#LifeInLockdown

Natural Healing Through Flower Pressing by Louise Douglas

I’m going to tell you a secret: something I do that in my spare time that few people know about: pressing flowers and making them into art. It’s something that anyone can do, it doesn’t cost anything and I find it intensely relaxing and rewarding.

The good news is you don’t need any special kit for flower-pressing and, as a hobby, it doesn’t take up much room.

            You can buy flower-presses online, but I use ordinary cheap printing paper layered between table mats and weighed down with a couple of big books and some bricks.  That’s literally all you need to get going! You could even press your flowers between the pages of a book, but if you’re pressing more than a couple of flowers, that’s not going to be practical. The important thing is to have the press ready before you pick your flowers as once they’re picked, you can’t hang around.

            So…. have paper and flat, heavy objects to hand. Then:

1. Pick your flowers and or leaves. If you don’t have a garden, flowers grown in pots, window boxes, or in bunches purchased from the local service station are fine. Fallen blossom blooms, leaves cut from hedges and daisies and clover leaves from the lawn are all good but don’t pick wildflowers unless you have permission. I try to only take one or two flowers from each plant so as not to damage it too much.
2. The showiest flowers aren’t always the best. Things like bracken, forget-me-not flowers and the individual yellow petals of modest blooms like dandelions are wonderful. As a general rule, fleshy flowers like bluebells, don’t work as well.
3. Make sure anything you’re going to press is dry – drops of dew or raindrops will spoil the pressing, and rescue any little bugs or spiders.
4. Lay the flowers and leaves flat on at least three sheets of paper on top of a flat object such as a table mat. Cover with three more sheets of paper and place anther flat object on top. Keep going until you have a flower press sandwich and you run out of flowers to press.
5. Leave for at least two weeks. Don’t be tempted to peep, it’s a bit like opening the oven door too early and ruining the cake.
6. Go and see what you’ve pressed! The flowers and petals will have changed in shape and colour as they dry out. As a general rule, yellow petals hold their colour best, I’ve no idea why.
7. Use your flowers and leaves to make cards, pictures, light catchers, book marks, whatever.

If you do decide to give flower pressing a go, please send us pictures of your results, we’d love to see them. Happy pressing!

Louise’s book The House By The Sea is available now in ebook, audiobook and paperback. Click on the cover below  to get your copy today.