Lifestyle April Showers Bring May Day Flowers 5/6/2020 | By Seniors Guide Staff I have had a little more time on my hands than I’m used to this early spring and am so excited to have an excuse (not that I truly need one) to get creative with May Day baskets. As a lover of beautiful flowers, I adore celebrating May Day, or as I call it, the official start to floral season. CELEBRATING MAY DAY May Day is about celebrating spring and femininity and is derived from the Roman Empire’s Festival of Flora. Many people celebrate with offerings of flowers, dancing and even bell ringing. Since I doubt anyone wants me to break out my ribbons for a dance around the maypole (though I would LOVE to give it a whirl!), I stick to creating May Day baskets to share with my neighbors and friends. It is the perfect DIY project to get my creative juices flowing. I tend to use our lovely faux florals from the shop so the baskets can hang proudly on doorsteps for months to come. Take a look below to see three fresh designs and learn how to create your own. For our first basket, I wanted to play up some classic spring colors. I love green and wanted that freshness front and center. The bright green pairs beautifully with soft pinks and yellows, while pops of bright white balance out the design. Design tip: Balance over symmetry – don’t worry about making it completely identical on each side but rather whether it is evenly weighted. FLOWERS: THINK OUTSIDE THE BASKET My second basket is actually not a basket at all, but a rustic metal tin. I love the pop of red for a bold touch, and this is one of my favorite vessels to re-create for summer when red, white and blue are having their moment. To keep the arrangement firmly in spring, I switched out my blue hues for pink tulips and added some leafy greens to add some texture. Design tip: For a more natural and organic look, arrange your faux like you would the real deal. Pretend they are reaching for the sun and opening up. Start with your tallest, most open stems (often called fillers), then strategically place your tighter sprigs and blooms. Last but not least, my final basket incorporates another one of my favorite color combinations, black and white. This simple palette is perfect for a moody spring look with its rich fuchsias and plums paired with near-neon spring greens. I like this particular look because it says “spring” without your typical bright spring palette. It feels good to mix it up sometimes. These baskets are all about having fun and mixing your favorite colors, textures and patterns to create a look that speaks to you. Design tip: Don’t be afraid to create some height with your flower selection. Stems can (and often should) be taller than your basket or container. Adapted from nellhills.com. Katie Laughridge is the owner of Kansas City interior design destination Nell Hill’s. For more information, contact Katie at info@nellhills.com. (c)2020 Tribune Content Agency, LLC Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Read More Seniors Guide Staff Seniors Guide has been addressing traditional topics and upcoming trends in the senior living industry since 1999. We strive to educate seniors and their loved ones in an approachable manner, and aim to provide them with the right information to make the best decisions possible.