Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve had a very special relationship with flowers. You see, I was very lucky to be born with seven grandparents. My ‘Little Nan’ loved Welsh daffodils, our national flower, and had glass ornaments of them while a bunch of baby’s breath sat in a jar next to her phone. My ‘Grampy’ loved making hanging baskets every spring and distributing them amongst the family. Then there is my ‘Gramps’, who I’m very fortunate to still have in my life, who is the proud owner of three allotment spots and a blooming garden full of wonderfully kept flowers.
Whenever I visit my Grandparents’ house, there are always flowers. Flowers in every room and in every vase that Grandma has. Her favourites are irises and my Gramps grows them just for her. I have so many fond memories of those special men in my life harvesting beautiful flowers from their gardens that they have grown with care and patience and giving them to my grandmothers in a gift of love.
I think it is because of all of that that the love of flowers has been carved within me and will never leave. I’m not just talking about red roses that are typically known to symbolise love, but of all flowers. Is there not something really special about being able to grow something from a mere seed or bulb, watch it grow and when it’s at its height of beauty, pass something that you have nurtured on to somebody that you love?
The only sad part for me is when the flowers inevitably begin to wilt. They look so sad and it always seems such a shame to throw them away. As flowers are so precious to me, I thought of ways that I could preserve their beauty.
That’s when I started pressing flowers. It was something that I’d always wanted to do, but thought it was a very dated hobby that nobody really had anymore, I was wrong. It’s a lovely thing to do for yourself, with children to show them how precious memories are, and also to do and make a gift for somebody else.
It’s really easy to press flowers so that you can keep them safe for years to come. After many trials and now years of pressing,
I’ve Put Together A Short Guide On How To Press Your Own.
Purchase a pressing kit or the right materials individually. You will need a flower press with sturdy screws, several sheets of blotting paper and some very thick card or cardboard. When purchasing your press make sure to bear in mind what size flowers you are looking to place inside
Select the flowers that you want to use. This may be some from the garden or a few stems from a bunch you were sent. If they’ve come in from outside, it’s usually a good idea to rinse the petals off in case you’ve brought any garden critters in
I like to use a mix of flowers that are still in bud form, some that are starting to bloom and others that are in full swing. Every stem needs to be cut at an angle and placed in a vase with either some flower food or a sprinkle of sugar to give them a bit more life. Trim off any leaves that will float in the vase water. Keep the flowers hydrated for around 3-4 hours
Take your flowers out of the vase and pat them dry. Lay them down until you’re ready to use them.
Get your press ready! First you will place the cardboard at the bottom, then a sheet of blotting paper before laying your flowers on top. Remember that they will spread, sort of like cookie dough does, when being pressed, so don’t squeeze too many in. Layer another sheet of blotting paper and then cardboard on top. You can repeat this as many times as you need as long as your press is big enough
Put the screws into your press and tighten them firmly before leaving your flowers to dry out for around 3 weeks
After a third week, I tighten my screws even more, as tight as they’ll go without getting stuck. You can open up and have a look to see how they’re doing – if the paper seems overused and the flowers still have moisture in them, you should change the blotting paper
After the fourth week, you’re ready to take your flowers out! Do it delicately as they will be quite crispy and easy to damage
Now you have to decide what to do with them! I always place mine inside glass hanging frames. I choose various different sizes and alternate between gold and rose gold. They get hung up on one wall in my bedroom, and each frame has flowers that remind me of a particular memory or person
It’s time to admire your work of art.
Tips And Tricks I’ve Learned Along The Way:
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Choose flowers with the brightest colour or with white tones, as they will lose colour when they dry. If you don’t want to use brightly coloured flowers, be prepared for them to look quite different
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Don’t discard the idea of pressing pretty leaves, they often make a lovely addition
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If you don’t have a press or want to buy one, you can use some really heavy books (there is an ironing method too, but don’t ask me about that!)
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You can even opt for baking parchment paper if you find blotting paper hard to come by, it’s pretty much the same stuff
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There are so many ways that you can display pressed flowers, including adding them to art, delicately sewing cotton into them and making a string of bunting and even including them in resin craft