How do I Press Fresh Cut Flowers to Keep?
Cut flowers in a vase brighten up any room. Unfortunately, they only last for a short time before losing their freshness and vibrancy. You can keep and enjoy beautiful flowers for many years to come if you know how to press them. Pressing preserves newly cut flowers that can either be kept as keepsakes or used in craft projects. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Harvest flowers in the afternoon on a bright and sunny day. This will ensure that the flowers petals are open and not wet from either rain or dew. Look for blemish-free flowers that are clean and have no loose petals. Take your flowers home immediately before they wilt.
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Place a heavy book, like a phone book or encyclopedia, on a table or another flat working surface. Set your scissors and two sheets of clean white paper next to the book.
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Snip the ends of the flower stems so they are slightly shorter than the length of the pages in the book or, if you prefer, snip the stems at the base of the flower. How long or short you leave the stem depends on the look you want to achieve.
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Arrange the flowers on one sheet of white paper. Place them so they aren't crowded or overlapping.
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Open the book about halfway. Place the sheet of paper with the flowers inside the book. Set another sheet of the white paper gently on top of the flowers. Close the book.
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Carry the book to a location where it will not be disturbed. Stack several other heavy books on top of it. Leave the flowers inside the closed book, undisturbed, for one full week. Handle the pressed flowers carefully when you remove them from the pages of the book.
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Tips & Warnings
To maintain the vibrancy of the color, press your flowers as soon as possible after cutting.
Flowers with flat or fine blossoms, such as pansies or violas, are good for pressing.
References
- Photo Credit purple pansy image by John Sfondilias from Fotolia.com
