DIY: Press flowers the old-fashioned way

Around our home, we have a wide variety of flowering annuals, perennials, shrubs, and trees growing. In the early fall of this year, I became preoccupied with the idea of making resin coasters embedded with dried pressed flowers. My next post will focus on the process to create beautiful pressed flower resin coasters. With the holidays approaching, there are so many simple gifts that can be made with pressed flowers. I provide a few references at the end of the article.

To learn more about the ‘how to’ of pressing flowers, I borrowed a few books from the library and read the information on the blogs of botanical gardens. This post is about what I learned and why I chose to press flowers the old-fashioned way using books. Four of the most popular methods to press flowers are as follows:

• Book method
• Iron method
• Wooden press method
• Microwave press method

The quickest of these methods are the iron and microwave press methods. You will generally have your flowers on the same day. Both the book and wooden press methods take roughly the same amount of time, which is 2-4 weeks. Since I was not in a hurry but wanted to start pressing flowers right away, I decided to use the book method. I chose this method because I did not need any special supplies and it was super easy. In addition, I figured this method has a long track record of success. It didn’t disappoint!

While this post will focus on the book method, check out the references section below if you want to learn more about the other methods.

Background on flower pressing

The art of flower pressing has been around for centuries. The oldest known pressed flower was found in an Egyptian tomb dating back to 300 B.C. In the 16^th century, Japanese artists began creating large pictures using pressed flowers. Flowers were pressed between sheets of rice paper and weighted down with heavy stones. It was interesting to learn that Princess Grace of Monaco was a famous practitioner of pressing flowers. She was also the first president of the garden club in Monaco.

Choosing Flowers

Generally, the book method of pressing flowers works best for thin plant material. You can pick flowers or you can purchase a bunch of flowers from a florist or from the supermarket. Here are some guidelines for picking flowers.

• You want the freshest and most perfect plant material. Pick flowers that have just opened.
• Pick flowers after all dew has dried, midday is a good time. You want the least amount of moisture in the plant material.
• Don’t collect plant material on a rainy day. A bright sunny day is best.
• Press all plant material immediately after picking.

Flowers purchased from a supermarket are full of water and will likely take longer to dry. It’s important to check purchased flowers often to make sure they are not too wet while being pressed.

Some of the easiest flowers to press using this method are pansies, daisies, impatiens, hydrangea, verbena, dogwood blossoms, ferns, ivy, and most leaves. If you want to press whole flowers, whole plants, and plant material that is thick, then a flower press is the best option. Store pressed flowers in a dry, airtight container, away from direct sunlight. Check stored flowers every now and then. If mold or mildews develops, discard the flower.

Materials needed for the book method

Here is a list of materials you will need for pressing flowers using the book method:

• Fresh picked flowers (or fresh store bought).
• Large heavy books such as an old telephone book or outdated encyclopedia
• Tweezers for handling flowers
• Paper such as printer paper or plain newsprint

Process

Step One:

I have several garden books in my library and decided to use the heaviest book, Reader’s Digest Illustrated Guide to Gardening, to do the pressing. I like this book because it is wide and the printer paper I use fits nicely inside.

Step Two:

Next, I take a piece of printer paper (8.5”x11”) and fold it in half crosswise. Write the date and plant material on the back of this piece of paper (e.g., the side on which there are no flowers). You will be surprised how quickly you forget the date and plant specimens.

Step Three:

Cut the stems from the flowers. If you are using the stems, press them separately.

Step Four:

Lay the flowers on one side of the folded paper. The flowers should not touch. Give them space. When you have filled up this half sheet, fold the top section over to cover the flowers. While I show the flowers face up when I place them in the book I will place the flowers face down. Of course, you can also place them face down directly.

Step Five:

Place this folded piece of paper inside the book to be used. Start about 25 pages from the back of the book. Place the edge of the paper right into the centerfold of the book. This will help secure in place. Then cover with another anther section of about 25 pages. You can see there is plenty of space around the border of the printer paper. In other words, the paper that contains the flowers does not hang outside the book.

Step Six:

Continue this process until you either run out of pages or flowers. Once you are complete, stack several other books on top of the book with flowers. The heavier the better but at least 10-15 pounds. For two weeks do not open the book. Most thin flowers should be ready after two weeks. However, if the flower does not appear dry, wait an additional two weeks. In the picture below, I had added a number of books on top of the Reader’s Digest book that contains the flowers.

Plants with umbels of smaller flowers

Certain plants have clusters of flowers known as umbels. Verbena is one of those flowers. For my verbena, I cut each of the small flowers from the umbel and dry them separately.

Pictures of flowers pressed using the book method

Additional Gardening Information

You may want to check out the following post for more gardening ideas:

• Wick Watering System – DIY
• Terra Cotta Garden Plant Labels – DIY
• Holiday Wreath, Super Easy To Make – DIY
• Modern Advent Wreath, Super Easy to Make – DIY
• Vegetable Gardening in Milk Crates
• How to create a Monarch Butterfly Garden
• An easy practical way to store dried pressed flowers

References

• Pressed Flower Art by W. Eugene Burkhart
• Super Simple Pressed Flower Projects by Kelly Doudna
• NY Botanical Garden – Using Pressed Flowers