Beginner’s guide to pressing flowers

The ancient art of flattening and drying botanicals is back in vogue. All it takes is a few home supplies and trial and error

Pressing flowers inside books is no longer the pursuit of romantics and nature lovers. It is having a moment in the world of fashion and décor, a renaissance since the ancient Egyptians pioneered the practice and the Japanese turned it into an art form called Oshibana.

Now wild carrot flowers are adorning jewellery, pansies look pretty in candles and framed ferns are becoming bookmarks. Baby’s breath flowers are casting their white magic on wax stamps and nail art. Art prints have them too.

Supriya Donthi, who runs a preserved floral art brand Leafy Affair in Bengaluru, explains how one can press flowers at home.

Set right expectations

Depending on the pigments, flowers and leaves will turn a few shades lighter or darker after pressing, so be realistic about the outcome. Some artistes like to ‘touch up’ to achieve the original colour and brightness but that is needless. Pressed flowers must be loved for their distinctive look and feel.

On the one hand, pressing flowers correctly comes with trial and error. On the other, even the experts can falter. Don’t forget you are dealing with a living element.

Pick them right

Collect flowers that have freshly bloomed so they give you maximum colour and brightness despite fading. They must be dry to the touch — avoid foraging early in the morning to beat the dew and, of course, rains. A bright sunny day works best. Don’t pick anything shrivelled as it will crumble easily. If you don’t plan to press right away, cut the flowers with the stem at 45 degrees and immerse in water with a little sugar to keep them fresh.

What you pick is as critical. Flowers with flatter centres like bougainvillaea, daisy, hibiscus, geranium, pansy, cosmos, gulmohar, shrub roses, baby’s breath or those growing among roadside grass are ideal. Flowers with a single circle of petals press neatly than the stacked blooms.

If the centres are fat and juicy as in impatiens, orchids and begonias, they can catch fungus. Often overlooked, but leaves and ferns press well and look great as fillers.

Between the books

Pressing inside books is a time-honoured method as it is time-taking. Shut them air-tight, evenly and undisturbed till you get papery, thin blooms. Start by removing any dust or dampness of the flowers and trimming lower or unnecessary leaves. Find a book with non-glossy pages — newspapers are fine but uncoated pages of novels and textbooks are preferred.

Place the flowers between two absorbent papers that are not textured (parchment paper, coffee fillers or thin cardboard). Lay them face down or as a cross-section, depending on the look you want in your artwork. Now slide this ‘sandwich’ inside pages, close the book and pile it on with more books or weights till it shuts tight.

Pressing flowers with fat centres is tricky but there are workarounds. Since they are uneven, they leave a gap in the book, causing the petals to dry and curl. Your goal is to dry them out as soon as possible to prevent browning. So cut them in half vertically to lay them flat, or pluck the petals from the centre and press separately. That means you must not press flat and fat flowers on the same page.

If the centre is juicy, it can rot in the moisture that builds up in the
absorbent paper — move your flower to different spots once in three or five days. Keep the book set-up away from damp areas like the bathroom for two to four weeks.

Iron them

You can also press flowers in two days. Flatten the florals for 10 minutes between the parchment paper inside a book. Transfer the paper with the flower to an ironing board and place an iron on top without moving it for 15 seconds. The iron must be on medium-low heat. Remove the iron for 15 seconds or till the paper cools down. Repeat the heat-and-cool method till the flower is dry and the ‘sizzling sound’ subsides. Air dry for two days.

Put in microwave

Use your microwave to dry your flowers in about five minutes. Lay the flower face down between two parchment papers and place a microwave-safe plate on top. Run the microwave on low for 20 to 60 seconds. Remove the plate and replace it after it cools. Repeat the cycle four-five times. Use in your craft immediately or slide inside books to keep it flat.

Shelf life

Pressed flowers can last 10-15 years without withering or losing colour if you enclose them in air-tight medium like resin or glass frames/globules and keep away from direct sunlight.