How to Press Flowers

It might sound simple but surprisingly, pressing flowers can be a little bit tricky if you don't know what to avoid. So here's my step by step guide to help.

Items

Flower press with card and blotting paper

OR

Large book and newspaper

Flower and foliage cuttings

Glue dots and/or PVA glue

Scissors

Card

Frame card

Frame

Take your cuttings on a dry day

The reason being that you do not want any moisture. So avoid cutting first thing in the morning or after any rainfall or watering your garden. If you have any moisture on the flowers then all that happens is they go a bit mushy and do not drive properly in the press.

Press your flowers as soon as possible after cutting

This is so that your flowers and cuttings do not have a chance to Wills before going into the press. If they do start to wilt, then they are not going to look good once tried and pressed, and unfortunately it will be a bit of a waste.

Arrange flowers face down in the press

This helps to keep the petals nice and smooth, and helps to prevent them from becoming creased when pressed.

If pressing multiple cuttings on the same piece of paper, make sure there is about an inch gap in between each cutting

How to use the flower press

Your flower press should come with everything you need, including wing nuts, washers, bolts, two pieces of board, and card and blotting paper.

To assemble your board, place the bolts in each of the holes in one of the boards. Then layer one piece of card and one piece of blotting paper on top. This is where you add your cuttings. Make sure your cuttings are evenly spaced and do not overfill the layer with cuttings. Sandwich your cuttings in place with another piece of blotting paper topped with another piece of card. You can repeat this process as many times as you like until the press is completely full i.e. the press is piled up to the same height as the bolts.

Newspaper & Books

An alternative is to use books and newspaper. This is also very useful if you happen to have very large cuttings that you want to press in one whole piece and therefore you can find the largest book you have for pressing.

The process is the same, only the pages of the book act, like the card in the press, and the newspaper acts like the blotting paper.

Wait a minimum of two weeks

It will take a minimum of two weeks for your cuttings to dry and press properly. Some types of flowers may take longer, but you can monitor the process by checking after two weeks. You will know when they are ready when they are rigid and dried.