Gardening for You: Give tussie mussies on May Day

Tussie mussies are a sweet way to share garden flowers with someone special on May Day. May is Flower Month. What better compliment to a friend or loved one than giving a tussie mussie as a surprise expression of devotion on the first day of May, May Day?

The tussie mussie, also called tussy mussy, is a small bouquet of blooms or herbs, often placed in a small flower holder. The term “tussie mussie” comes from the Middle English word “tussemose”. Tussie, for a small group of flowers held together in a little bouquet that was held at nose level, while mussie refers to the moss that was moistened and put around the stems of the flowers to keep them from wilting (Am Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Ed).

Sanitation in Medieval times was dreadful. Trash was thrown out of second story windows onto the streets and coupled with the lack of sewage, created appalling odors. Many women carried or wore around their necks pomanders, small perfumed balls. Pomanders acted to lessen foul smells and were thought to be air purifiers to guard against infection.

But by the 18th century small vases were fashioned in which blossoms or herbs were held. Vases were pinned to clothing, held in the hand, or constructed into finger rings so that pleasant fragrances of the posies were close and never far from the nostrils.

In the 19th century posy holders filled with small bouquets of flowers became a fashion trend for women of elegant standing. Older matrons, eligible young women, and girls wore them as a fashion accessory.

It was Queen Victoria who made tussie mussies popular. The term “tussie mussie” entered lexicon during her reign from 1837 to 1901. The queen was fond of carrying small floral bouquets in a tapered vase wherever she went.

In the Victorian era, it was common for a gentlemen caller to give a lady a tussie mussie. If the lady embraced it, her suitor knew his message of undying love had found her heart.

Mother’s Day is coming soon and Moms adore hand crafted gifts from their children. Mom might like a tussie mussie on Mother’s Day. They are easy to make and there is no wrong way to assemble a tussie mussie bouquet.

Suggestions on constructing a tussie mussie:

Gather botanic material from your garden. The length of the material depends upon the finished size, but usually bouquets are miniature, about 4 inches in length. Start bouquets with a central flower like a rose or lilac or for an herb bouquet an herb like lavender. Collect fillers such as blossoms of alyssum, sweet pea, begonia or with greenery such as artemisia, yarrow, lamb’s ear, tarragon, fennel, basil, mint, sage, or rosemary. Strip lower leaves from stems, arrange and bind with a ribbon, floral tape, rubber band, or string.

Tussie mussies do not have to be presented in a doily but if the bouquet is to be held in a doily wrap the bouquet in damp moss or paper towel, cover with foil or floral tape. Cut a slit into the doily and insert the base of the bouquet into the slit.

To finish the bouquet, tie a ribbon onto the stems and add a message. Now the tussie mussie is ready to give to a favorite person.

Some information from nationalmuseumpublications.co.za; “Tussie-mussies:Talking Bouquets”, Susan Williams

Ellen Peffley taught horticulture at the college level for 28 years, 25 of those at Texas Tech, during which time she developed two onion varieties. She is now the sole proprietor of From the Garden, a market garden farmette. You can email her at [email protected]

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Gardening for You: Give tussie mussies on May Day