There is a stretch of summer, usually somewhere around now, when the garden looks as good as it will all year. The roses are open, the cosmos are coming through, and there are more flowers about than you quite know what to do with. It does not last. A run of hot days or one heavy storm, and a lot of it is gone. If pressing flowers is something you have been meaning to try, this is the month to actually do it.
Most people leave it too late. They wait until the flowers are already sagging in the vase, then wonder why the pressed version comes out tired and brown. The trick is to catch summer blooms a little earlier than feels right, while they are still firm and full of colour.
Catch summer flowers while they are firm and bright, and they keep far more of their colour.
The summer flowers that press easily
Some flowers do almost all the work for you. Cosmos, larkspur, cornflowers, and pansies are thin and fairly flat, so they dry quickly and keep their colour well. Daisies and the little wild ones along a path are just as easy. Violas, buttercups, and a single sprig of verbena press flat and look lovely on a card later. If you are not sure where to begin, begin with these. An early win is what makes the hobby stick. If you are brand new to pressing, our absolute beginner's guide covers the basics.
The ones worth a little extra effort
Roses and peonies are the flowers most people most want to keep, and also the ones that fight back. They are thick and hold a lot of moisture, so pressed whole they tend to brown in the middle. You do not have to give up on them. Pull the outer petals off and press those on their own, or slice the whole flower in half from top to stem so it lies flat. A rose pressed in halves keeps far more of its shape than a whole one crushed down. Lavender is worth tucking in around the edges too. It dries beautifully and holds its scent for months.
When to pick: late morning is the sweet spot, once the dew has dried but before the afternoon sun has tired the petals. Choose blooms that are just open rather than fully out, and press them the same day if you can. A flower picked dry and fresh is already halfway to a good result.
A small press means you can pick and press on the spot, even on a walk.
Take the press outside
Summer is the one time of year pressing does not have to happen at the kitchen table. A small press slips into a bag, so you can pick and press as you go. A few flowers from a walk, a sprig from the verge, something from a friend's garden you could not resist. Pressing them while they are still fresh, rather than carrying a wilting handful home, usually gives you better colour. It also turns an ordinary walk into something you bring a little of back from.
Our Miniature Flower Press was made with this in mind. It is compact enough to keep in a bag and sturdy enough to press properly, with the cards and paper you need already included.
Everything you need to start comes in the box, including the cards and paper.
What to do with them
This is the part that makes the waiting worth it. A handful of summer flowers, pressed well, becomes a card you send in the autumn, a small framed piece for a shelf, or a few pages in a journal that bring the garden back in the middle of winter. You do not need a plan when you begin. Press what is around you this week, and the ideas tend to turn up once you see how good a few pressed flowers really look.
Pressed well, a few summer flowers become something you keep for years.
The flowers in your garden right now will not be there in a month. Pressing a few of them takes ten minutes and gives you something to keep long after summer has gone. Pick a calm morning, choose the blooms you would miss most, and start there.
Questions? We're always happy to help at info@berstukstore.com