How to Press Flowers

Pressing flowers is one of the simplest ways to keep a moment. This guide covers everything you need to press flowers with your Golden Keep pocket press — and it works for any flower press.

1. Choose the right flower

The best flowers for pressing are naturally flat with thin petals: violas and pansies, forget-me-nots, cosmos, lavender, small daisies, alyssum, ferns, herbs and individual leaves. Thick, fleshy or very wet flowers (succulents, tulips, lilies) are hard to press well in a small press.

2. Pick at the right time

• Pick mid-morning once the dew has dried, or on a dry afternoon.
• Choose freshly opened blooms with no browning.
• Press within a few hours — the fresher, the better the colour.

3. Pick responsibly in Australia

Picking native plants in national parks, state forests and reserves is illegal, and many wildflowers are protected under state law even on roadsides. Press flowers from your own garden, a friend's garden (with permission) or a florist bunch. Leave wild ones for everyone to enjoy.

4. Press

1. Unscrew the four nuts and lift the top plate.
2. Place one sheet of blotting paper on the bottom plate, lay your flower face-down, and cover it with a second sheet.
3. Close the plates and tighten all four screws evenly with the mini wrench — a little at a time, corner by corner.

5. Wait (and swap the paper once)

After 2–3 days, open the press and replace the blotting paper — this removes moisture and keeps colours bright. Thin flowers are ready in about a week; thicker blooms in 2–3 weeks. A flower is ready when it feels papery and doesn't bend limply.

6. Keep it forever

Display your flower in a frame, glue it into a journal, tuck it into a phone case or a handwritten card. Keep pressed flowers out of direct sunlight to stop fading.

Troubleshooting

• Brown or mouldy petals: the flower was wet — pick drier blooms and swap paper sooner.
• Wrinkled petals: smooth them flat with a fingertip before closing the press.
• Centre won't flatten: tighten firmly, or gently slice thick centres in half before pressing.