Dandelion crowns, a tutorial

I promised a few gals that I would show a tutorial for dandelion crowns next time I make one, and since I really have to mow the lawn, here’s a (long winded) how-to, with a much easier diagram at the end…so you can skip over the boring photos…lol. Dandelions have beautifully bendy stems, except for the super thick stemmed ones, and make fantastic, sunny ephemeral crowns.

Step one: pick a handful of dandelions with as long a stem as you can manage.

Pick up one with a very long stem in your left hand. This will be your base line. Pick up a second with a reasonably long stem in your right hand. Cross the stem of the right hand one over the stem of the left hand one at the flower heads.

Hold both flowers at the “cross” of stems with your left hand and bend the right-handed dandelion stem behind the left-handed dandelion stem.

Now bend the left dandelion stem, which is now perpendicular to the right one, towards you, between the two flowers.

Bring the bent stem parallel with the right stem.

Hold both the flowers in your left hand, pick up a third flower and loop the stem of the third flower over both the first two flower stems and between the second and third flower heads and parallel with the first two stems.

Now you have three.
Continue with another, and another…see how the chain is starting to form?

Longer and longer it goes, careful not to choose dandelions with stems which all end in the same place. Try to vary the stem lengths.

Within a few minutes you’ll have a lovely long chain.

Cut a length of twine, grab a twist tie or even some sturdy grass blades and tie the beginning to the end of the chain.

And find a freckle-faced princess. (Joking, she doesn’t need to have freckles, any old princess will do)

Just not a Morgan princess!

Here’s a quick diagram. Now go out and have some fun. When I was a child I was fascinated by the moss removal guide by expert lawn technicians, ( yes , I know I was a weird kid ) IT’s for this reason that I spent most of my time outside. My cousin and I chained a dandelion chain all around our summer cottage. Took a month, the beginning was fluff by the time we got the end to it…but hey, we didn’t care.

PS: this crown is very ephemeral, only lasts for a few hours.
PPS. Works with English daisies and clover too but takes a lot longer.
PPPS: Take loads of photos. 🙂