Preserve your homegrown blooms with this easy to use wooden flower and herb press.
 
Place a piece of the cardboard on top of the wood followed by a piece of paper. Lay your flowers on top of the paper in a single layer. Make sure that you do not overlap any of the petals otherwise they will stick together. Place a second sheet of paper on top of the flowers, followed by another piece of cardboard. Add additional layers as desired. When you’re done adding layers, add a final piece of cardboard on top followed by the second board on the very top.
To tighten your press, screw and secure with the wing nuts.
 
Tips for drying flowers
Harvest your flowers right before you’re ready to press them to minimize wilting and make sure that your flowers are free of moisture before you add them to your press to prevent moulding.
A good time to collect blooms is late morning after morning dew has dried.
Smaller, flatter flowers like pansies and violas are quick and easy to press, while thicker flowers like roses and marigolds will take longer and may benefit from changing out the paper every couple of days. Some flowers are more ideal for pressing than others and will retain their colour better– the fun part is experimenting!
 
The process for pressing flowers can take anywhere from 1-3 weeks depending on the size and thickness of your flowers.