How to press flowers and what to do with them!
Whether it's a sentimental bouquet or one that's just too good to throw out, you can keep it forever with our Lead Florist Caroline's top flower pressing tips!
What you'll need...
Scissors
Fresh flowers
A pile of heavy books
Plain paper
Clear glue
A little patience!
First prep & press
1. Choose your flowers wisely
Bigger flowers that are full of petals (like roses) won’t press as well as daintier stems. So if you have lots of fatter flowers, pull away their petals and press these rather than the whole bud.
2. Trim them down to size
You want to trim the stems of your flowers and foliage down to anything between 1-5cm.
3. Pop them in place
Open up a heavy hardback book and place a sheet of plain paper inside. Arrange your flowers on the paper and make sure you leave enough space between each flower so none of them touch, or they'll stick together! Cover your arrangement with a second sheet of paper, shut the book and pile some more on top
4. Wait 2 weeks
Now, here’s the part that calls for a little patience. Wait for 2 weeks before opening your book and taking a peek!
Then pop them in a frame
1. Lay out your flowers
Now for the fun part! Arrange your pressed flowers onto your frame - any way you like!
2. Glue them in place
When you're happy with how they look, just hold them in place with a little dot of clear glue. Wait until the glue has dried and... voila!
Or make a phone case...
1. Pop your flowers in place
Dainty stems look really pretty in a phone case. You can add one focal stem and lots of little petals or go more maximalist - whatever you like the most!
2. Glue them down
Just a tiny dot of clear glue is needed as your phone will help to sandwich them in place as well.