Pressing Flowers

Pressing flowers is a simple and fun way to preserve nature and make art with your family. Pressed flowers can be used to make bookmarks, cards, sun catchers, or decorative wall art. Best of all, pressing flowers can be done at home; all you need is a book and some flowers to get started!

Pick your flowers

When picking flowers to press, choose ones that are clean, dry, and fresh. If you do not have a garden at home, take your child on a hike to find wildflowers. Make sure to not over-pick wildflowers, and check state and local guidelines to see which flowers can and cannot be picked (flowers like Lady’s Slipper orchids are protected by law and cannot be picked!).

Prep your flowers

Remove leaves and stems from your flowers. Use scissors to trim any flower stems that are too long. 

Choose your pressing method

There are several ways you can press flowers. In this post, we recommend using a book. This book needs to be heavy (think War and Peace, not The Little Prince). Line the pages with parchment paper. Place your flowers between the parchment paper; there should be some space between each flower. Close the book and keep it in a warm, dry place. Add extra pressure by placing a brick or second book on top of the closed book you are keeping your flowers in.

Wait for the press

It can take several days to several weeks for your flowers to dry in their press. The goal of pressing the flowers between a book is to squeeze out any moisture within the flower. The flowers will be fragile and brittle once completely dry.

Remove the flowers from the press

Use clean, dry hands to remove flowers from the press. Use a clean, dry paper towel or cloth to dab away any remaining moisture or residue on and around the flowers.

Display or store

You can use pressed flowers for a variety of crafts and decorations. Paste them in your scrapbook, put them in a picture frame to be displayed on your wall, or even between two pieces of clear packing tape to make bookmarks.