Years ago, when my daughters were small, I bought my first home as a single mom. It was a pretty little blue Cape Cod across from my daycare provider. I was so excited! The neighborhood had a ton of young families, and as a single mom, I was eager to make some mom friends. I closed on the house the last week of April, so a May Day surprise felt like the perfect opportunity to introduce myself. I crafted little May Day flower cones for my neighbors up and down the street, and their delighted reactions warmed my heart. I’ve always loved that memory. Now, with my husband and I settling into a new house this spring, I’m inspired to recreate them. So today, I’m sharing How to Surprise Your Neighbors with May Day Flowers, hoping to spread that same joy and make a few new friends!
1. What is the Significance of May Day Flowers?
The tradition of leaving little flower cones on doorsteps for May Day is such a sweet way to celebrate spring. Historically, those blooms were all about sharing a bit of renewal and goodwill. And here in Michigan, after our long winters, May Day flowers are like a little bit of sunshine, a way to say, “Spring is finally here!” and share a little bit of that happiness with our neighbors. You can find more information about the beautiful tradition of May Day celebrations here.
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Creating May Day Flower Arrangements.
I am sharing a few simple ideas for creating these May Day arrangements. I want to keep my May Day flowers simple and inexpensive to spread the love to even more neighbors. In Victorian times, you’d often see May Day baskets filled with lilies of the valley or daisies and sometimes small gifts. For this project, I’m focusing on simple fresh flowers and buying what I can find at my local grocery store, Meijer.
I chose hardy blossoms that would withstand a bit of a chill if my neighbors aren’t home when the flowers are delivered(you know those Michigan Springs are unpredictable) and spent about $25.00.
I bought the following flowers:
- 3 bunches of Daisies
- 1 bunch of Ruskus
- 2 bunches of Thistle
- 2 bunches of mini Carnations
- 1 bunch goldenrod
Traditionally, delicate paper cones were the go-to for sharing May Day flowers, but don’t be afraid to get creative! In addtiton to decorated tin cans, mason jars, and paper cones you could use:
- Oui yogurt jars
- Small dollar store baskets
- Target spot tiny metal buckets
- Small Glass vases
- Used candle containers
The May Day Basket ideas are endless.
Let’s get started:
Paper Cone:
For my paper cones, I am using scrapbook paper, a baggy, a wet paper towel to keep the flowers fresh, and a rubber band or hair tie to hold the baggy around the flowers.
Craft paper cones are easy to create with decorative scrapbook paper or card stock. Simply fold the paper into a cone shape and secure the cone with tape or glue.
Fill it with a small bouquet, and punch holes for ribbon or twine at the top.
This is a delightful way to present your May Day flowers.
Decorated tin cans:
I am decorating my cans with a moss mat, some packaging paper, and some mini dowels. All these items were leftover from previous projects around the house.
First up, Moss: This is easy and very thrifty! This would be pretty with colored mosses, too.
This moss is the sticky kind you can just wrap around the can. Easy Peasy!
Next, I used a hole punch to punch holes into the can and added twine. I like to leave about 8 inches of twine so that it will fit nicely around all of my new friends’ doors.
This is tin can from a can of peas. It’s the perfect size for a front door!
Tin Can with mini dowels:
I cut the dowels to the height of the cans and used a glue gun to glue them directly onto the cans.
Then, I wrapped the ends with twine to cover each end. I left a nine-inch hang for the twine for the door knobs.
Happy May Day! This would be sweet for Mother’s Day too!
And for a third version: Upcycling paper packaging:
This one might be my favorite. I used a piece of craft paper left over from a recent Etsy delivery.
Once the craft paper was glued, I added an elastic bow and punched holes in the can to add a strip of leather as the hanger.
Other things you could use to decorate your cans with:
- Decoupage a few pretty napkins
- Crepe Paper
- Ribbon
- Spray Paint
Mason Jars:
For the jars, all I did was hot glue twine around the top so I could hang the jars.
Happy May Day Tags:
It’s the little things that make all the difference in presentation, so a gift tag can add a special touch to your May Day Flower Basket.
I used pretty scrapbook paper, small alphabet stamps, and distressed ink for the tags. I stamped messages on mine, but you could easily have the whole family get involved and draw pictures or use old Scrabble tiles, whatever you have on hand.
You could also use printable labels. Use short sayings on your tags that say “Happy May Day!” or include a short, sweet personal message.
Consider adding your family’s name or a simple “From your neighbor” to the tag.
I ended up making 10 May Day arrangements for around $28.00 and an hour and a half of my time.al
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Delivering Your May Day Flowers:
I’m planning to deliver my May Day flowers in two ways, depending on how close my neighbors live. For my closest neighbors, I’m going to time my deliveries so I can hopefully catch them at home and say a friendly hello. For those a bit further out, I’m opting for a surprise, a little random act of kindness to brighten their day. I’m so excited to see their reactions and share how it all goes!
What a wonderful celebration of Spring! I hope I have inspired you to surprise your neighbors with May Day Flowers. We could all use a little more community connection right now. If you make your own May Day Baskets, please send me pics. I’d love to see them!
Until next time,
-Libbie
You may also enjoy:
The best way to DIY a Mother’s Day Floral Arrangement.
