Daisies and Dandelions

Floral co-operatives

Closeup of a daisy… image courtesy of Pinterest

Dear Reader,

How the devil are you? Apologies for my lengthy absence, I’ve been distracted by all manner of different things, primarily my daughter’s recent diagnosis of ADHD. This has given cause to pause and reassess all sorts of things. It’s certainly made me realise how little I knew about a whole heap of things, and I’m glad to have a better understanding of neurological diversity. We’re all different, my family certainly is, both my incredibly creative parents and siblings and my husband and children. It’s hard not to start seeing traits everywhere and diagnosing everyone left right and centre, and I realise that’s not the right thing to do, but if it gives us all a better understanding of difference then that has to be good. It also makes me more determined to reach more people with my paper flowers, especially workshops and classes.

Giant Daisy, with colourful central florets created by local school children

If you know me at all you will know that my main driver, apart from the flowers, is a belief in the healing power of nature. I’ve recently applied for funding to continue my visits to schools to talk about wildflowers. This time round I want to focus on common pavement and verge plants. Daisies and dandelions in particular are perfect for collaborative art projects. Daisies have a composite flowerhead made up of many (sometimes hundreds!) tiny individual florets. Ray florets (with either a single elongated petal or, sometimes, a fused petal) encircle the inflorescence and extend outwards, both signalling to pollinators and providing a landing pad. The centre of the flower is dense with disc florets, stuffed full of nectar and pollen, a wonderful source of nourishment.

Multiple studies have confirmed the benefits to both mental and physical health of ‘being in nature’ and ‘connecting to nature’.¹ To talk about ‘being in nature’ suggests that there is an alternative state of being ‘out of nature’, yet we are nature and therefore always ‘in nature’. There is no possible future world in which we can healthily exist outside of nature, and so it is fundamentally important that we develop a healthy and strong connection to our environment. This project will, across all activities, promote the value of developing a connection to nature, defined as a deep emotional bond and understanding that we are connected to all living plants and creatures. (excerpt from Daisies + Dandelions application)

Scenes from the studio showing sketches and studies making composite flowerheads

Dandelions consist of hundreds of individual florets, tubular structures with an elongated petal, each floret pushing outward, opening up the flower, stamen laden with pollen. They provide a bright, cheerful feeding station, especially at this time of year, opening as they do just as bees start waking up, bumbling around in search of nourishment. Dandelions are wind pollinated so they always strike me as especially generous. Every single part of the dandelion is useful, from the roots and leaves to the flower. The leaves and flowers can be eaten, and there are multiple medicinal uses: aiding digestion, strengthening the immune system, detoxing the liver, aiding kidney function. And yet we pull them up as weeds! Here’s a fascinating fact I came across recently: up until the 1800s people would make room in their green spaces for dandelions and other useful “weeds” like chickweed, sorrel and chamomile. Far more useful than grass which we can’t digest! As a child, I remember my parents gathering sacks of dandelion flowerheads to make wine. I believe you can dip the flowers in batter and fry them in a similar way to courgette flowers. Why, oh why, are they persistently known as weeds?

Detailed centre of a paper daisy, one of my first giant daisies, something I am constantly working to improve on. The centre is coloured with tumeric.

Ah, so where was I? Yes - I want to reach more people. Both to promote the idea of connecting to nature, and to promote the benefits of the art of paper flower making! For an overly busy mind, finding an oasis of calm such as exists in the mindful pastime of shaping flowers using paper, wire and glue, is a wonderful thing. With this in mind, and because I love to share these things, I have a schedule of upcoming paper flower classes, listed below.

I’m so glad you’re still here. I’ve enjoyed writing this - I always enjoy writing and talking about nature. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading, and I’ll be back soon.

With love, as always, Ling

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SUMMER PAPER FLOWER COURSE SCHEDULE

Paper Foxglove on Tuesday 14th May and Paper Hollyhock on Tuesday 21st May. Both classes last 5 hours to allow us to complete a full stem of these gorgeous stately flowers in one go. Please bring a packed lunch! Drinks, cake, snacks will of course be provided. Full price for each session £50, all tools and materials provided. Book online here.

The Paper Wildflower Course is back! This series of 2.5 hour day sessions starts on 18th June. There are six classes in total, each focusing on a different wildflower: Oxeye Daisies, Cornflowers, Harebells, Cyclamen, Dandelions and Sea Thistle, varied selection!

You can either book individual classes for £35 each or book the whole series and enjoy 15% off. The booking is set at half and half so if at any point you try to book and it's saying it's full, please get in touch as I may just need to reallocate sessions.

Paper Wildflowers by @paperbydragonfly “The Paper Wildflower Course”

1. The Healing Power of Nature Connection