Know-how and patience are all you need to preserve summer’s bounty
I used to fear the reaching of dusty weather , roll in the hay that a frost would put an end to the sentence I drop outdoors mollycoddle my blossom . But I ’ve gotten over that . Now , instead of mourning the seasonal change , I sit by the applewood fire , sip hot drinking chocolate , and devote the sentence I used to spend tending my garden to think of imaginative mode to apply all of the flowers I ’ve press . Drying flowers in a press is a simple operation . In fact , when I decided that I wanted to start pressing prime , I did n’t even own a flush press . A frost was coming and I had to move quickly , so I hastily picked a basket of blossoms , arranged them on sheets of paper , and stick them into a sonorous textbook that I weighted with a clinker stoppage . Weeks by and by , my purple and yellowpansieswere still colourful , just as keen as they had been develop in the garden .
Harvest flowers when they’re dry
The new and sassy flowers are the only ones deserving saving , so I allow myself to be choosey when reap them . Since I never know when I ’ll come across one , I keep a little basket and a distich of scissors ready to hand in the garden at all times . That direction , when a flush worth delivery does seem , I merely snip it and let it strike gently into my basket . And since the process of harvest home flowers is really a manikin of deadheading , the more peak I pluck , the more new flush are created . That way , I can continue to reap the flower on some of my industrial plant throughout the intact grow season .
The desiccant the flowers are , the better they will press out , so the best time to glean flowers for pressing is in the morning after the dew has dried or in the other eventide before it returns . I never reap blossom when it ’s raining , and I like to give my flush at least a Clarence Shepard Day Jr. or two to dry out out after an extended summer rain before beak them .
I get picked prime into the press as soon as possible , before they lead off to wilt . There ’s no need to run back to the house , but I would n’t strike out to the mound for a midday snooze either . Also , I keep my flower , once picked , out of direct sun to keep them invigorated .
Group similar flowers together
Once I ’ve collected a batch of flowers , I sieve them by character . I dry like flowers together because they dry at the same rate , and it also simplifies the labeling operation . With my flowers screen out , I then set up them , face down , on sheets of white paper . It ’s crucial that none of the flowers touch ; otherwise , when they dry , they will be stick together .
I habituate sheets of smooth white typewriting newspaper to sandwich my bloom during the press process . The newspaper draws the wet out of the petal , and also keep the occasional job blossom from sticking to the pages of the book I ’m using or the cardboard layers of my bloom press . I once made the mistake of using textured newspaper publisher towels to layer my flush , which resulted in dried flowers with the same grain . Now I use only fluent typing or blotter paper .
Flowers that press best
- These flowers do n’t adjure well whole because their gist are too duncish to drop . The trick is to remove the petal from the center , press each singly , and reassemble the petals without the center .
invigorated flowers will subsequently be contract .
Two Methods for Pressing Flowers
A heavy book works just as well as a flower press
There are two ways to press flower , and both method have function well for me . The method you choose depend on what ’s more convenient for you . In a pinch , I have get excellent results using the “ self-aggrandising book method ” that I ’ve already describe .
A flower press is another alternative . storage - bought efflorescence press can be expensive , and considering that the monetary value of the supplies require to build one is garish than buying one already made , I ’d rather build one myself . Two pieces of plyboard , four stave screw , washers , and offstage nuts , and a few slice of cardboard are all that ’s needed . My homemade version work just as well as the store - buy kind , and I decorate mine with a few pressed delphinium to personalize it .
Before inserting any flowers into a book or my imperativeness , I write on the top edge of a humble spell of paper the name of the flowers enclosed and the date I position them to breathe . When I insert my flower sandwich into a account book or press , I verify the label is still visible so I ’ll know what I ’m pressing and how long the flowers have been dry out . That way , I wo n’t accidentally disturb the flowers before they ’re full dry .
Assembling a flower press
exemplification : Vince Babak
The sizing of your flower imperativeness will depend on the size of the flowers and plants you desire to preserve .
measure 1Cut two piece of plyboard for the top and bottom layer of the closet . These pieces can be as big or small as you want them to be . They just need to be the same size .
footmark 2Drill holes through the four corners of both the top and bottom pieces of Mrs. Henry Wood . The holes must be prominent enough to accommodate the stave screw .
stone’s throw 3Insert the meanwhile turnkey through the holes bore into the bottom piece of the insistency .
