Pressed Flowers
Pressing flowers is an enjoyable way to preserve your garden bouquet. Pressed flowers can be used for all sorts of decorating projects.
Flowers That Press Best
Naturally flat flowers such as pansies, provide the best results, but it's not necessary to limit yourself to these. Flowers that press well include the black-eyed Susan, cosmos, lavender, Queen Anne's lace, tansy and zinnia to name a few.
Colors
The color retention is best in yellow flowers such as buttercups and daisies. Red and purple often turn brown. Orange flowers retain their color in the pressing process and green stays bright. When choosing flowers to be pressed add leaves, stems and blades of grass as well.
Pressing Process
You'll need several pieces of white blotter paper or sheets of paper toweling, pieces of corrugated paper (a cut up paper box will do) the same size as the blotter paper, several heavy books, a variety of fresh flowers.
Place several flowers and leaves on a piece of the blotting paper so they don't overlap. Each sheet can be filled with as many flowers as can comfortably fit. Cover the flowers with another piece of blotting paper and over this place a corrugated board. Repeat this procedure until you have a stack of 4-6 layers. Pile several heavy books on top and leave undisturbed for a minimum of one week. The blotting paper will absorb the moisture in the flowers as they dry out.
Handle With Care
Once the flowers are dry they should be handled carefully. Use a pair of tweezers to lift the flowers from the blotter paper and arrange them on fabric or paper background. You can rearrange them until you're satisfied.
Copyright Leslie Linsley, author
Reprinted by permission HouseNet, Inc.