Bring the Outdoors Inside – Botanicals of Pressed Flowers or Leaves

Remember the leaf scrapbooks we made in grade school? Who would imagine the simple techniques we learned then could create exquisite art? Or you could make something so lovely without having artistic talent. Nature is the consummate artist; we are the preservers of beauty literally showered upon us.

Pressing flowers and leaves starts with picking attractive plants. Roses are still in bloom and some colored leaves remain on trees. Interesting weeds and ferns abound. These press well. Pick the brightest colors and the most interesting leaf shapes. Compound leaves do well also. Pick extras.

Use thick books to press. I have an old set of encyclopedias that are really great. Lay the flowers in the pages and gently open the flower up as much as it will. If petals fall off you can attach them later. Lay the leaves flat on the pages as well. Don’t lay any plants on top of each other. Close the book and lay a few heavy books on top. Several plants per book will work. Leave undisturbed for a couple weeks. Low humidity is best.

If you are in a hurry you can press the plants between wax paper with an iron. Use a low temperature. Press lightly until you are satisfied with the results. Remove the wax paper gently.

Pressed flowers and leaves are sometimes called everlastings, ephemera or botanicals. Your pressed ephemera can be framed, applied to the outside of frames, glued on cards and invitations or decoupaged onto furniture surfaces. The applications are numerous. In pressed plants you have true natural art with beauty all its own. Use your imagination.

Inexpensive frames and mats can be purchased to match your décor. Depending on your frame size, scrapbook papers make attractive paper to affix your plants. Lay out the flowers or leaves and arrange them with the mat in place so that you know how large your actual lay out space is. Arrange the plants delicately as they are very fragile now in their dried state. Use toothpicks and tweezers to move them. Trim off some leaves from flowers that look too busy. Make arrangements of 2 to 3 flowers, like a freshly gathered bouquet. Arrange fall leaves to capture their falling motion or line them up like a scientific study.

When you like the arrangement, place a tiny dot of lightweight glue under each plant and its petals, stems or lobes. Press lightly and allow drying overnight. Place in their mats and frames. Botanicals fascinate because they are real. Botanicals are often hung in a series, either in a row or a series of rows. To buy them in quantity from a store is expensive. If you make them you will save a lot.

These make lovely hostess and Christmas gifts. From a single leaf or flower to a group in a frame, or combined with a photo or poetry, botanicals are a gardeners gift from nature. From you, the gardener, they’re a natural!