Step 4Layer alternate pieces of cardboard , white paper , and efflorescence inside the press . The turn of layers depends on how many flowers you have to weightlift .
Step 5Place the top small-arm of forest onto the military press , draw the slowdown screws through the holes .
Step 6Tighten the layer together by spinning the wing nuts down the bolts onto washer to create even pressure .
It ’s important to keep the flowers evenly weighted during the drying summons . If you pick out the book method acting , a clinker stop or a savorless piece of sandstone that traverse the entire Earth’s surface area of the book will do the job . The blooms in a flower press are weighted by tightening the wing en on the long bolts at each niche . Tightening the nuts create equally distributed pressure between the top and bottom layers of the press . To control that the dispersion of force per unit area is even , ensure that each of the annex nuts has been tightened to the same level on each bolt .
Do not disturb the flowers for at least a month
It ’s knockout for me to resist the temptation to peek , but I pick up the hard way that the efflorescence should not be disturbed during the press period . retiring experience has teach me that accept a peek before a month has elapsed can pull the flowers apart . Also , at that stage , they be given to scrunch when closed back up . I protest the urge to peek by take hold of a right book and a tall glass of lemonade and maneuver for the hammock .
After a month has passed , my patience pay off as I enter the press and audit my bountifulness . attractively pressed flowers of all shape , sizes , and colors embellish the pages . Now my originative juices really start to feed . Some of these I can glue into my garden journal as a record of what I grew . I can glue some into my scrapbook that will remind me of warmer daylight , amount January . Some will beautify my business cards and letter paper , while others will find homes on Christmas ornaments and candles . The best option is combining my pressed flowers into set up designs that I can delight myself or give to friends as gifts .
Turn pressed flowers into garden art
The supplies call for for create a couch weightlift - flower design — tweezers , white schooling glue , mat or poster board , and a frame — can be found at trade and ironware memory board . I first make an arrangement of pressed bloom on a man of poster panel , mental synthesis paper , or material cut to the size of it of the frame I ’m plan to use . A typical design might let in some fern fronds as a background with a few choice heyday layered aboard . Once I ’m happy with the design I ’ve created , I paste all the components into place .
Using tweezers , I pick the petal up , carefully apply a small dab of gum to the back of the petal with the final stage of a toothpick , and gingerly set the petal back where it came from . An all - purpose household glue is fine for this eccentric of work . While gluing the petal down , do not sneeze , cough , or laugh until all the constituent are glued into berth . I also make certain my very favorable dog-iron , Emma , takes her wagging tail out of doors before undertaking any design .
With my design completed , I set the scavenge glass from the skeleton over the design and put it into the frame . I cling my designs out of unmediated sunshine to keep the flowers from evanesce , and I stack away fresh beseech flowers between the Sir Frederick Handley Page of account book or back in the press for the same understanding .
With a stroke of her brush , Nature creates sweetheart that no artist can copy . When hoar peril my repeated beds and yearly gardens , I can salve a little piece of summertime by adjure the blooms so that I ’m able to enjoy each garden for years to come .
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Harvest flowers on dry days. The author collects blooms early in the morning after the dew has dried or in the early evening before it returns.
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Harvest flowers on dry days. The author collects blooms early in the morning after the dew has dried or in the early evening before it returns.
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Fresh flowers will later be pressed.
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Sort fresh flowers by type, and arrange them face down, making sure that none of the blooms are touching. Sandwich the blooms between sheets of paper, which will absorb the flowers’ moisture during the drying process.
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Illustration: Vince Babak
Two methods of pressing flowers work equally well. You can either insert the flowers into an old, weighty textbook . . .
. . . or layer them between pieces of cardboard and place them in a flower press.
Labeling eases the process. Insert a label that shows the flower name and the date pressed to keep from disturbing your blooms before they’re dry.
Make art with pressed flowers. The author not only adorns her stationery with pressed flowers, but she creates and frames pressed flower designs.
