A guide to making pressed floral arrangements | Lily Ella

Like us, If you find yourself looking for new ways to keep yourself creatively engaged during these uncertain times, then learning how to properly press and arrange flowers is an excellent place to start. Solace can be found in the beauty of nature and this mindful hobby leads to beautiful results you can admire all year round, as well as offering up a thoughtful gifting option to someone you hold close.

Most of us tend to hold onto items with sentimental value, even flowers.

Whether your beautiful blooms were a gift from a loved one, a lasting memory of Mother’s Day or you’re simply wanting to create a keepsake of your seasonal garden blooms, flowers present a type of beauty and joy that should be displayed all year round. 

Hold onto those blooms and preserve those special memories for years to come with our easy guide to pressing flowers at home with Lily Ella. 

Choosing the right flowers

First things first, deciding which flowers to press is the best place to start.

It’s important to remember that the colour of your flowers will naturally fade once pressed, so it’s recommended practice to catch the flower in its prime for the most colourful bloom. 

These flowers, petals, or shrubs should also be in good condition and free of any small blemishes or tears, as when it comes to drying out your chosen foliage, this can cause the petals to become brittle and more likely to become damaged or lose their shape. 

If you’re thinking of picking blooms fresh from your garden, do so in the morning right after the dew has evaporated, as any excess moisture can make your dried arrangements prone to mould. A nice, breezy day around mid-morning is the perfect time to make the most of flower picking. 

Once you’ve picked your preferred blooms, they need to be prepped.

The preparation process

If you’re unable to press your foliage right away, simply place them in a ziplock bag and store them in the fridge for when you’re ready to do so. 

Then, when you’re ready to press, there are a few easy steps to ensure your flowers keep their colour and freshness: 

Split your flowers

If you're pressing flowers that are naturally thick, such as orchids or roses, you should split them down the middle with a knife to make for an easier press. 

Lay flowers flat

Simply lay the flat face of the flower on your paper until you’re ready to press. 

Pressing your flowers

To press your flowers, you must dry them out as quickly as possible to prevent browning. There are a number of different types of paper you can use to accomplish this, but it works best with paper that isn’t textured, such as printed paper or flat cardboard. Textured papers, such as paper towels, may leave imprints on your flower’s delicate petals. 

Ways to press

There are a number of ways to press flowers and some require more materials than others, but we’re going to illustrate how best to press flowers using a book. This is perhaps the easiest way to press flowers - you can simply use a spare hardback book you have lying around your home. 

What you will need: 

Flowers

Heavy hardback book

Absorbent paper Weight (can just be more books)

Step 1:

Begin by preparing your floral arrangements by removing any unwanted leaves and lay each flower flat on non-textured, absorbent paper.

Step 2:

Open your book in the middle and place your paper and flowers within the book’s pages. Large, hardback books, dictionaries or simply phone books work best for this, as they are typically heavy and have many pages you can use. Make sure to use a book you don’t mind getting damaged, as the drying process could cause the pages to wrinkle.

Step 3:

Position the blooms face down on the paper, then add a further sheet atop of your floral arrangements and carefully close the book, making sure to not move the flowers.

Step 4:

Place more books or other weighty objects atop of the book to encourage the drying process. Store your book in a place out of the way, that is less likely to be disturbed or knocked into, as this could cause damage to some of the delicate blooms.

Step 5:

Let the flowers sit undisturbed for around ~3-4 weeks. The longer you press the flowers, the less water will be left and the longer they’ll last as a pressed arrangement. If after you’ve checked on your flowers they don’t seem to have a dried out, ‘paper-like’ feel, simply change the paper and let them dry out for longer.

Step 6:

Once you’ve created your pressed flowers, you can put them on display! Whether you choose to create a pressed floral arrangement to display in a photo frame, glue to greetings cards for a personal touch, or simply add them to wrapping paper as a sentimental token, the flowers that mean the most to you can remain in your collection for years to come.

Beautiful Blooms

From botanical prints to crafting cards, florals add a unique touch to whatever they’re included in - especially beautiful summer garments. Our array of inclusive, bespoke floral dresses and accompanying shawls create timeless wardrobe staples that are designed to bring you years of wear. Whether you prefer a pintuck dress in a lilac, painterly print such as the Grindon Dress, or you prefer a bolder hue of blue with our best-selling Fawdon Dress, we have something to suit all needs at Lily Ella. 

Lily Ella Catalogue

Keep up-to-date with our brand-new, flattering womenswear designs by taking a look at our brochure. Or, if you prefer to browse through all of our handmade, fabulous clothing from your laptop or mobile, request a Lily Ella brochure online and we’ll post one out to you within a couple of days.