How to Make Pressed Flowers Last

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Blossoms are one of the greatest things about Spring. Everywhere you turn there are flowers budding, and blossoms blooming. When summer comes, it’s hard to watch those blossoms disappear. It gets even harder when Fall comes and all the flowers around you start dying. If flowers bring you a little brightness and joy in your life, you may want to consider pressing them. There are lots of steps to take to make pressed flowers last. 

What Is Pressing?

Pressing is a way to preserve flowers for a long time. The idea is to use something that flattens and dries the flower so that it will not wilt or rot. It’s kind of like dehydrating fruit. When you dehydrate fruit, it doesn’t go bad. 

Picking the Right Flower

Pick a flower that has just blossomed, instead of an older flower. Using a new flower will help the flower last longer after it has been pressed. The flower shouldn’t have any moisture on the petals. Try picking your flower in the afternoon to avoid morning dew. Water can make flowers rot when they are pressed.

Prepping the Flower

  1. After you’ve cut your flower, immediately place the stem in water. This helps with water absorption to make the flower look fresher instead of brown.
  2. Recut the stems at an angle.
  3. Remove any leaves at the bottom of the stem. Removing these lower leaves helps the flower last longer.
  4. Place your flower back into a vase of water with a teaspoon of sugar. Put your flower out of direct sunlight. Leave your flower in the vase for a couple of hours. This is called hydrating and is necessary to prevent browning after the flower has been cut.
  5. If you have a fat flower, such as a rose or an orchid, consider cutting your flower so it will lie flat.
  6. Ready to Press!

Pressing

There are many ways to press a flower, but the easiest way is to use a book. Place your flower on tissue paper or something smooth. Avoid using paper towels because sometimes the design will imprint on your flower. It’s important to dry your flower to avoid browning. Put your flower between the two sheets of tissue paper and place it inside a book. Try to use a thick heavy book if you can. If you don’t have a big book, put something heavy on top of your book to weigh it down. If you are pressing more than one flower, make sure they are far apart inside the pages of the book. This will help the flowers to dry out better. Every couple of days, try to change the tissue paper to make sure the flowers are dry. After a couple of weeks, your flowers will be completely dry and ready to take out of the book. When you take your flowers out, be very careful. Dried flowers are extremely delicate. 

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Image Source: Pixabay

Uses of Dried Flowers

After your flowers are done pressing they can be used for many things! You can make soap with dried flowers inside. You can make a scrapbook with flowers inside it. Some people like saving their wedding bouquet. Or maybe flowers you received on a birthday or Valentine’s Day. You can also make potpourri. Or you can simply leave them be and pull them out whenever you need a little more sunshine in your life.

Summing Up

Pressing flowers is simple and anyone can do it! These steps are the best ways to make pressed flowers last. Once you have your pressed flower, the possibilities are endless. So go out, and start making your flowers and Spring last.

Image Source: ​Pixabay

1 comment
  1. Denali, your posts are so inspirational. Keep up the good work! I look forward to reading your next article. I can hardly wait for the flowers to bring at my house so I can use your suggested techniques and press my own flowers for decorating and inspiration.

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