Pressing flowers is only one method to maintain seasonal blooms. Several different kinds of flowers press well in a flower press or between the pages of a hefty book. Very good kinds of flowers for pressing are blooms that ordinarily lay flat and hold their color during the pressing process. Look for flowers which don’t have thick petals, which hold a good deal of water, making them hard to dry.
Flowers That Lay Flat
Flowers that lay flat are some of the least difficult to press. These blooms maintain their form and shape, losing just a little bit of depth. Wait until these blooms unfurl all of the way before selecting them. “Sonata Dwarf Mix” cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus “Sonata Dwarf Mix”) opens wide with white petals surrounding a yellow centre on 12-inch-tall stems. This yearly blooms from summer until the end of autumn. Another flat-growing blossom is the “Zagreb” thread-leaved tickseed (Coreopsis verticillata “Zagreb”), which produces star-like blossoms in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 9 in the first summer. This perennial is made up of yellow petals surrounding a dark core on the top of ferny leaves, reaching 12 inches tall.
Flower That Hold Their Colors
It’s important when maintaining blooms by pressing them they maintain the first color of the blooms. These kinds of flowers work well when glued onto cardstock to create a personalized greeting card. One brilliant blossom that’s fantastic for pressing is flowering tobacco (Nicotiana alata), which produces yellowish-green, white, white, pink and red blossoms around 3- to 5-foot-tall stems in USDA zones 10 and 11. Another blossom variety available in different long-lasting colours is the pansy (Viola x wittrockiana), which grows as a perennial in USDA zones 6 through 10. Growing less than 12 inches tall, these springtime blooms are available in blue, orange, pink, purple, red, white and yellow colours with several types appearing with face-markings.
Flowers With Thin Petals
Flowers with thin petals dry quickly and tend not to mold when pressed. Many of these flowers grow in dry soil and survive on mainly rainwater. One example of a blossom with thin petals is the California poppy (Eschscholzia californica), which reaches 12 inches tall, spreading 6 to 12 inches wide. These North American indigenous annuals are available in purple, orange, cream and red colours. Larkspur (Consolida ajacis) produces fern-like leaves with pink, blue or white flowers on top of 24-inch-tall stems. This annual provides a summer-long harvest of blossoms.
Flowers With Thick Centers
Flower with ornamental petals and thick centres can nevertheless be pressed, according to Kathryn Sultzbaugh, writing in “Fine Gardening.” The petals are carefully removed from the center and pressed individually. When they are dry, they are reassembled without the center. One yearly that’s suitable for disassembly and pressing is the French marigold (Tagetes patula), which can be found in yellow, yellow, red and variegated. These ruffled flowers top 15-inch-high stalks. Another flower that needs the center removed before pressing is increased of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus), which grows best in USDA zones 5 through 9. All these vase-shaped summer flowers create large petals and a protruding facility in shades of rose, white, white, red and purple. This perennial grows as a bush reaching 15 feet tall.