Pressing flowers is a time-honored, low-cost way to preserve a favorite bloom from a wedding bouquet, a cutting from the garden, or a wildflower found on a walk. With a few household items—and a little patience—you can create flat, colorful keepsakes that last for years and can be used in cards, journals, jewelry, and wall art.
Here is how to choose the best flowers, four simple pressing methods, and what to do with them once they’re dry.
Choose the Right Blooms
Some flowers press far better than others. Flat, thin, and naturally low-moisture blooms give the best results.
Great choices:
- Pansies
- Violas
- Daisies
- Cosmos
- Forget-me-nots
- Lobelia
- Ferns and small leaves
- Grasses
Good with a little extra care:
- Rose petals or small rose buds
- Geraniums
- Hydrangea florets
- Lavender
- Buttercups
- Delphiniums
Trickier flowers: Lilies, tulips, orchids, succulents, and other thick or very moist blooms can be pressed, but they often need to be taken apart petal by petal or pressed in sections.
Four Easy Pressing Methods
You do not need fancy equipment. In fact, most people already have everything they need at home.
1. The Heavy Book Method
This is the classic approach and works well for most flowers.
- Place your flower between two sheets of absorbent paper, such as blotting paper, parchment paper, or a coffee filter.
- Lay the paper inside a thick book, like a phone book or an encyclopedia.
- Close the book and place several heavy books on top.
- Leave it for 2 to 4 weeks without peeking.
The result is a perfectly flat, dried flower that keeps its shape beautifully.
2. The Flower Press Method
If you plan to press flowers often, a wooden flower press is a great investment.
- Layer a piece of cardboard, then blotting paper, then the flower, then more blotting paper, then another piece of cardboard.
- Repeat the layers until the press is full.
- Tighten the straps or screws firmly.
- Check after a few days and retighten, as the flowers shrink.
This method gives you more control and dries flowers a little faster than a heavy book.
3. The Microwave Method
Need flowers pressed in minutes? The microwave is your friend—just be careful.
- Place the flower between two sheets of parchment paper or a paper towel.
- Put it on a microwave-safe plate.
- Microwave on low or medium for 30 seconds at a time, checking after each interval.
- Repeat until the flower feels dry and papery.
Important: Do not use recycled paper or anything with metallic foil. And always let the flower cool before touching it, because it will be very hot.
4. The Iron Method
This is another quick option, though it takes a little more care.
- Place the flower between two sheets of parchment paper.
- Set a clothes iron to low heat with no steam.
- Press the iron down for about 10 to 15 seconds, then lift it up. Do not slide the iron back and forth.
- Check the flower, then repeat until dry.
After ironing, leave the flower flat for a day or two to finish drying completely.
Simple Troubleshooting
Even experienced crafters run into problems now and then. Here are the most common issues and fixes.
| Problem | Likely Cause | Fix |
|—|—|—|
| Flowers turn brown | Pressed too slowly or picked when wet | Use fresh, dry flowers and press them right away |
| Mould appears | Too much moisture | Use more absorbent paper and press in a dry room |
| Petals stick to paper | Flower was too moist | Use parchment paper or a coffee filter |
| Flowers crumble | Pressed too quickly or dried too hard | Use lower heat in the microwave or iron |
What to Do with Pressed Flowers
Once your flowers are dry, the possibilities are nearly endless.
- Frame them for simple wall art
- Add them to handmade greeting cards
- Press them into bookmarks
- Embed them in resin for jewelry or coasters
- Decorate scrapbook pages and journals
- Preserve a wedding bouquet as a keepsake
- Decorate candles or phone cases with decoupage
A Few Final Tips
- Pick flowers on a dry day, ideally in the morning after the dew has evaporated.
- Press flowers immediately after picking, before they wilt.
- Use tweezers to handle delicate petals.
- Store finished flowers flat in a dry, dark box with sheets of wax paper between layers.
- Expect some color change. Blues, purples, and yellows tend to hold best. Reds often darken, and whites may turn cream or brown.
Pressing flowers is part craft, part science, and part patience. Start with a few simple blooms from your garden, and soon you will have a collection of fragile, colorful keepsakes to enjoy all year long.