How To Press Flowers: 3 Easy Methods

There are various reasons to want to know how to press flowers. Maybe you have a wedding bouquet, flowers from a birthday, or other special occasions. Maybe you have flowers you bought for yourself and want to keep them!

No one ever has to have a reason for why they do something they do. I like to press flowers and put them into glass frames as decor.

This has been especially popular amongst my friends. I make these frames for birthday and Christmas presents!

Here are three super simple, and easy methods on how to press flowers. This way, whatever your reason may be, you can keep your flowers preserved forever.

How To Press Flowers

• Book Method
• Iron Method
• Microwave Method

Picking the Right Specimens

Learning how to press flowers begins with picking the right specimens. It’s really important that you choose the right flowers to press and press them at the right time.

Some traits you will look for in flowers are ones that are naturally flat and fresh.

Pressing fresh flowers will help them to maintain their color throughout the pressing process. If you start with brown or wilting flowers, then they’ll come out more brown and less vibrant in the end.

Some Easy Flowers To Press

• Morning Glories
• Baby’s Breath
• Carnations
• Roses
• Daisies
• Leaves
• Queen Anne’s Lace

Press Flowers Using Books

This method is the most tried and true out of them all. Using books is by far the simplest way to press your flowers, but it’s also the longest process.

Pressing flowers using a book can take up to four weeks or more, the reason being you have to wait for the flowers to dry out completely.

Materials Needed:

• Big, Heavy Books
• Weights
• Parchment Paper
• Flowers

1. Open the heavy book you have decided to use and line it with parchment paper. Place the flowers inside, arranging them however you like.
2. Close the book and place weights on top to help press the flowers.
3. Let it sit for a long time!

You’re going to have to wait for the flowers to dry out completely. They won’t be fully pressed until they’re dry. If there’s moisture left, then the flowers can ripple and warp!

The bigger the book you have, the more pages you can use to press flowers. You can pretty much fill up a book with pressed flowers! It’s a good idea to make as many as you can for having to wait so long.

Important: Make sure to change out the parchment paper every few days. This will help prevent mold from growing.

Make sure whichever book you decide to use is one you’re okay with ruining. The moisture from the flowers will cause rippling in the pages.

Press Flowers With An Iron

Pressing flowers with an iron is a great way to help speed up the whole process. Maybe you don’t want to wait a month or more for your beautiful pressed flowers!

The faster you dry your flowers, the better they will retain their color. When they dry out over time, they tend to turn more brown and dull. Using an iron is a good way to help retain the vibrant colors.

Materials Needed:

• Iron
• Paper or Blotter Paper
• Flowers
• Book

1. Prepare flowers by trimming the stems. Pre-flatten your flowers in a heavy book. This makes it easier to press.
2. Place flowers in between two pieces of printer or blotter paper. (Blotter paper works better for soaking up the moisture from the flowers, but printer paper will work, too.)
3. Heat the iron to the highest heat setting.
4. When the iron is hot, press the hot iron to the paper with the flowers underneath. Let the iron sit still on the flowers for 10-15 seconds at a time.

Don’t move the iron back and forth. Just let it sit still. Make sure you only heat the flowers in shorter bursts, as not to burn them.

When you finish pressing and drying out the flowers (they are only done when they’re completely dehydrated), put them in a book and let them sit for a day or two. This will help to prevent rippling while the flowers cool down.

Press Flowers In The Microwave

Pressing flowers in the microwave is by far the quickest way to press flowers. It takes maybe a minute to get beautiful, dried out flowers that are perfect for arranging and decorating.

Pressing flowers in the microwave is my go-to method after having tried the book and ironing methods. It’s just much simpler.

Materials Needed:

• Small Book (OR) Microwaveable Flower Press
• Prepped Flowers
• Heavy Book
• Blotter or Printer Paper
• Paper Towels

1. Start by preparing your flowers. Trim up the stems.
2. Using the big heavy book, pre-press the flowers to flatten them into the shape you will want them to dry in.
3. If using a book, line the book pages with blotter or printer paper. Arrange the flowers inside and place the book in the microwave.
4. Microwave on a high heat setting for 20-30 second bursts. Check the flowers between to determine how dry they are.

Pressing With Microwaveable Flower Press:

This is my go-to method. After trying all other options, I decided to invest $40 into a microwaveable flower press. I was not disappointed!

With this press, you get perfectly pressed and dried flowers in under a minute.

Place Flowers

This is the small microwaveable flower press I have, which can be found on Amazon. Place your specimen in between the padding and linen cloths. Close the press and clamp the sides together to secure it.

Microwave

Place the flower press in the microwave. Microwave on a high heat setting for 20-30 second bursts. It’s essential not to overdo this step. The linen and felt inside the flower press can burn. If you microwave too long, the flowers can burn, too.

Soak Up Extra Moisture

After each burst in the microwave, you’ll notice a lot of moisture on each side of the flower press. Using paper towels, wipe up the excess moisture. This will help speed up the drying process.

You may have to take breaks when pressing flowers in the microwave. If you have a lot to press or have really moist flowers, the felt will become saturated. It’s best to allow it to dry before continuing.

Carefully Peel Dried Flowers

Here’s what a final product looks like! You need to be extremely cautious when peeling the flowers off of the linen. At this stage, they are so delicate and brittle. It’s easy to break them.

Enjoy

Here are just a few flowers I pressed in the microwave. They retain their color very well, when pressed quickly. The white one did start to brown as a result of over-microwaving it.

While they’re still warm, place them in a heavy book to cool. This will ensure they dry flat and set with no ripples.

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