Pure summer: How to make a wildflower crown

You belong among the wildflowers
You belong in a boat out at sea
Sail away, kill off the hours
You belong somewhere you feel free

Nothing quite says summer like strolling, picking wildflowers and weaving a crown. Don’t believe me? Make one and see for yourself.

My sisters and I used to pick daisies in our yard, at school and in the park to make each other garlands to wear. We would wear them long after they wilted in the summer sun.

Recently, Eric, the girls and I went to the park together. We usually tag team the kids for at least part of the weekend—the time apart lets me finish up work that I inevitably didn’t get to during the week. But Peeper always asks me to come, and she usually requests that we go “as a whole family.”

So I ignored the five or so unfinished stories I have been assigned and headed to the park.

As Eric disc golfed, Peeper ran and Kiwi tried to keep up, I zigzagged across the field, picking Queen Anne’s lace and dandelions. In between picking up Kiwi and pushing the double stroller, I weaved a crown.

Eric smiled as he watched me. “I bet you can’t wait to teach Peeper how to weave a wildflower crown,” he said. And he’s so right.

It’s simple, but the dexterity needed to make a flower crown is a little beyond a preschooler’s skill set. So in the meantime, I’ll just teach you.

How to make a wildflower crown

1. Gather a handful of wildflowers—4 or 5 will do. The stems don’t need to be super long, but they should be 5 or 6 inches.
2. Arrange them in a row with the head of the flowers lined up one after the other. The flowers should be close together but not overlapping.
3. Wrap the stem of the last flower around all of the other stems. Wrap tightly until they’re snug—about 3 times or so. The last wrap should be left a bit loose.
4. Thread the end of the last flower’s stem through the slack bit and pull taut. Now you have a knot!
5. Continue lining up bunches of flowers along the previously wrapped flowers so you create a continuous stretch. Tie knots every 4-5 flowers or so.
6. You’ll know you have a long enough strip by connecting the ends in a loop that fits your head. To fasten the crown, overlap the beginning of your strand with the end, leaving no gap between the flowers. Tie the ends together with a stem.
7. You can tidy up the crown by trimming off long stems.
8. For best results, wear while catching crawdads, walking barefoot through the grass and gazing at the clouds.