Pressed plants and flowers offer a unique opportunity to bring the natural elements around us into our living spaces. Pressings are a chronology of the seasons and a beautiful encyclopedia of the flora that surrounds us and a great way to get kids interested in the natural world.
I got interested in plant pressing after my wedding; 20 hours after saying vows, I found myself in the shop frantically putting together presses to try and preserve some of the natural elements that were such a carefully chosen, key, part of our day. In pressing the flowers from our bouquets I was able to preserve some of the living magic of the day.
More than anything though, plant pressing is a beautiful, preserved, connection to the living things around us.
There are multitudes of ways to press plants and flowers; everything from dictionaries to two pieces of plywood and a few clamps will eventually press and preserve, but the best results come from presses designed to apply even, measured, pressure across the whole of a leaf or clipping. Plant presses produce results that are flatter and easier to display, preserve natural color better, and speeds up the process of pressing.
Your press should be both functional and beautiful; you want the press to be something you’re you’re proud to have displayed on your counter or bookshelf while it does its work, just as much as the plants you’re pressing. This is why I have designed a line of clean, thoughtful, plant presses that provide just the right amount of pressure and look good doing it.
To help you get the most out of your new press, here are a few tips for plant harvest and proper pressing techniques.
Prep
You’ll need: a bag with wet paper towels and sharp scissors, pruners, or a knife. Much like any kind of pruning, the sharper the cutting instrument used to collect your specimen the easier it will be for the plant to heal itself after cutting and the cleaner your final pressed flower will look. Cutting each specimen at an angle is best.
2. Gather
Make sure to be aware of what you’re gathering and only take one cutting from each plant that you’re wanting to press. We encourage clippings from larger, mature, plants and flowers that won’t be as stressed by cluttings and discourage gathering from local species that are under threat from environmental factors or have a protected status. Only gather what you’re interested in putting inside your plant press. Here’s a handy resource to help figure out what plants in your area are endangered and threatened.
Be creative with what you want to press! There is no wrong answer to what you can try; everything from chive blossoms to fig leaves look beautiful pressed. As you’re out gathering, consider focusing on leaves and flowers that are clean and free of dirt and excessive surface moisture. Use your bag and wet paper towels to keep cuttings fresh if you won’t have access to a plant press soon after collection. It’s best to press your cuttings as soon as possible after you gather them, but don’t sweat it; the moist towel will help preserve them while you’re looking for more specimens.
2. Press
Open your plant press and lay out each plant and flower on the cardboard layers so they aren’t overlapping or touching. Try to make each layer similar and even so there won’t be any high spots when you go to tighten down on the press. I generally press 2-3 layers of plants or flowers per press. It can be tempting to press more, but I’ve found that I get the best results when I don’t overload the plant press. If you have it, using blotting paper for flower petals and plants with more moisture will help you get 2-4 more uses out of the cardboard sheets. The excess moisture gets picked up by the blotting paper instead of the cardboard.
Once your press is loaded up, replace the nuts on each bolt and tighten down. You want it to be even and tight, but not so tight that the wood or cardboard is warping or bending. Don’t be tempted to over tighten the press; too much pressure doesn’t necessarily mean a better result!
3. Wait!
After everything is tight and secure, set your plant press aside and wait 2-4 weeks for your specimens to dry out. The dry time depends on the kind of plants and flowers you’re pressing; flowers with wide stems like tulips take longer to press than lavender, which has a much smaller stem and less moisture.
When you open your plant press back up check for any flowers and stems that feel moist; this may mean that they need to stay in the press a bit longer. Once everything is nice and dry you’re ready to display each pressed cutting!
Tips and Tricks for Plant and Flower Pressing