keep it in a cool place until it is needed. Avoid leaving it in a hot car or a sunny window. A fridge works for a few hours if there is no fruit in it, since ripening fruit can make flowers fade faster.

When the flowers come from a florist or a delivered bouquet, ask for blooms that travel well; the article on how online flower delivery shops supply weddings and events explains how arrangements for big occasions are usually planned and timed.

After the party

A fresh crown will not last forever, but it can stay as a memory. Hang it upside down in a dry, airy, shaded room and many flowers dry into a soft, faded version of themselves within a couple of weeks. Single blooms can also be taken off and flattened under weight, following the method in how to press flowers with a book, a press or an iron, then framed with the invitation or a photo from the day.

A word of care for little ones: keep crowns for small children simple and well taped, avoid berries that look edible, and check that no wire ends poke out anywhere near the skin.