How Do You Press Flowers And Leaves?
• Collect plants when they are dry, but preferably before the heat of the day has wilted them. Usually you only want the flower, not the stem, but you will want to gather some foliage. Some root systems are neat and useful. • Flatten flowers – even remove the petals from a thick center core. Press some foliage at the same time so you can have a record (even if you don’t use the foliage). Press flat with fingers if necessary. • Pansies and violas are particularly easy to press and tend to hold color. If in the field (as on a road trip), use any absorbent paper directory (like the ones you can get which advertise rental/sale properties). Ask the motel/hotel for a Yellow Pages phone book. When you get home, you can transfer to a large phone book. Adding weight on top helps flatten. • Spread pages and insert a folded facial tissue. Place petals/flowers inside the fold. Close the pages, skip a few and repeat. The tissue makes it easy to transfer… • Transfer tissue containing the flower to
